Neo’s luck was good.
A good thing to be said about his situation since he set foot in the mortal world.
Or maybe it was because he was finally away from the Immortal World and had a breath of fresh air.
He had found three flowers of beliol nightshade in no time, and completed the requirements for the resource gathering mission.
All he needed now was to find two demons and it would be a successful first entrance into the true outlands.
Neo wondered how remote his current position was that he hadn’t seen any other human or demon.
He kept moving in the same direction.
Not only was he looking for other beings, he was also on the lookout for any resource he could grab and take with him.
He collected a few more flowers of beliol nightshade.
They might not count to the mission, but they could be sold.
Demon hunting was turning out to be more tedious than he expected.
As if his thoughts were heard, the world chose to throw a bit of excitement his way.
Two demons appeared before him.
Their sudden appearance caused him to pause.
Thankfully, their essence was just as weak as his.
That was the first thing Neo took notice of and he felt relieved.
The demon hunting could begin properly.
He drew his sword in one smooth motion.
For him, it was a kill or be killed moment.
In the true outlands, when demons and humans met there was nothing to be discussed.
Neo knew that and accepted it.
His stance was perfect as he struck first.
Fast and precise.
His aim went straight for the target.
His sword almost pierced one of the demon’s neck.
It only avoided the strike at the very last moment.
Neo had already moved into another stance.
His sword made a sweep towards the demon midsection.
Clang!
His sword was intercepted by the demon’s claws.
This was one way among many in which demons differed from humans.
Their body was not only rough and as thick as armor.
They had claws as sharp as swords.
Their mouth was filled with fangs that could tear into human flesh as easily as slicing butter.
Then, there was their tail.
Lightning whip fast and deadly.
Neo didn’t slow down for a moment.
His next strike was already in motion.
He didn’t let the demon’s strange appearance affect him.
His mind was wholly focused on the fight.
The book he was given at the Adventurer Guild had detailed all there was to know about demons.
He had learned all there was he could learn.
He knew it wouldn’t be an easy fight, but this fight showed him just how much he had underestimated the difficulty.
Since he wasn’t able to cut one of them down at the first strike.
He was now fighting against two.
Luckily, their teamwork wasn’t stellar.
Neo knew he had been having much luck today, but now that it came down to how much it could affect his life and death.
He wasn’t too happy with it.
A tail swished through the air, aiming for his head.
He dodged it.
He had his whole focus on the fight, every movement was as if ingrained into his bones.
Natural and swift.
The whole time, he had been gauging the demons’ abilties.
Carefully practicing everything he thought would be effective against them, gauging their limit.
The fight had fallen into a regular pace and comfortable rhythm.
Without any warning, Neo’s overall speed increased sharply.
His sword already moving smoothly had a sudden graceful movement to it.
His moves became subtle and charming.
The next move he made sent the head of a demon flying.
Even as the demon lost its life, its eyes looked entirely serene.
It was as if it had gained enlightenment, and had been shown all the hidden secrets of life itself.
The next move punched a hole directly into the second demon’s forehead.
Even in death, it’s expression was eerily similar to the other demon.
It was as if both had been entranced.
Neo almost lost his grasp of the sword.
The move he just performed was a basic level technique of the Immortal World.
By the Immortal World’s classification, basic level simply meant anything under the immortal rank.
Although it was a basic level technique, it led directly into one of the most powerful immortal rank techniques of the Immortal World.
Its requirements were therefore very high.
It placed a great demand on one’s focus, physical power and essence.
He leaned on his sword as he breathed deeply.
He slowly recovered his essence, but he felt like his head was about to tear apart.
This wasn’t a technique he was supposed to be performing with the current level of his essence.
However, the situation called for it.
Killing the two demons would have been a tall order if he had not used it.
His next move would be to harvest the parts he needed for the mission.
What he needed were some of their organs, and that required him to cut the demons open.
Before that, however, he needed to do something that was just as important.
He brought out his Adventurer Card.
First, he broke open the two demons skull.
Their brain was different from the squishy material of humans.
It was more like a transparent rock with a dim light shining from within.
He tapped his Adventurer Card against the two brains.
A new word was displayed on his Adventurer Card.
Merit: 2.
The merit system was used by the army.
Adventurers also had access to this system.
This way they could redeem resources or whatever it was they wished from the army’s vault.
While there was a standing army in the Immortal World, it was the duty of everyone to kill demons.
That was sorted out.
Now, it was time to dissect and retrieve what the mission requested.
Even though the demons were dead, their flesh was still hard to cut through.
It was a messy work.
Retrieving the organs, and dealing with the fluids and blood.
He would leave the body there.
The important parts were already removed.
He had no interest in dragging their body back just to get himself some pittance.
He looked around, he was the only living being in sight.
It suddenly felt so lonely.
Any idea he had of exploring further was squashed.
He also considered his current fatigue.
Suddenly, he felt a tiredness that hit him deep to the bones.
He looked at the dismembered bodies before him.
His messy and bloodstained clothes.
He felt the strong urge to retch, and so he did.
His hands on his knees, he heaved.
He felt bitter tears well up in his eyes.
This world, he realized, was fundamentally unfair.
He wiped his mouth when the heaving subsided.
Life wasn’t fair, but he would never let it grind him down.
Never let it turn him into just another faceless being among others.
He got up with this resolve held firm in his mind.
He took out his Adventurer Card.
He signified his need to return.
A few seconds passed, and he was back at the portals.
(^o^)
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