He activated Abyssal Steps again.

The world folded, and Jack appeared directly beside the fleeing adult Glowcap. His demon hand was already in motion, sweeping horizontally this time instead of vertically.

The claws connected with the side of the creature's neck.

[-2,274 HP]

[Glowcap - Adult HP: 0/1,850]

[Enemy Defeated!]

The adult Glowcap's body collapsed, its blue mushroom cap dimming rapidly until the light went out completely. Dark fluid pooled beneath it, and its body began to dissolve, breaking down into particles that would eventually feed the forest floor.

The juvenile's wailing increased in pitch and volume.

Jack turned toward it. The small Glowcap was still frozen in place, its green cap now flashing red as the Fear status activated on it as well.

[Status Effect Applied: FEAR]

[Target: Glowcap - Juvenile]

But unlike before, the juvenile didn't run. It just stood there, shaking, making those crying sounds, its simple eyes fixed on where the adult had fallen.

Jack crossed the distance in three quick strides. His demon hand came down in a single, efficient strike.

[Critical Hit!]

[-5,686 HP]

[Glowcap - Juvenile HP: 0/950]

[Enemy Defeated!]

The small creature collapsed beside what remained of the adult. Its green cap flickered once, twice, then went dark. Like the adult, its body began to dissolve, returning to the forest.

Jack stood over both bodies, his demon hand still dripping with their dark fluid.

The Thunder Mantle around his arms crackled softly, the only sound in the sudden silence of the forest.

[DING!]

[Combat Complete!]

[Experience Gained: +3,500 EXP]

[Death Tokens Gained: +700]

[Current Death Tokens: 568,950]

[Demonbound: Level 1 (3,500/10,000)]

'Wait hold on…. Why is the EXP so damn high'

[This is your first legendary Class. As such the EXP required will be much higher. But if you.manage to max the class, the rewards will also be better]

Another notification appeared, and Jack's eyes narrowed as he read it.

[Achievement Unlocked: Family Reunion]

[Congratulations! You have successfully eliminated an entire family!]

Jack stared at the notification for a long moment.

The system's tone was almost... cheerful?

As if wiping out what was clearly a parent and child was something to be celebrated.

'Fuck off,' Jack thought at the system, dismissing the notification without another glance.

He deactivated Demonhand, watching his arm return to normal. The transformation left him standing there, covered in the dark fluid from both Glowcaps, his armor streaked with evidence of what he'd just done.

Jack looked down at where the two bodies were dissolving. The juvenile's small form was almost completely gone now, breaking down into particles that glowed softly before dispersing into the air.

He felt... nothing.

That was what bothered him most.

He'd just killed what was essentially a child protecting its parent, or a parent protecting its child, and he felt nothing.

No guilt. No remorse. Just the cold satisfaction of a fight won and experience gained.

'Is this what the tower does to you?' Jack wondered, staring at his normal hand where the demon hand had been. 'Or is this what I'm choosing to become?'

He didn't have an answer. And maybe that was enough of an answer.

Jack turned and began walking back toward camp. The bioluminescent forest seemed quieter now, as if the other creatures had sensed the violence and decided to keep their distance.

Behind him, the last traces of the two Glowcaps dissolved completely, leaving nothing but slightly disturbed earth and a few spots of dark fluid that would soon be absorbed by the forest floor.

It was as if they'd never existed at all.

Jack's boots crunched against the moss and undergrowth as he made his way back.

His HP was recovering from the fight from his Crimson Recovery and his HP regeneration skill.

'One month of training,' Jack thought, his mind already moving to the next fight, the next challenge. 'I think that'll be enough time to train and figure things out.'

The Glowcaps had been Terror-ranked monsters. The adult had been skilled, surprisingly so. And Jack had still won, even if it had taken getting knocked around first.

But Pho was Disaster-class. Orders of magnitude more powerful than a Terror-ranked creature. If Jack struggled this much against a boxing mushroom, what would happen when he faced a Deathfrost Demon who'd lived for centuries and commanded tens of thousands of troops.

'I need to get stronger,' Jack decided. 'Much stronger. These demon abilities are powerful, but I need to master them. I need to push them to their limits and beyond.'

The camp came into view through the trees. S was exactly where Jack had left him, lounging against Fluffy with a half-eaten tangerine in hand.

Kyren stood watch, motionless as a statue.

Corvin had his head tucked under one wing, resting.

S looked up as Jack approached, his red eyes taking in the blood and dark fluid covering Jack's armor. A smile spread across his face.

"Successful hunt, I take it?" the contract demon asked.

"Something like that," Jack replied, his voice flat.

S's smile widened, as if he could see something in Jack's expression that Jack himself wasn't acknowledging.

"Good. There are plenty more where those came from." He gestured at the vast forest around them.

"Seventy-plus species, remember? You've barely scratched the surface."

Jack nodded, moving to sit by the fire Kyren had built. His body ached from the Glowcap's punches, but the pain was already fading.

He pulled up his system storage and scrolled through the inventory until he found what he was looking for.

Cho's meat.

The Nightmare-class demon he'd killed a while ago had provided a substantial amount of high-quality meat.

Jack had stored it all, intending to use it when needed. Now seemed like the perfect time.

He pulled out a large cut, easily ten pounds of dark red meat marbled with streaks of fat that looked almost black.

The texture was different from normal meat, denser somehow, and it gave off a faint smell of sulfur that wasn't entirely unpleasant.

"You're really going to eat that?" S asked, looking up from his tangerine with interest.

Jack glanced at the contract demon. "Does it bother you? Me eating demon meat?"

S considered the question for a moment, then shrugged. "Not particularly. You're consuming power to gain power." He smiled. "Besides, I've seen mortals do far stranger things in pursuit of strength. Eating a dead demon is relatively tame."

Jack turned to Kyren, who stood nearby watching the forest perimeter. "What about you?"

Kyren's hollow voice carried its usual emotionless tone. "Master may consume whatever he wishes. This one has no opinion on the matter."

"Good enough," Jack muttered, pulling out a small cooking grate from his storage and setting it over the fire.

He placed the meat on the grate and watched as it began to sizzle. The smell that rose was... complex. Part like cooking beef, part like something else entirely.

The demonic essence in the meat seemed to react to the heat, causing small wisps of black smoke to rise alongside the normal cooking vapors.

As the meat cooked, S leaned forward slightly, his red eyes fixed on the sizzling cut with unexpected interest.

"That actually smells decent," S said, a note of surprise in his voice. "May I try some?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You eat regular food?"

"I eat whatever interests me," S replied. "And demon meat from a Nightmare-class creature? That's a low grade delicacy. I suppose i could indulge myself this time."

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