'Hmmm hm hm hmmm, hm hmmm hmm hmmmm,' she hummed to herself absentmindedly, some half-remembered tune from her hazy pre-hell life, while her HP ticked up slow but surely.
She flicked open her quest log with a mental nudge, eyes scanning the timer. Still forty-five minutes to snag that heartstone.
‘I’m chilling. That’s more than enough time.' she shrugged inwardly. She remembered that mere moments ago, she had checked the village, and surprise, surprise! Not a single demon was left inside of it. Enochia knew more demons lived there, but by now, she was more than certain they fled. 'Suckers probably saw their boss get owned. Can’t say I blame them either.'
Sooooo, time to delegate. She summoned her black knights back with a wave—poof, they shimmered into existence around her, looking a bit worse for wear but ready to roll. "Alright guys, listen up," she barked, pointing toward the village. "Scour that shithole for the heartstone. Watch for traps—could be pitfalls, exploding pieces of paper, the usual demonic party favors. Just take your time and don't rush in like idiots." But since Cervain was there too, towering over the rest, she knew it wouldn't take much time.
God, she loved how reliable he was! The big guy just nodded once, sword at the ready, and led the pack off into the village without a word.
Left alone with her prize, she looked down at the defeated demonic knight under her, sighed like a tired mom, and sprawled herself over his chest fully, lying on top of him like he was a lumpy couch. The chains creaked under her weight, but held firm. "Roo," Enochia called out lazily into the air.
[Yes, Enochia?]
She propped her chin on her hands, staring at the chestplate below her. "Look, I was joking earlier when I said you made me dumber, but... something really feels hazy for her—er, me. Fuck." She shook her head, correcting herself. "Some memories are hazy as hell, like fogged-up windows, while others are crystal clear. And it's not just that. I feel more impulsive, y'know? Like, dumber? I... Fuck, I mean to say like I don't feel the need to think about stuff at all before doing 'em. Hell, look at me now for example! I almost got poor Leon killed over here, stomping his ass like a toddler." She paused, frowning. "Did'ya really dumb me down, you halo-wearing prick?"
Roo's response floated in.
[Yes and no.]
Enochia's eyes narrowed, temper flaring like a match to gasoline. "The fuck?!" She slammed her hand down in frustration right on the knight's chestplate, the impact ringing out like a gong. The chained body shuddered beneath her, a muffled groan escaping through the links. "Shit, sorry broski!" she yelped, patting the spot like that'd fix it.
But she wasn't done with Roo. "What the fuck is this Sensei Wu way of speaking? Be clear, you cryptic feathered asshole! Yes and no? Pick a lane!"
[Your intelligence has been lowered, but your way of thinking, and your base knowledge remains the same.]
Roo's messages appeared quickly.
[It's simply a matter of your current form. As a lower-class demon now, your soul retains far more information than your physical brain can fully process or access at once. It's not erasure, but compression, if you will.]
"Heeeee," Enochia scowled, her face twisting up like she'd bitten into a lemon soaked in vinegar, getting more pissed by the second. She balled her fist, almost slamming it down on the knight's chestplate again out of sheer frustration, but caught herself mid-swing, hovering there like an idiot.
"You're calling me stupid now? Straight up? What the hell, Roo!"
[No.]
The angel replied instantly, not rising to the bait.
[It is simply that, as humans, you have an average baseline intelligence, so do demons by their evolution and race. As a baseline, the average human IQ is one hundred. For demons of the second tier, that average is close to eighty.]
Enochia shot up from her lounging position like she'd been electrocuted, standing on the chained knight's chest now, which was probably not the comfiest for him, but fuck it, he was possessed anyway. "SO THE ANSWER IS YES, YOU FUCKER, YOU MADE ME DUMBER!"
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[The only limiting factor is your current race. It also makes you far more prone to giving in to your emotions, as a side effect of the demonic physiology.]
"YOU FUCKER, NOW YOU'RE CALLING ME EMOTIONAL TOO?!?!" Enochia roared, swinging a wild punch at the screen where Roo's words floated in her vision. Her fist sailed right through it like smoke. But then—snap—something clicked inside her head, like a puzzle piece falling into place.
She froze, eyes widening. "Holy shit... you're right..." She trailed off, sinking back down to sit on the knight's chest, the anger deflating a bit. "I know that I've heard of those skills—both Blackstep and that Furnace bullshit—but I somehow forgot them mid-fight. I fought a few knights myself back in... whenever, and I saw them activate them. Why the hell couldn't I remember during the scrap? It's like my brain's got selective amnesia or some shit."
She rubbed her temples, groaning. 'Fucking demon brain fog. Great.' Then, perking up, she shot another question at the ether. "Roo! I saw in the quest log that I can evolve, right?"
[Correct.]
"Good, then would that make me smarter as a baseline? Like, crank the IQ back up?"
[Yes, that would unlock all your previous cognitive features, and potentially enhance them further depending on the evolution path.]
"Hehe," Enochia scrubbed her nose with a thumb, a smug grin cracking her face like she'd just won the lottery. "Ha! Then screw the worries. I'll blast through this evolution crap, shake off the stupid, and strut back as the sharpest bitch in Hell. Child's play."
She fished a crab leg out of her inventory and plopped back down on the knight's chestplate like it was her throne. Cracking it open with a satisfying snap, she started munching away, juices dripping as she chewed noisily.
From the distance she spotted Cervain returning, but he was alone. She quickly swallowed the whole cleaned leg in one go, nearly choking but playing it cool, and hopped off her living couch to meet him halfway.
She wasn't that far from the village anyway, but what the hell was he doing without her other knights? Until her eyes locked on something strange in his hands: a weird yellow crystal with a piece of paper embedded right inside it like a fossil in amber. 'The fuck is that? Looks like a fancy paperweight... or is that the heartstone?’
As soon as they reached each other, she extended her hand like a greedy kid at a candy store and barked, "Gimme, gimme!" Cervain, did just that, handing over the weird yellow crystal without a peep.
Instantly, as her fingers wrapped around it, the familiar glow kicked in, and bam—her vision flooded with that blue-hued notification screen.
─────────────────────────────
QUEST COMPLETED: Hell's Mandate
Category: Trial
Objective:
Conquer the Village of Scorched Hearth and claim its Heartstone. Defeat the Warden within 1 hour, or face the Wrath of the Ring.
Progress:
Complete
Description:
You have slain a Lesser Guardian of the Ring and its packmates. The Lords of the Lower Depths have taken notice. Prove your worth, Traitor Demon, or be unmade.
Primary Reward:
? +250,000 XP
? +100 Souls
? Evolution Path Unlock (Demon Noble Branch)
? Heartstone x1
─────────────────────────────
Rewards Granted:
? +250,000 XP
? +100 Souls
? Evolution Path Unlock (Demon Noble Branch)
? Heartstone x1
[LEVEL UP!] X7
+14 Stat Points
+70 Souls
“Ye ye ye, that's nice and all, but where is my evolution? C'mon, Roo, hit me up!” Enochia said, grinning like a maniac as she spread her arms wide open, not giving two shits about the other rewards.
Nah, the evolution path was the golden ticket, the whole damn point! 'Bring it on, feathers! Zap me with that glow-up!'
But instead of the sweet rush of transformation, another notification slammed into her vision—bigger, bolder, and way more annoying than the completion popup. It hovered there like a taunt, all dramatic borders and infernal flair.
─────────────────────────────
QUEST ACCEPTED: Ascendance of the Damned
Category: Evolution Trial
Objective:
Prove your mettle as a rising force in the pits. Slay the lesser scum of Hell to forge your noble bloodline:
-
100 Imps (100/100)
-
25 Spirits (6/25)
-
10 Beasts (3/10)
-
5 Knights (0/5)
Progress:
Incomplete
Description:
The flames of ambition burn bright, Traitor Demon, but nobility demands sacrifice. Cull the weaklings of the Lower Depths. Only through rivers of ichor will you ascend to Demon Noble, unlocking powers that bend the damned to your will. Fail, and remain forever a lowly cur.
Reward:
? Demon Noble Evolution
─────────────────────────────
Enochia blinked at the screen, her smug grin freezing like it'd been hit with a frost spell. Then it cracked, twisting into a full-on rage face. "What the actual FUCK?!" she screamed, stomping her boot down hard on the ash-covered ground—bam!—kicking up a massive, billowing cloud of black smoke and grit that exploded outward like a mini volcano, choking the air and making her cough mid-rant.
"DAMN IT! Another goddamn quest? I just finished a quest and now you're cockblocking my evolution with another one? Roo, this is BULLSHIT!"
Another screen appeared next to her vision, and she, for some strange reason, felt obliged to only glance at it. And that simple action seemed to calm her down. She sighed, then growled, and finally flipped her hair so it was behind her, closing her eyes to only calm herself as much as she could. ‘Right… I broke trough level forty, meaning I at least get two new skills.’