Chapter 3: Ephemeral Demon

If I can only survive by eating non-demon souls, then I will, of course, have to leave to this 'Other World' one day or the other—whatever that truly means.

Eating souls and such was still just a lingering thought at the back of his mind, but when it came to it, he would have to do it for survival and also development.

So, being a pussy about it would only push him into some ditch of regret later.

And for some reason, he didn't feel too bad about all of this. Maybe he was meant to be a demon more than a human.

So, just because of that, the Elemental Bloodlines were all out of the question. So were Physical Bloodlines and Mental Bloodlines.

Incubus, Minotaur, such things were alluring, but in the end, he would have to rely on somebody else most of the time to leave for the Other World. And that would be an important point.

If he were to be summoned into the Dungeon of some random Dungeon Demon, how can he trust that creature to put the dungeon in a safe place?

How can he trust his back on others?

So, the remaining ones would be Dream Demon Bloodline, Heart Demon Bloodline, and Dungeon Demon Bloodline. He would have autonomy over his life if he chose one of them.

Immediately, he removed the Dream Demon from his mind—it was too out of control, and he didn't like that.

Dreams were unpredictable. Even though he could see how that unpredictability would become his ally if he got the Dream-type abilities, Mark wasn't willing to risk it. How could he predict when someone would wake up?

Only the Dungeon Demon Bloodline and the Heart Demon Bloodline remained.

_

[Dungeon Demon Bloodline]

[Unique Type]

[Dungeon Demons can build a Dungeon (a unique space where they can cast their authority over) out of any structure once they enter the Other Worlds. The built Dungeon would hide them from the World Wills, and they can then lure seeking adventurers of the Other World into their lair full of traps to kill and devour their souls]

[They can expand their Dungeons using Mental power and slowly improve its defenses.]

[Limitation:

1. Cannot leave the Dungeon and can only expand it.

2. Has to choose their Dungeon structure in the first 30 seconds upon entering the Other World.

3. If someone conquers your Dungeon Core, you could be killed or enslaved to their will.]

_

Or.

_

[Heart Demon Bloodline]

[Unique Type]

[A Heart Demon is an obsession, trauma, or negative sentiment that hinders a sentient creature from making progress in their life. They can linger inside these emotions and can worsen and manipulate them to make the creature they are manipulating kill others to collect the killed's souls]

[A Heart Demon will enter another person's thoughts upon entering the Other World, and that will hide them from the Wills of the World]

[They can take over the aura of the person they manipulate and cover themselves, using it to gain full mobility in the Other Worlds after they destroy the heart of the person they are possessing.]

[Limitations:

1. Will not be able to choose who you will posses upon entry to the Other Worlds.

2. You will die if the person you are residing in gets over their heart demons.]

_

Honestly, he preferred the Dungeon Demon Bloodline more than the Heart Demon Bloodline. But being stationary in one place gave him the chills.

If you build a dungeon anywhere, as long as you bring in some people, you are bound to attract attention.

So, what if a strong, god-like enemy noticed him and came to attack?

Losing the Dungeon Core and dying was a surety.

He couldn't even choose a good hidden place to make his Dungeon within just thirty seconds. It was all way too reliant on luck.

Dungeon Demon Bloodline was way too passive, and it was mostly hoping for good luck. Whereas, even though Heart Demon Bloodline was going to put him in someone's head, it did give him a chance that he could actively try to control.

He didn't know what to do with all this hesitation clouding his mind.

What was the best option here?

He tinkered with the violet screen for a long time before suddenly, another option appeared before him.

_

[Found Bloodlines of similar origin inside you. You can try to mutate them to create a unique Bloodline.]

[Dream Demon Bloodline, Dungeon Demon Bloodline, and Heart Demon Bloodline can be mutated into another Bloodline—it could end up being a worse bloodline with many limitations or a way better bloodline.]

[Flame Demon, Ice Demon, Shadow Demon, Mist Demon, Illusion Demon, and String Demon Bloodline can be mutated into another Bloodline—it could end up being a worse bloodline with many limitations or a better bloodline.]

[Do you wish to mutate one of these choices or keep one Bloodline that you already have?]

_

Mark's hand unconsciously clenched, and he couldn't help but frown.

Choosing not to mutate sounded more logical to him, after all, with that, he could predict what he would get. It might not be as good as the bloodline he would get by fusing, but it might be too.

Fusing was a gamble... and he had a deep desire to gamble for once.

'Oi… this could totally change your future, Mark.' He said to himself, 'Are you really planning to gamble with it?'

He frowned.

He was being really greedy.

Just what if it created some godly bloodline… just, what if?

Fuck it. No matter what kind of bloodline I get, I'll find a way to rise.

In the end, if nothing works, I will find a way back to human civilization and even if all my abilities are worthless compared to other Demons, I will still have an edge over humans.

I'll live among them.

Gamble, it is!

"Fuse all the Unique Bloodlines!" he muttered softly in Earth's language. Probably, this was the last time he would ever use it.

In his words, his total number of Souls began to lessen, and it reduced by (0.1).

[Fusing all Unique Bloodlines and trying to attain a mutation]

[Removing Mental, Physical, and Elemental Bloodlines from the body]

Mark felt his nerves bulge and a force power up within him.

A cool electric charge began to effuse his physique from the tip of his toes to the top of his head. Energy as cold as ice seeped into him, and blood started to ooze out of his body.

Mist, violet in color, appeared around him, and he gritted through the pain in his marrows as something began to shift within him.

All the unneeded Bloodlines were being pushed out, and it was incredibly painful.

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Blood leaked down his mouth, and he looked at the dark ground below him, sinking his claws into the mud. From all over his pores, blood began to leak.

…

When it all passed and the smoke cleared, he was left panting, and his looks had slightly changed. Mark wobbled up and walked forward until he reached a puddle of blood some distance away from him—It was his own blood. Green and somewhat like a mirror.

On it was his reflected appearance that left him shaken.

His skin was still red, two obsidian horns were jutting out from the sides of his forehead, and his eyes were a cold golden in color. Body, thin and malnourished. Hair, short and spiky white. He was about a meter and a bit more in height, and to himself, he looked quite handsome overall.

Mark's gaze shifted to his Bloodlines and Demonic Tricks.

His hands were subconsciously clenched.

[Ephemeral Dungeon Heart Demonic Bloodline]

[A new Bloodline combination that the Demon World had never seen before—formed with the help of the '????? Screen' by mutating three Unique Type Bloodlines into one. Nobody knows what the demons with this Bloodline are capable of or what their weaknesses are.]

Not that.

Demonic Tricks.

That was the important detail.

Mark felt anticipation and some kind of whimsical hope bud inside him.

His gaze shifted.

_

[Demonic Tricks]

[Soul Devourer. Dungeon Heart Seed. Heart Input (Low), Dream Shock (Low).]

_

Mark's eyes shimmered and he checked what they were.

—

[Dungeon Heart Seed:

Plant a Dungeon Seed in creatures who are loyal to you, and anywhere 5 meters around them will become your Dungeon, while your own fleshly heart will be your Dungeon Core.

[Only works on creatures who are submissive to you in heart.]

[While inside your Dungeon, you will be hidden from the World Wills of the Other Worlds.]

—

"Kek!" Mark laughed.

Indeed. With that, he could build dungeons in other world while keeping his mobility. It was still limited but as long as he could plant enough seeds, he could move throughout the world. He already had the best part of being a Dungeon Demon.

He could create Dungeons and only if his enemy defeated him and dug out his heart could they get to the core of it.

Kek.

Did the gamble succeed?

He looked at the next ability.

_

[Heart Input (Low): enter the subconscious mind of your targets and whisper unsolicited thoughts into their mind. Using it repeatedly on one target, you can dominate their mind and gain complete control over their thoughts]

[Cost of succesful casting: As much Minpower as the Target's total available Mindpower at any given time]

[Cost of failed casting: 0.1 Mindpower.]

[Limitation: There is no assurity that the target you whispered thoughts into would listen to their new thoughts.]

_

Wasn't this the best part about being a Heart Demon?

To whisper thoughts into the mind of your enemies.

This made Mark look at it for a long time.

He could understand the limitation.

People don't always follow their thoughts. Even if you whisper to a loving father: 'Kill your child,' he would only be horrified by the thought and would not heed to it. But if you were to tell him 'Buy your child some ice creams,' that was a different story all together.

He could lead them to his desired results slowly. He just had to be creative.

Mark couldn't help but scratch his demonic cheek. His thoughts really had become so demonic.

Eating souls and growing stronger did feel amazing. He wanted more.

Finally, his gaze moved to the last ability.

_

[Dream Shock (Low): Send an invisible shockwave through your eyes that will stun the person who looks at you and make them fall into their dreams.]

[Cost of succesful casting: As much Minpower as the Target's total available Mindpower at any given time]

[Cost of failed casting: 0.1 Mindpower.]

_

That means that if the targets I want to use this power on were to have a hundred points in Mind stat, I would have to use that much to use Dream Shock or Heart Input on them?

If the enemy had 5 points, he would need 5 points then.

Mark was rather alarmed at how unbelievable it all sounded, but he could feel these powers literally at the edge of his mind. One thought, and they would be activated.

Standing up, he dusted his bare and red butt.

"Seems like a good change of pace…"

He couldn't wait to try out his Demonic Tricks.

Had the gamble been worth it?

He was not yet sure, but were his abilities something he was satisfied with?

Yes.

But for now, he didn't even know what 'entering an Other World' meant.

Still.

Wasn't being dropped into the forest with a bunch of magical abilities under their sleeve…

...a man's wet dream?

His abilities seemed poised towards making him conquer everything from the shadows. He was a man who had been bored of his human life anyway. Might as well see how far the universe stretched by heading out and seeing his own limits.

Turning, Mark looked far into the horizons of the forest.

It was so wide, so thick with twisting paths, dark trees, and foliage, he could barely make anything out. He had a hunch.

This was a forest writhing with demons, and he was currently in the safest part of it. Take one step forward, and he would be in the middle of a battlefield.