SFS Chapter 147, Experiment
Chapter 147, Experiment
Reina looked at his hands and felt a strange sensation.
What was I just doing?
It was as if something had taken over his consciousness. The anger and fear he had just felt—all these emotions were unusually extreme and seemed extremely unnatural.
But before he could think things through, the sound of clapping suddenly rang out in the study room.
Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
'what? '
At this moment, Reina finally realized that he and Annie weren't the only ones in this place. There was someone else lurking behind the scenes, and it was this person who had caused Reina's previous state of madness.
'I actually forgot?'
He suddenly realized that he had completely ignored the attacker's presence, a feeling that felt extremely unnatural.
"It really worked..."
As the clapping continued, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
The attacker wore a sinister mask, completely obscuring his face. His hood hung low, completely concealing his hair, making him appear to blend into the darkness; his all-black attire blended perfectly with the surrounding shadows.
A dark aura emanated from him, but beneath that darkness, a faint trace of silver-gray magic could be seen. It exuded a strange, ominous feeling, as if the air itself had solidified.
Upon seeing this attire, Reina immediately recognized the attacker. The rapidly moving shadows and the magic-infused arrows perfectly matched the figure.
Tap! Tap!
To further instill fear, the figure that had remained silent moved slowly, its footsteps clearly audible.
After the clapping stopped, a low and eerie whisper came from beneath the mask, breaking the dim silence.
"Thank you, you've saved me a lot of trouble," the figure mocked, a sinister satisfaction in his voice. "Like mad dogs killing each other, you've proven you deserve to follow a pack of dogs."
Reina's eyes narrowed with anger and despair as he glared at the masked figure.
'That's the bastard.'
The attacker's presence ignited the fury within him.
'I'm going to kill him.'
"Uh……"
Reina gritted his teeth, summoned the last bit of demonic energy within him, and roared like a wounded beast as he charged toward the attacker in front of him.
"Ahhh!"
He felt anger and fear of death, and with a desperate determination, he launched an attack, as frantic as a trapped beast.
However, when his blade made contact with the attacker, it only cut through the air.
'Um? '
"You really never learn."
The figure's voice echoed with a cold mockery, the vicious words lingering in the air.
Whoosh! Swish!
Before Reina could grasp the meaning of those words, the attacker swiftly retaliated. Reina's exhausted body was nearing its limit, but the accumulated mental pressure and fear made him forget his fatigue.
The hooded figure's silver-gray dagger traced a blurry path through the air, leaving behind a deadly glint.
"Ah!" Reina groaned in pain. The daggers, imbued with strange silver-gray magic, easily sliced through his demonic skin.
At that moment, Reina felt real fear once again.
'No... I can't die... I can't die...'
The gates of death have been opened, and it seems someone is peering in from behind them.
"You bastard!"
Reina shouted, trying to dispel his fear.
"Aaaaah!" Reina's desperate roar echoed in the dimly lit room as he summoned the last of his demonic energy. Crimson light flickered around him, creating an eerie scene that contrasted sharply with the silver-gray sheen of the attacker's dagger.
"You really are just a stray dog," the hooded figure said coldly, the chilling whisper hovering in the air.
Then, he vanished with incredible speed. It was as if he had merged with the darkness, leaving no trace.
Reina was gripped by fear as he struggled to understand why his opponent had suddenly vanished.
"Come out here!" Reina shouted, his voice a mixture of anger and despair. He frantically scanned his surroundings, his keen senses stretched to the limit.
The room seemed to shrink around him, and the shadows became suffocating. Reina could hear the rustling of the air and the faint sounds of movement, but he couldn't pinpoint the attacker's location.
With each passing second, his mind was exhausted by everything that had happened, and the pain from his wounds only made things worse.
"Come out!" Reina roared, his breathing heavy and rapid.
rustle!
'Here it is.'
When he suddenly heard a sound behind him, he launched an attack like a madman.
"Ahhh!"
Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!
He wildly swung the demonic blade, attacking the empty air. His movements were utterly haphazard, a desperate attempt to strike anything that might be lurking in the shadows.
However, the attacker remained elusive. Reina was now drenched in cold sweat, constantly turning around, his senses on edge, not missing a single slight movement.
"What's wrong, Reina?" The hooded figure's voice mocked him from where he couldn't see. "Unable to cope with the unknown?"
As the invisible voice continued to mock him, Reina felt a numbing fear take over his mind and body.
The figure continued its mockery, every word dripping with malice. "You think you're the hunter, but in the darkness, you're nothing but prey. How does it feel, Reina? Fear, helplessness?"
Reina's movements became chaotic, and his once confident demeanor was replaced by a sense of fear.
The room twisted and warped around him, shadows dancing like demonic tentacles. He blindly brandished his blade, trying to dispel the unseen threat.
"You thought you were something special after gaining power, but now you're afraid," the hooded figure whispered, hovering around Reiner like a vengeful ghost.
Upon hearing this, Reina trembled, and memories of the past flooded back.
The image shows the father beating the mother.
His memories of helplessness... the memories of being bullied by the awakened children.
How did he know?
The rustling and unseen movement intensified, stimulating Reina's taut nerves.
"Ha...ha...how did you know?"
His breathing became rapid and heavy, as the oppressive darkness drew closer. He staggered, his once powerful body now a trembling, empty shell.
"People like you, pursuing power to escape the past, are all like you." The hooded figure's voice echoed, as if reminding Reina of his deepest fears. The room seemed to tighten around him, the shadow itself oppressing his presence.
"How did you know?" Reina managed to utter the words, his voice filled with desperate pleading. His vision blurred, and the accumulated wounds began to take effect.
Whoosh! Thud!
In that instant, the figure emerged from the shadows, the silver-gray dagger in his hand gleaming with an eerie light. Without a word, the figure swiftly closed the distance, the cold steel instantly piercing Reina's heart.
"Ah!" Reina cried out in agony, the pain coursing through his entire body. "Ugh!" Blood gushed from his mouth as he felt his demonic heart stop beating.
As he felt his consciousness fading, he heard the attacker's last words.
"We might be the same... It's just a pity you chose the wrong master."
With those last words, Reina's consciousness gradually faded, and all he could see was the cold, gleaming blade.
......
In the real world, no dream comes without a price. Everything has its cost.
The pursuit of power also comes at a price.
This could involve spending time training, or spending money or resources...
But what about the demon followers?
Did they acquire demonic powers through training?
Do they spend money to purchase resources to enhance their power?
No, they didn't. Anyone without money or talent can become a follower of the devil. That's why those abandoned by the world choose the path of the devil.
The world is not fair.
Some people don't have the money to buy those resources... some people don't have the time... some people don't have the talent.
Therefore, rather than accepting reality, they should let their nature lead them to seek other options.
Those choices that can make them stronger.
The demons exploited this, taking advantage of their thirst for power.
They grant the demon followers the power they crave.
But, as I said, everything comes at a price.
What do demons get from the demonic energy that gives them?
Or, what negative impact does this have on humanity?
Like all social structures with intelligent beings, the structure of demon followers also contains a hierarchy.
Those at lower levels have very few resources. Their demonic energy is raw and unrefined, making it extremely difficult to control.
Essentially, since humans are born with the ability to use magic, the presence of demonic energy within them is unnatural. Therefore, the body will reject this foreign presence. And the more one comes into contact with this energy, the more changes will occur in the body in order to adapt to it.
These adaptations bring people closer to demons, which is one of the reasons why it is impossible to revert to the original human body once demonic energy has been used for a long time.
This change was too drastic for them.
Furthermore, the primal nature of demonic energy makes lower-level demon followers more prone to emotional fluctuations and more confused in their rationality.
This is an idea that popped into my head.
When I fought these two in the dungeon, I realized that their demonic energy was far lower than when I fought Fred.
Considering that Fred is not a high-level half-demon, this means that the two of them are at the lowest level.
Therefore, I decided to test some things.
'Berserk Potion.'
In the game, there's a common berserk potion that makes monsters more aggressive. Players often use it to make monsters attack each other, then finish them off to gain experience.
So I wondered, if they were low-level half-demons, could I do the same thing to them?
I referenced the recipe for Berserk Potion, but modified some of the ingredients to make it more effective against demon followers.
Next, I put this substance into the arrow and coated the arrowhead with its poison.
This is just an experiment. Even if it doesn't work, it won't be a big deal, but if it does, it will show me the way forward.
And now, I'm standing right here.
Those who nearly killed me have fallen to the point where they can no longer distinguish between friend and foe.
Like the lowly demons they follow, these lackeys have acquired the same repulsive characteristics.
Like master, like dog.
As I looked at these disgusting demonic followers, my anger did not subside; the hatred remained.
That's not enough.
I said to myself.
This is not enough.
This is just the beginning.
What I did was not meaningless; I have confirmed my abilities.
'I need to clean up a bit, then I'll leave.'
Looking at the corpses on the ground, I thought to myself. But before leaving, I didn't forget to take their watches.
After all, I still need to deal with the mastermind behind it all.
And so, the first step of my revenge was truly completed.