Chapter 171 - 7: An Unwelcome Visit

Chapter 171: Chapter 7: An Unwelcome Visit

When Lilia had encountered Demons in her previous run, she had never discovered anything like this.

It was probably because not long after the war against the Demons began, she had found an effective way to deal with them. Subsequently, all of the Light Kingdom’s research was focused on how to improve the Magic Crystal Bombs, making them both more stable and more powerful.

On the battlefield, a volley of bombs would be thrown, and the Demon Army would be blown into chaos with their Demonic Qi scattering. Then, the human side would start cheerfully holding victory banquets...

’Thinking back now, they were far too optimistic,’ she thought. ’They should have taken advantage of their absolute superiority to capture a few Demons and study their physiology.’

’That way, I wouldn’t be so clueless about Demons now.’

Still, this wasn’t a major problem.

After all, she had saved her game. She had plenty of time to figure things out, one step at a time.

She held the Demon Core in her hand, studying it for a while.

Lilia determined it was a polymer of Demonic Qi. However, compared to the free-floating Demonic Qi in the air, the aura emanating from the Demon Core was gentler, more akin to the power of a Demon itself.

By analogy, it was similar to the relationship between Elemental Particles and a Mage’s own Magic Power.

The only difference was that Magic Power was exclusive; no matter the method, it was difficult to transfer between Mages.

But the Demon Core was different.

Demons could increase their strength by devouring the limbs of their own kind, so this Demon Core should have a similar effect to a corpse.

Lilia tried but found she couldn’t absorb the Demonic Qi from the Demon Core externally.

She took a deep breath, steeled herself, and stuffed the crystal—only half the size of her palm—into her mouth.

Since she couldn’t swallow it, she had no choice but to chew.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

’...Tastier than I expected.’

’The texture is quite crunchy, like the hard candy I used to eat before I transmigrated. If I taste it carefully, I can even detect a faint sweetness...’

Realizing what she was thinking, Lilia immediately put a stop to it and focused on the changes occurring in her body after eating the Demon Core.

The increase in her Demonic Qi was palpable.

The hunger that had stemmed from healing her injuries quickly faded, replaced by a sense of fullness and satisfaction that radiated from within.

Lilia could feel her body had become much lighter. If she were to fight that Demon now, she might even be able to trade blows with it without using Magic.

’...Just a single Demon Core can bring such a significant improvement?’

’Is it because I was "just born" and am in my prime growing period? Or did my [Monarch] talent activate and double the effect of consuming the Demon Core?’

’Or perhaps...’

’It’s both.’

Lilia stood up. For a moment, she felt as if her point of view was slightly higher.

She suddenly remembered something.

Ever since this third run began, everything in her sight had seemed a size larger than she remembered.

Lilia had assumed this was just how things were in the Spirit Realm. After all, it seemed perfectly normal for Demons to be two or three meters tall.

But on second thought, the Low-level Demons she had encountered in her previous run... they were about the same size as ordinary humans.

She searched around the room and finally, in a corner, found an earthenware jar filled with water, its purpose unknown.

The still surface of the water, like a mirror, reflected the girl’s face.

Lilia froze.

’...So young.’

Not as young as the five- or six-year-old she was at the start of her first run, but judging by her features, she looked to be thirteen or fourteen at most.

’According to her past experience... at this age, she would have been under 1.4 meters tall.’

’No wonder everything here looks so ridiculously large, as if everything is overgrown.’

’Connecting this to my point of view getting higher after eating the Demon Core, could it be that a Demon’s appearance is tied to its strength?’

’The stronger they are, the more mature they appear?’

’I wonder how strong you have to be to reach "adulthood"...’

As she was pondering, a sudden thud came from the door.

Lilia frowned and opened the door. The Little Demon scrambled inside, panicked.

"This is bad, milady! The Demons from the north have sent someone over!"

Hearing this, Lilia’s first instinct was suspicion. She wondered if this was all a ruse he had staged himself.

But then she realized that if he were the one who had summoned them, he would have no reason to warn her beforehand.

As Lilia prepared for a fight, she asked, "Demons from the north? Who are they? Why are they coming for me?"

The Little Demon explained succinctly.

Simply put, Demons, particularly Low-level Demons, have a very low level of social structure.

Most Low-level Demons possess little to no intelligence. When they encounter a High-level member of their species, they are either eaten or subjugated.

For Middle Level Demons and above, the power boost from hunting low-level species is negligible. Therefore, they gather weaker Demons as underlings to do their bidding, which not only increases the clan’s combat strength but also vastly improves their hunting efficiency.

They’ve essentially evolved from a disorganized mob to the level of a primitive tribe.

North of the grove where Lilia was located, just such a Demon clan existed.

According to the Little Demon, the clan wasn’t very large, numbering in the dozens, but less than a hundred.

However, because they were adjacent to the [Red River]—the birthplace of Demons—the clan’s leader was very powerful.

They hadn’t sent someone specifically for Lilia. Rather, they were already aware of a reasonably strong Demon in this forest. The original owner of this cabin apparently had a cooperative relationship with them, providing tribute at regular intervals.

Lilia understood completely. "So, the one I killed was affiliated with a Demon clan. I killed their underling, and now they’re coming to get revenge?"

"Well..." The Little Demon hesitated. "They probably don’t know that you killed the previous Demon."

"Even if they did know... as you understand, Demons are emotionally detached."

"They don’t really have a concept of ’affiliation.’ Or rather, as long as someone is willing to pay them tribute, they don’t care who it is."

Lilia fell silent.

’Got it.’

’In that case, this incident might be resolved without a fight.’

Having sorted this out, she dismissed the idea of retreating.

She had finally found a place to rest; of course, she hoped she could settle down here.

’Assuming...’

’...those guys are as reasonable as the Little Demon claims.’

Lilia and the Little Demon walked out of the cabin together.

After waiting outside for a short while, several figures suddenly emerged from the forest.

Most Demons weren’t much to look at.

These ones were no exception.

The first thing that caught the eye was the deep red skin covering their entire bodies.

They had a generally humanoid appearance, but their hands, feet, or spines retained certain bestial features.

Each Demon’s features were unique. For a newcomer like Lilia, who was used to human features, this was a convenient way to tell them apart.

Of course, that wasn’t the important part right now.

When the Demons saw Lilia at the door, they immediately realized the cabin had a new master.