Agri stood with a gaze of annoyance cast onto Roh, while Adam watched the useless, yet entertaining show with mild interest.
"So you were lying then?" Adam questioned with a dangerous smile.
Nervous, Agri retorted, "H-He never said that he wasn't interested in my virgin body."
Agri emphasized that her body was untouched by another, as she noticed that Adam might be the type to like clean women; an odd rarity in the abyss of hell.
"I noticed her beauty, Master. That's why I was adamant on bringing her here for you." Roh interjected, stopping Agri from spouting more nonsense.
Adam gave Roh a new appreciative look.
Demons and devils matured fast. Growing into adulthood only took 3 years while reaching the 2nd realm could take 3-5 years depending on talent.
Yet, Roh was already 9 years old.
Although 9 years old was minuscule compared to the potentially near eternal lifespans of fiends, it was a long time to spend in the 1st layer of hell.
Understanding that this rage prone demon might have some secrets or plans of his own, Adam decided that he would favor him a little more in the future.
Wisdom and experience were always good assets to have.
"Alright, you did wonderfully Roh," Adam said as he grabbed Agri by her neck and started to drag her towards a patch of woods within the basin, "I will reward you for your actions, and I will make sure this little imp is punished for her deception."
Adam at the edge of the woods, before heading in, looked around for a bit and grabbed a thick slab of wood. A flash of dark magic lit the dark surroundings as the wood slab was shaved into a massive paddle; small thorns about half an inch covered the paddles side.
"W-wait! Master! M-master I can serve you~" Agri, seeing and realizing what the paddle was for, anxiously tried to sell her body to avoid punishment.
Adam had a devilish smirk, "Don't worry, I'll enjoy myself, after your punishment."
Adam casually measured the paddle against Agri's round buttocks while yelling out towards the demon horde, "Hurry up on making me a place to dwell… and don't allow anyone into here."
Roh saluted in obedience, only slightly satisfied at Agri's incoming punishment. Still, he was wise enough to know that he should let the matter go and avoid altercations with the demon that Adam favors.
Going against her in the future would only result in loses.
'Unless I can make master willingly kill her…'
Roh hurriedly shook his head and start giving out commands. His heart agitated as he knew that his thoughts were too dangerous to truly try. Agri's actions were 'forgiven' because she ultimately had something that Adam wanted, while Roh didn't have something with the same value.
"SMACK!"
"AHHH!"
Loud sounds echoed from the woods.
Only by hearing Agri's pain filled shrieks was Roh able to fell more satisfied, his turbulent thoughts finally calming down as he focused on leading the other demons.
He had to set himself apart as there were plenty of demons at the peak of 1st realm.
Meanwhile, in the small forest, the silence of hell was shattered by the rhythmic, sharp sound of wood hitting flesh.
Adam, his devilish smirk unwavering, wielded the thorn paddle with a practiced ease that belied his newborn state.
The sound, a dull, wet smack, followed by Agri's pain-filled shrieks were a symphony to his ears.
This was not a punishment born of justice or discipline. Instead the excuse was that of consequence for her deception, and in it, Adam found a profound, twisted satisfaction.
His body moved with ease, his thoughts unperturbed, and his mana control natural.
This instant, almost alarming, adaptation to his new nature was not a fluke. It was a fundamental truth of his existence.
As a devil, Adam was not just a being who possessed power; he was an embodiment of sin. His transition from the helpless human Adam to the cunning, cruel devil was instantaneous because his core being was a manifestation of the very emotions that had defined his human life.
He was a creature of a different order, a force of nature that simply was. He didn't have to endure a long, cumbersome process of moral decay that a human would have to endure.
For a devil, there was no conscience to fight, only desires to embrace.
His unique, potent will, once a willpower stronger than steel forged by a life of pain, was now his fuel.
Hell, acting like a demonic furnace, had melted and molded his very soul, amplifying his emotions and aligned them with sin.
The raging wrath born of injustice, the sloth that had been forced upon him by his immobility, and the pride that refused to succumb to his fate until the very last second; these were the raw materials of his new self.
Knowledge and instincts merged with near perfection, since his old vessel was akin to a blank slate.
His emotions were now refined by hell's order, allowing Adam to make decisions with a dangerous calm, even as his impulses grew more erratic.
Only a day had passed, but Adam's alignment with the sins he embodied grew stronger at an exponential rate. Greed for power and freedom; the nascent lust he felt for Agri was only the beginning.
'Am I even Adam anymore? Is the original Adam dead?'
Such thoughts surfaced for only a fraction of a second before Adam scoffed and ignored the matter completely.
Was the 'Adam' of the past even anyone?
He was a vessel of pain and rage; a forgotten life with only faint memories that had long been withered away. His intelligence had been stagnant from his inability to move, talk, or see.
The Adam from earth was pain and rage; and in that sense, the current Adam was still him.
His pain was simply twisted into a desire to see others suffer, and his rage burned silently, waiting to be ignited.
"Smack!"
With each agonizing scream from Agri, an almost spiritual nourishment coursed through Adam, infusing his wrath, pride, and lust with potent emotions.
He was asserting his dominance, not just as a stronger being, but as a devil who had the right to rule. The fear and respect he saw in his demonic horde were not enough; he required total submission.
And this public, brutal display was the perfect way to establish his authority.
He hadn't just claimed territory; he was marking his claim on the very souls of his followers.