Someone of Dante's caliber, as a master, was likely her lucky break. Outside of the times she had tested him to see how he would react when she disagreed, he had proven to be the "kindest" person she'd encountered beyond her parents. In fact, her parents were the only ones who had ever shown her care. Others barely saw her as anything more than a nuisance.
Even when other women were being forced into servitude—raped and taken advantage of—she was spared. Why?
Because they all looked at her with disgust.
If she were just a halfling, perhaps one or two might have had their way with her. But as a demon halfling, and a beast kind halfling , she was considered a dealbreaker by those men, who seemed to have a strange, twisted "bottom line."
They'd rape whoever they pleased, as long as their victim wasn't a vile demon or of the beast kind. Elves had a strange sort of superiority she never could understand
She thanked her parents for giving her the heritage that kept her chastity intact, or else it would have been taken like the others.
But that didn't mean she was left alone. The men used her as a punching bag to test the strength of their fists. She was the one beaten the most among the women who were and abused.
While the others were sometimes raped and beaten only when they fought back, she was beaten relentlessly, hour after hour, simply because she was an eyesore.
At least she wasn't touched in the same way. Even her fellow elves looked at her with disgust. She dreamed of murdering them all if she could find a way to escape. But fate had other plans, and a savior had come to take away her prey.
She didn't mind—after all, she wasn't even sure if and how she would have escaped to exact her revenge.
She looked at the boy with a renewed sense of respect and purpose, not to mention, its not like she had a choice. The young boy seemed adamant on taking her in, she had seen him kill his own kind out of annoyance, there was no need to test any waters, it was obvious there was a shark in them.
"If I can be of use to you as your personal combatant—your shield or sword—please take me in as your subordinate."
Dante nodded, pleased. "Mhm, nice." He smiled with joy as a screen appeared before him. He'd look at it later; for now, he had orders to issue to his first subordinate.
"You and I have more in common than you realize. I can tell you've grown up in suffering. Your race tells me all I need to know. But we'll discuss that later. First, your first mission: the people behind your enslavement are here. Your skills were sealed for some time, so you're probably still rusty, but you have good potential. I've unsealed your legendary skill. It seems you've never used it before—that's fine."
Dante's expression serene almost unbothered. "There are about 15 people here. I'm going to kill them all, but some are bigger ants and others smaller. The epic-tier ants will be yours to handle. Your skills are strong; I don't expect you to lose."
He paused, thinking for a moment, then continued. "I have a few rules I want you and all my subordinates to follow. Elegance in battle is key. You should never walk away from a fight with someone in your tier—whose skills are no more than 5 levels above yours— without having dominated them completely. I expect perfect control. If you fail, you'll be punished. Don't worry; I'm as strict with you as I am with myself. The punishment will be survivable, and the training, doable."
Dante smirked. "I won't usually send you to fight anyone over 5 levels above you. I prefer picking on the little guys."
He gestured toward Xavier, who was still floating frozen above him, clearly baffled.
"Don't worry. I'm fair. As for toying with enemies—do it if you like, but don't waste too much time. Killing is an art. Be as merciless as necessary. You have an image to uphold as my subordinate."
He closed his eyes and looked upward, deep in thought. "Eventually, when I teach you to properly use your skills in combat, my expectations will rise. But for now, that's all you need to know."
Turning his attention back to the screen, he addressed the system.
"System," Dante began.
[Yes, Master.]
"Compile all the information you have about the power system and ranks in our empire. When the day to head towards Midvest Academy begins, we'll get a clearer understanding of the system and its details then. The vast distances between continents and the huge map are giving me a headache. Even Father's only visited 4 of the 9 known continents, and one of them is ridiculously huge. With such a massive data pool, there are bound to be mistakes and loopholes in the power system, so let's wait until we get more concrete details. For now, compile what we know and give it to me later. But remember—no unnecessary info dumps."
[Understood, Master.]
Dante nodded, turning his gaze toward Vexion, who was watching him with slightly wide eyes.
Vexion was simply astonished that her master had just uttered such proud words without batting an eye. First, Epic-tier skill holders were "ants"? How powerful was he to hold such people in such low regard? Epic-tier holders weren't cannon fodder.
Did he not know that? It's impossible for him not to hold that belief, unless someone had a higher skill—like a Legendary-tier skill—then they were nothing. But were they so easy to find?
Moreover, he expects complete domination over anyone in the same tier? Granted, he added the gap that allowed for at least some reprieve, but again, raising one's skill was hard, difficult work for a reason.. Yet he made it sound like he would make an exception if you lost to someone with a skill level 5 or higher than yours.
She couldn't help but wonder if her new master was a sadist? He mentioned these same rules applied to him. Does that mean the young lord had never been injured in battle against someone 5 or less levels below him?
Thinking back to how everyone in the room had been easily dismantled, including the leader of the group of degenerates who was now suspended in the air, sprawled out as though unconscious, yet she could see his eyes glaring at Dante with fear.
Both of them seemed shocked. Moreover, Dante spoke about making enemies or targeting someone weaker than him as if it were a natural thing to do.
Vexion couldn't help but slightly agree with him. She saw no need to strive to be a so-called genius and fight enemies far beyond her level. It truly was inspiring, but not everyone could do it.
Death would be waiting if you failed. However, if you fought someone near your level, you could still run away if things went south.
Vexion understood why the man said she and he might be similar. In this aspect, it was true. Die a hero or win as a scumbag who bullied those weaker than you.
How was death helpful to her?
She had experienced the life of being bullied, and she accepted that that was the natural consequence of being weak. Others should do the same.
Unknowingly, Vexion was being infected by her new master's shamelessness.
Vexion had also noticed something else—her master seemed to know her name and race. He sounded like he was aware of her life as a whole. She was perplexed because she hadn't seen him speak with the other elves about her. Moreover, while the elf who died had hinted at her being something of a disgrace, a halfling, that could have meant many things, right?.
Moreover, he knew she had a Legendary skill, How? The skill had been sealed by the same person who captured her. How did he know?
Vexion pushed the thought aside as she tried to activate her skill.
She excitedly took a deep breath and calmed herself. She took two steps forward, then three. By the fourth, a perfect mirage of herself appeared behind her, mimicking her movements with perfect precision.
Her eyes widened as she felt a surge of power, invigorated by the awakening of her skill. She calmed herself again, gathering her focus.
She closed her eyes and activated her Legendary skill, Malevolent Reign, along with the sub-skill Sovereign's Wrath. Suddenly, a dominant, chilling aura leaked out from her, and a dark red energy like mist enveloped her form.
Dante nodded as he observed the skill He didn't even flinch. His passive abilities shielded his mind from any psychological impact. Without even turning his attention away, he dropped Xavier to the ground and said, "It won't work on me. Test it out on him."
Vexion's pupils widened in alarm. She hastily deactivated her skill bending. "My deepest apologies, master. I haven't been able to activate the skill in so long. I got careless and forgot I was in your presence."
Dante chuckled softly, amused. "It's fine, it's fine. I get it. It didn't—and wouldn't have—worked on me. So don't worry. Still, your cleavage is in sight. Please don't tempt me like that." His tone was casual, as if discussing a minor inconvenience.
Vexion's face turned beet red. She hurriedly stood, trying to regain her composure, but her eyes couldn't avoid the lingering gaze of her master. Indeed, he was staring directly at her cleavage. She struggled to adapt to the situation, turning her body to avoid his gaze.
This was the first time she'd ever experienced something like this.
It seemed her master wasn't mocking her. He was… actually tempted? 'No, no. He saw me naked before, and no such reaction or words came out. He must simply mean something else,' she thought, but when she turned her head, her eyes met Dante's. He was watching her with a smirk of amusement.
His gaze was no longer just coldly indifferent—it was calculating, almost as if assessing her response to his words. There was no mockery, only a sense of dominance. She wasn't sure whether to feel flattered or frightened.