Akira approached the storage closet slowly, dagger ready. "Here goes nothing," he muttered, and kicked the door open.
The imp turned around quickly, hissing like a cornered animal. Up close, it looked even more frightening. Its leathery grey skin was tight over its bony frame, its bat-like ears twitched nervously, and its glowing red eyes burned with a hunger that made it seem truly malevolent.
"Human... lust..." it rasped, its voice sounding like grinding metal. "You... reek of it..."
Akira didn't wait for it to finish.
He swung the dagger in a wide arc, aiming for its head. The creature screeched and dodged to the side with unnatural speed, skittering up the wall like an oversized spider.
"Shit!" Akira stumbled back, nearly tripping over a mop bucket.
The imp launched itself from the wall, claws extended, aiming straight for his throat. Akira raised the dagger just in time, and the blade caught the creature across its chest. Green blood sprayed across the closet floor, sizzling where it landed.
"Gaaaah!" The imp tumbled backwards, clutching its wound. "You... you killed one of us... I smell it on you..."
"Yeah, and you're next," Akira growled, advancing despite his trembling hands.
The creature hissed again and lunged low, going for his legs.
Akira kicked out instinctively, his foot connecting with its face. The impact sent a shock of pain up his shin, but the imp flew backwards, crashing into shelves filled with cleaning supplies.
Bottles clattered to the ground, some breaking and releasing the strong smell of bleach.
"You're tougher than you look, human," the imp snarled, circling him now. "But you're still weak and pathetic. I can taste your fear."
"Fuck off," Akira shot back, adjusting his grip on the dagger.
The imp darted forward again, this time feinting left before going right. Its claws raked across Akira's arm, tearing through his jacket and drawing blood.
"Argh!" He stumbled backwards, his free hand going to the wound. It burned like fire.
"Delicious," the imp cackled. "Your pain is…"
Akira didn't let it finish. He stabbed forward with everything he had, catching the creature in the shoulder. It shrieked, thrashing violently as green blood poured from the wound.
But it wasn't enough; the imp was still moving.
Suddenly, his vision flashed with crimson text:
[CHOICE AVAILABLE: USE AURA OF DOMINANCE – COST: 15 PP]
[WARNING: This will reveal your power to anyone nearby.]
Akira gritted his teeth. He was running out of options, and the imp was getting more aggressive.
"Use Aura of Dominance!" he commanded.
[PURCHASING SKILL...]
[AURA OF DOMINANCE ACTIVATED]
[PERV-POINTS: 75]
Immediately, something changed inside him. A wave of pressure radiated outward from his chest, invisible but undeniably powerful. It felt as though his very presence had weight, as if gravity itself bent around him.
The air in the small closet grew thick and oppressive.
The imp's eyes widened in terror. "No... no! This power... It's not possible!"
The creature tried to flee, but the aura held it in place like an invisible hand crushing down on it. It whimpered, dropping to its knees, claws clutching at its head.
"Stop... please... master..." it whined pathetically.
Akira felt the power coursing through him, intoxicating and addictive. His body thrummed with energy, and for a moment, he understood what Ai had meant about perverted power.
"I said you're next," Akira said coldly.
He raised the dagger high and brought it down with brutal force, plunging the blade deep into the imp's skull. The creature's body convulsed once, then twice, before it went still.
Green blood pooled beneath it, but only for a moment. The corpse began dissolving rapidly, breaking down into a sickly green mist that swirled upward.
Akira tried to step back, but the mist moved with purpose, rushing toward him and forcing its way into his nose and mouth.
"Gah!" He choked, but couldn't stop it.
A rush of power filled him, strong, intense and impossible to ignore. His muscles tightened, his senses became sharper, and he felt every nerve in his body come alive with new strength.
When the mist finally dissipated, he was left panting, his heart racing, sweat dripping down his face.
The system pinged with a serious, almost militaristic tone:
[IMP DEFEATED]
[PP +20]
[POWER +3]
[NEW QUEST UNLOCKED: FIND AND CLOSE THE OPENED PORTAL]
"A quest?" Akira gasped, still catching his breath.
"Yes," Ai replied in a grave voice. "That imp came from somewhere. There's a portal nearby, probably small, but growing. If you don't close it, more will come. Stronger ones."
"How do I close a portal?"
"We'll figure that out. But first, you need to survive long enough to find it."
Akira turned away from where the imp had been, wiping green blood off the dagger with a rag he found on the floor. His arm still burned from the claw marks, but the wound was already starting to close, probably another benefit of his increased Power stat.
This wasn't just about high school revenge anymore. The demons were real, they were organised, and somehow, he was caught in the middle of it all.
He barely had time to hide the dagger back in his gym bag before the door to the changing room swung open.
Mia Takahashi stood there, eyes wide, her gym bag slung over her shoulder. She was wearing black leggings and a sports bra, her hair pulled back in a high ponytail. But her expression wasn't flirtatious or teasing like before.
She was staring at the residual green dust swirling near his feet, slowly fading into nothing.
"What the hell was that?" she demanded, stepping closer.