The eastern forest tasted of rot.
Trees leaned into one another like whispering conspirators; their bark pulsed with a sickly green glow and a thin film of mana hung over the undergrowth like fog. The closer Asura and Selene walked to the heart of the corruption, the thicker the sound became—a dozen tiny chitterings, a dozen wings beating at once, a distant, insectile rustle that set the hairs along Asura's arms on edge.
He stopped at the edge of a clearing, golden eyes narrowing. Moonlight spilled through a gap in the canopy and painted the ground with cold light. Beneath that light, the nest revealed itself: a heaving mound of resin and black chitin, lined with tunnels and dotted with eggs the size of a child's fist. Dozens — no, hundreds — of smaller shapes skittered across it, scuttling along roots and under leaves. Their carapaces flashed like wet obsidian; their eyes glowed an acidic green. Even from here, the ground thrummed with the nest's hunger.
"…So this is it. The nest," Asura said, voice calm, the slightest curl to his lip.
Selene's hand went to the dagger at her waist but she did not draw it. She simply considered the clearing like a tactician reading a board. Her voice was flat, businesslike. "Mana Beetles. Not dangerous one-on-one, but the nest amplifies them. Their swarm creates a local mana drain — leaves rot, plants die, small fauna wither. If left unchecked, it would spread."
"That's no fun for the critters, but fun for me," Asura replied. He laced his fingers around the haft of his wooden katana out of habit, though the thing had seen better days. For him it was tradition more than necessity: the old weapon was a reminder of how he had begun, of the gap between then and now.
They could have charged in. Smash the mound, burn the eggs, leave not a single antenna twitching. That would have been the obvious solution — a show of force, a sweep of power that would scorch the clearing clean.
But part of the mission read: Observe the human adventurers who hunt the same beasts. The Demon King had not only wanted monsters destroyed; he wanted information. Kill everything and you gain nothing but corpses. Learn the enemy, learn the hunters—those were the orders.
"Plan?" Selene asked, in a whisper.
Asura tilted his head, eyes scanning the nest, the lines of fallen leaves, the wind-bent grasses. "Draw them out. Make a show small enough to test their tactics, big enough to be noticed. If humans are nearby, they'll come to harvest eggs and their reactions will be telling."
Selene's brow knit. "And if they're not human hunters — if it's a patrol of raiders, or worse?"
"Then we adapt." He shrugged, as easy as a child picking a scab. "We adapt and teach them manners."
They moved like shadows. Selene picked the cover, keeping to the moss-covered roots and underbrush. Asura walked with the silent confidence of someone who had spent four years being taught to fall and get back up again — a confidence that made the forest seem smaller. He activated little things: a controlled hum of aura to attract a scouting beetle, a flick of mana to singe a single twig. Tiny—petty—even, but enough.
A pair of Mana Beetles flared from the undergrowth, snapping mandibles at the scent. Asura stepped forward, a single practiced motion wrapping his wooden blade in a strip of shadow-laced flame. He did not want to broadcast everything; he only wanted a message.
The first beetle slammed into the blade and burst into ash. The second tried to bite his ankle and found only air as he slid beneath its jaws and drove the haft into the soft spot behind its carapace. The chitin cracked, a greenish ooze spilling out. Its fellows hesitated at the scent — this was not the usual feast.
The nest responded. Hundreds of beetles poured out like a black tide.
Asura didn't panic. He didn't shout. He moved. He flowed. Each step was a lesson learned from four years of being pushed to the limits: a sidestep that left a beetle's mandible slicing only air, a slash that opened the ground in a neat arc of burning light, a palm-thrust that sent a spheroid of electric mana through a cluster and turned dozens of beetles into smoking husks.
Selene fought at his side, not merely a maid but a blade in human form. She slipped between him and a lurching broodmother, dagger flashing, a gust of wind from her motion throwing a spray of beetles off-course. When a stray mandible found the edge of Asura's robe, she shoved him away with a steady, protective hand, the briefest touch that said plainly: I am here.
The clearing became a dance of slaughter and precision. Asura's moves kept a controlled brutality — enough shock and awe to flatten the nest's outer guards, but careful enough to leave the inner eggs undisturbed for later counting and study. He used Elemental Breathing–Fusion Style to thread flame and lightning through a single continuous strike; the air screamed as fire and metal cut through chitin and root. Twice his system stuttered and a small alert blinked in the corner of his mind, and twice he swallowed the urge to push harder.
[System: EXP Gained — Massive.]
[System: Skill Progress — Elemental Sword Art increased.]
[System: New Skill Acquired — Swarm Cleaver (Rank: Prototype.)]
He felt the unfamiliar tingle of a new technique slotting into his muscles like a new bone. It was efficient, specially tailored for multiple soft-bodied targets — and it had the neat, brutal aesthetic he loved.
Selene noticed the change in him more than anyone else. When the last beetle collapsed in a bloom of dark ichor and steam, when the hum of the nest's mana dampened perceptibly, she allowed herself the tiniest exhale. "You've grown," she said simply.
"As if you didn't already know," Asura replied, smiling. "But thank you."
They counted eggs, logged the number, took samples of the resin. Selene sealed a few of the eggs in a small warded jar — proof for the King and a trophy for what they'd learned. Asura tucked a strip of chitin into his storage skill, curious to test crafting properties later.
From the thicket beyond the clearing came a noise: the crunch of boots. Voices — human, ragged laughter and gruff commands — carried on the wind. Asura tilted his head. Selene's expression sharpened, the final alert flickering in her eyes.
"Human hunters," she whispered.
They melted into shadow toward the ridge, perching on gnarled roots and watching. Down below, a small band of adventurers stumbled into the clearing, eyes wide at the ruined nest. They were a rough lot — two swordsman, a ranger, a cleric with a lantern, and a youth who stood too straight for a peasant and wore the insignia of a minor town guard. Their leader stooped to poke at an egg with the tip of his spear; his eyes narrowed at the blackened chitin.
Asura watched them, not with the hunger of a hunter but with the bright, clinical curiosity of someone cataloging variables. How did they move? Who gave commands? Did they hesitate? Did their leader flinch at the sight of him?
He kept his power low, letting Selene do the talking if needed. If the humans were cautious, they would approach, take samples, set traps — their behavior would tell him whether they were professionals, opportunists, or something worse.
The mission was only half over.
Asura's chest warmed with that delicious thrill again: monsters slain, data gathered, humans observed. He folded his arms and smiled in the dark, golden eyes reflecting the distant lanterns.
"Very good," he whispered to the night. "Very good indeed."
✦ The Human Adventurers
From their perch above the clearing, Asura and Selene crouched behind a tangle of roots. Below, the adventurers argued in hushed voices, their lantern casting jumpy shadows against the ruined nest.
"Oi, Randel," the ranger whispered, prodding the burnt chitin with an arrow. "This wasn't a natural collapse. Something did this."
"No kidding," muttered the cleric. "Looks like a small war broke out and forgot to invite us."
Asura smirked. If only they knew a eight-year-old started it. He leaned closer, balancing his chin on his hands like a kid watching cartoons. "This is golden. Free entertainment."
Selene pinched the bridge of her nose. "Young master, we are not here for your amusement. Observe their formation, their habits."
"Right, right," he whispered. "Serious face."
His golden eyes narrowed dramatically. "…Selene, write this down: they're idiots."
She elbowed him lightly in the ribs, though her lips almost betrayed a smile.
The leader of the group—Randel, a broad-shouldered man with scars across his jaw—stood taller than the rest, spear in hand. "Spread out. Check for survivors. If another swarm remains, we'll need to lure them out and—"
He froze mid-command, crouching low, scanning the trees. "We're being watched."
The adventurers stiffened. The cleric clutched his lantern tighter. "By what?"
Asura blinked. "Wait, he can sense me?"
Selene's hand darted up, pulling Asura's head lower into the brush. "I told you to suppress your aura."
"I did!" Asura hissed. "Mostly."
"Mostly?" she repeated, voice like a knife's edge.
"Okay, fine. Ninety-eight percent."
Her glare promised retribution later.
Down below, the adventurers shuffled nervously, there weapons ready. The youngest among them, a boy barely older than Asura's past life self, squeaked: "What if it's… demons?"
"Demons?" the cleric scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. If demons were here, we'd already be dead."
Asura puffed his cheeks indignantly. Excuse me? Rude! I'm very much alive, thank you. He stuck his tongue out, even though they couldn't see.
Selene sighed. "Young master, please restrain yourself."
"Why? It's not like they can—"
CRACK. A twig snapped under his knee. The adventurers whipped their heads toward the sound, weapons raised.
Asura froze, blinking like a rabbit caught in torchlight. "…Oops."
Selene's fingers clamped down on his collar and yanked him back into the shadows with surprising force. "Not. Another. Word."
The humans edged closer to the tree line, blades trembling. "False alarm," Randel finally said after a tense pause, though his voice carried unease. "Still… this nest didn't destroy itself. Stay sharp. Whatever's out there might still be watching."
They began harvesting eggs, shoving them into burlap sacks. The ranger muttered about coin, the cleric muttered about divine protection, the boy muttered about going home.
From above, Asura whispered, his grin wide. "…Selene. I love this. They're terrified of shadows. Imagine what they'd do if they saw me go super mode."
"If you reveal yourself, I will personally drag you back to the castle in chains," Selene muttered darkly.
"…Kinky."
Her elbow found his ribs again.
As the adventurers finally moved off into the forest, their lanterns bobbing like fireflies, Asura leaned back against the roots, eyes gleaming.
"So, Selene. Lesson learned: humans scare easy, but they're organized when coin's on the line."
She exhaled slowly. "You are insufferable."
"And you love it," Asura teased, hopping down from the branch with the grace of someone who had very much not been almost caught.
Her expression softened just a fraction as she followed him. "…Only because you remind me to worry."
Asura's grin faltered, just for a heartbeat. But then his golden eyes narrowed toward the path where the humans had gone. "Good. Let them think the shadows are watching. Because one day, they'll be right."
✦ Hidden Truths
Later that night, once the campfire had burned low and Selene drifted into a light rest with her back against a tree, Asura sat awake. His golden eyes reflected the embers, his wooden katana across his knees.
He thought back on the years—the sparring, the lessons, the constant watchfulness of the violet-eyed maid who never left his side. She bandaged his wounds, scolded his recklessness, and even risked punishment by hiding his overtraining from his grandfather.
Four years. Four years, and he'd never once thought to use Appraisal on her.
His lips pressed into a thin line. Why now? Why did it take me this long to even think of it?
Maybe because some part of him didn't want to know. Because if he looked, and saw she was just a maid, nothing more… he might actually be disappointed.
But his instincts whispered otherwise. Selene was too calm, too skilled, too sharp for someone who was supposedly just a servant.
With a slow breath, he extended a hand toward her sleeping form. His golden eyes flared faintly.
"Appraisal."
The world shimmered. A new window snapped open.
Name: Selene Noctura
Age: 19
Race: Half-Demon (Sealed)
Level: 201
HP: 37,400
MP: 10,000
STR: 20,000
VIT: 20,000
AGI: 200,000
INT: 15,000
LUK: 7,500
Class: Shadow Warden
Skills (Partial):
• Umbra Step (Advanced)
• Blade Veil
• Mana Suppression (Master)
• Silent Guard
• Binding Oath – Royal Family
Asura's breath caught in his throat. His wooden katana nearly slipped from his lap.
"…Level two-hundred…?" He whispered so faintly the wind nearly stole the words away. His gaze darted back to her, the way she looked so harmless now, curled in the shadows like an ordinary girl.
But she wasn't ordinary. She never had been.
A Shadow Warden—an elite protector, sworn by ancient oath to guard the Demon King's bloodline.
He clenched his fist, heart hammering. So Grandfather… you really never trusted me to walk alone. You gave me someone who could kill entire armies if needed… and you had her act as my maid.
His golden eyes softened despite the revelation. "…And you've been pretending all this time, just to let me believe I was reckless."
He looked back at her as she stirred slightly, the firelight brushing across her serene face.
Asura leaned back against the tree, hiding a quiet smile.
"Guess I'm not the only one keeping secrets."