Peak Sword stumbled back, his face pale and drenched in cold sweat, eyes wide with terror.
Hovering in front of Alan was a small creature.
It looked like a cat—but with a single horn on its forehead and two bat-like wings sprouting from its back. It floated lazily in the air, radiating an unsettling aura.
"The strongest demonic beast of hell is here—nyaaa~~!" it declared proudly.
Then it plopped itself onto Alan's head.
"You are a very nice cushion, nyaaa~~"
The creature's fur was pure white, while its paws and the tip of its tail were pitch black. Its cat-like eyes were blue, tinged faintly with pink, giving it a dreamlike—almost unreal—appearance.
Peak Sword swallowed hard.
"Such a… cute pet… can be this terrifying?"
Peak Sword stared at the cat-like demonic beast named Memphis.
It had just been born—yet moments ago, it had reduced his main stat, Agility, by a full 50%.
"…Seems like you got something incredible," Peak Sword said honestly.
Alan reached up and gently rubbed the creature's chin. Memphis immediately began to purr, clearly enjoying it.
A system prompt appeared.
[ Name the pet to increase intimacy. ]
"Your name will be Sapphire," Alan said calmly.
"What a spahsh name, nyaaa~~?" the cat tilted its head cutely.
"It's the name of a beautiful gem," Alan replied.
"Nyaa~~! I like this name, nyaaa~~!"
Sapphire happily patted Alan's head with its tiny paw, wings fluttering lightly. Alan smiled, then gently lifted it and set it on his shoulder before opening his status window to check the new stat he had gained.
[ Demonic Power ]
Allows communication with demonic beasts.
The higher this value becomes, the more closely you are tied to Hell.
Stat points cannot be manually distributed to this stat.
This stat increases as the user kills NPCs or players.
Alan's eyes narrowed slightly—then he grinned.
"Good," he said softly. "No one knows the way to Hell… but now I do."
He glanced at the newly unlocked stat and nodded in satisfaction.
Peak Sword frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Alan simply shook his head. "Nothing you need to worry about."
He turned away and continued, "Anyway, I'll be leaving now."
Another notification floated before his eyes.
[ Sword Saint Candidate – Stage 3 ]
[ Advancement Condition: ??? ]
Alan paused.
…No condition?
So that's how it is.
Now I understand why Krauegel was stuck here in the book, Alan thought. There's no clear-cut requirement to advance anymore.
It wasn't about strength alone.
Peak Sword nodded, then hesitated. "Can I add you as a friend? Maybe next time, you can help us defeat Hell Gao again."
Alan considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Sure."
The friend request was accepted.
"See you," Alan said as he turned to leave.
Peak Sword raised his hand and waved. "Take care."
Alan walked away, Sapphire yawning lazily on his shoulder.
"I should return now… It'll take me ten days on the road to reach the Brinichni, and another month after that for the Siren Kingdom to open," Alan muttered. "Let's see if there's an instanced dungeon on the way to kill some more time."
With that, he began riding back toward Brinichni.
Along the way, Alan deliberately took detours, hunting monsters and clearing threats to help Memphis gain levels. Despite being newly born, the demonic beast showed terrifying growth potential, and Alan could already feel how powerful Sapphire would become once it matured.
After 38 days, Alan finally arrived back in Brinchini. As for Sapphire, it had grown tremendously during the journey.
Name: Sapphire
Species: Memphis
Level: 151
Status: Happy
(Ohhhh! I'm going home with Master! Nyahahat!)
Current Skills List
[Fluidization]
When attacked, the body can turn fluid like slime to minimize damage. However, damage from certain attribute-based magic may increase.
[Soul Ingestion Lv. 2]
Grants the ability to steal half of the target's highest stat and transfer it to the master.
Skill Cooldown: User's discretion
[Scratch Lv. 3]
Attacks the target with poisoned claws.
Skill Cooldown: User's discretion
[Bewitchment Lv. 2]
Inflicts the Bewitched status effect.
Bewitched Effect: Causes the enemy to lose the will to fight.
Skill Cooldown: User's discretion
The skills were outright fraudulent. Alan had experienced their power multiple times along the way, to the point that he couldn't help but wonder why the game even allowed something like this to exist.
Even though the stat reduction lasted only three seconds, in a battle between Rankers, a fight could be decided in less than a second.
It was, without a doubt, a completely broken, game-changing skill—especially since it had no cooldown, allowing Sapphire to use it entirely at his own discretion.
Alan soon reached the house where everyone was living. Shona opened the door and smiled when she saw him.
"You're back."
Alan nodded.
"How was everything?" Alan asked.
Just then, the little girl ran out from inside and hugged his leg tightly.
"I missed you," she said, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Sorry, I took too long," Alan replied gently, lifting her into his arms as he stepped inside.
"You're back," Piaro said, already waiting within.
Alan nodded once more.
"Big Brother, tell me the story of your adventure!" Ohong said excitedly from his arms.
Alan smiled and began to speak.
Two days later, they arrived at the shore.
[The Two Moons Overlap]
[Path to the Hidden Kingdom is Now Open]
Alan smiled as he saw the notifications.
"Alright, Ohong. It's time to go home," he said.
Piaro and Shona put the merfolk gills around their necks. As for Alan, thanks to his title, he no longer needed any external item to breathe underwater.
They jumped in, with Ohong leading the way.
"Come, brother. My home is here," she said, swimming ahead swiftly.
Soon, a vast city came into view—a beautiful underwater city shimmering beneath the waves.
[You are the first discoverer of the Siren Kingdom!]
[It is a place passed down in legends. If you create and sell a map of this place, you can earn great reputation and gold.]
[If you sell the map first to the 3rd Prince of the Saharan Empire, a quest will be generated.]
"Sell the map… no," Alan murmured as he looked at the notification screen.
"If others discover it, it will be ruined sooner or later."
Besides, he wasn't lacking in money, he thought.