Damian was genuinely shocked. He'd run into a demon who wanted to talk to him, but this wasn't just any demon—it was a powerful one, able to blend in among humans as if it were one of them.
He only knew it was a demon because it told him. The two met in the middle of the street and went to a restaurant to talk.
The demon was pale, with black hair, dressed in a sharp black suit. Its aura was practically invisible. Even if a Hunter passed by, they'd think it was just a human.
"I heard you're an interesting case who's popped up in the city," the demon said. "Have you chosen a side yet?"
Damian wasn't naive. For some reason, certain demon groups kept trying to recruit him. Of course, he hadn't picked a side. They thought he was strong, but in truth, he wasn't anything special.
"Why would I need to choose a side?" Damian said, spearing some of his pasta with a fork. "I'm just chilling here in the city. You know, it's nice to stay out of all this Hunter-demon drama."
The demon chuckled. "I get it. If I could, I'd do the same, but unfortunately, I've got people to lead and plans to set in motion. Tell me, would you consider acting as a mediator?"
"A mediator?"
Damian was intrigued by what the demon was saying. It wasn't at all what he'd expected. He thought it would try to recruit him like the others had, but that wasn't the case.
"You said you don't want to pick a side, and I respect that," the demon continued. "I've spoken with some other leaders, and many are willing to set up a neutral meeting ground. You'd be in charge of the place. What do you think?"
That was even more unexpected than Damian had imagined.
"And why would I have to be the mediator? You could find someone else. You know, I'd rather keep my responsibilities light."
"You're the best candidate. Any other Hunter would just want to kill us, and higher-ranking demons only care about themselves. Finding someone as neutral as you is nearly impossible. Look, don't worry—we'd make sure you don't have to get involved in anything. We'd provide powerful security for the place."
Damian had been playing the part of a powerful guy trying to stay out of the Hunter-demon conflict, and it was working well. So well that this demon was willing to assign bodyguards just to keep him from having to fight.
That was perfect, since in reality, Damian wasn't strong at all. He'd probably die at the hands of these demons if they decided to start a fight.
"Alright, I'll think about it. But what's in it for me?" Damian asked.
"Peace, for one—no one else will try to recruit you. And, of course, something you want. I heard you're into demon parts? We can get those for you."
"Oh?"
They knew about that because Damian had taken the eye from another demon, but no one knew exactly why. The demons assumed it was some kind of fetish or quirk, since collecting demon parts didn't make much sense otherwise.
"That sounds interesting. When and where would this place be? Would it just be for demons?"
"It'll be a normal place with a reserved area for meetings. You'd make good money too. Honestly, we're thinking about buying a café. We know you work at one—maybe it could even be that one."
Clearly, they'd been watching Damian closely. That made him a little uneasy, but of course, he couldn't show it.
"I'll think about it," Damian said. "Can I give you my number? You can call me with more details."
The demon smiled. "Sure. And I brought you a gift, too."
He handed Damian a black briefcase. Damian cracked it open just enough to peek inside and saw three different demon parts.
"Thanks," Damian said.
After that, he scribbled his phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to the demon, then finished his lunch alone.
After finishing lunch, Damian looked for a secluded spot. He wanted to check out the demon parts he'd been given.
His apartment would normally be a safe place, but the investigators were still there, interrogating people and searching for clues about the demon that had attacked the man in his building.
So, going home right now wasn't a good idea. Damian needed to find somewhere else.
He had an idea of where to go. He knew his neighborhood like the back of his hand, including a few abandoned buildings nearby. That's where he headed.
Damian walked for about thirty minutes after leaving the restaurant. He reached an abandoned building.
The walls, especially the ones around the perimeter, were covered in graffiti. No one was supposed to enter, but some people still did—mostly those looking for a place to sleep.
The first thing Damian checked was the front gate. It was locked, a sturdy iron fence that looked secure.
The best way to get in seemed to be climbing over the wall, but it was pretty high. A lone person would struggle to scale it.
To his surprise, though, Damian jumped over it with ease. His leap was much higher than normal, and his strength was more than enough to pull himself up and over.
He knew he wouldn't have been able to do that before. Most trained people couldn't.
The only explanation was that his new System was already changing his body. He was getting stronger, more agile, slowly becoming more than just a regular human.
Once on the other side, Damian looked for an entry point. The building had a few doors and plenty of windows. The main door was open, so he went in through there.
Then, he climbed the stairs to the top floor.
Damian wanted to be absolutely sure he'd be alone when absorbing those demon body parts.
That's why the top floor was perfect. As he climbed the stairs, he noticed signs that other people had been living in the abandoned building.
He even saw someone lying on the floor of one of the floors. Luckily, the person was asleep and didn't notice him.
When he reached the top floor, Damian swept the entire area to make sure no one else was there. He also activated his Demon Eyes to check for any traces of mana.
"Looks clear," he thought.
Damian set the bag on the floor and opened it. Inside were three demon parts.
One was a hairy arm with long, razor-sharp claws. He picked it up.
"Time to absorb this."
It felt like magic. All Damian had to do was think about absorbing the demonic arm, and it happened. A notification appeared in his mind.
[+2 Strength]
[+2 Agility]
[+2 Endurance]
[Beast Claw: Transform your arms into sharp claws capable of tearing through enemies.]
[This ability can be improved.]
Not only did he gain a new combat ability that would definitely come in handy, but he also received stat boosts! His body felt noticeably stronger.
The difference was immediate—he could feel the power coursing through him. It was a unique sensation, something he'd never experienced before.
Damian grinned. Things were falling into place. He was finally getting stronger.
Two demon parts remained in the bag. One was a pair of long, black horns.
"What new ability will I get this time?" Damian wondered.
He had no clue. Holding the pair of long, black horns, he activated his System to absorb them.
[+5 Charisma]
[New ability unlocked.]
[Seductive Horns: Horns are highly regarded in the demonic world. This ability grants you an aura that aids in forming friendly relations with other demons.]
[Passive ability.]
[Can be improved.]
It was the first passive ability Damian had gained. Pretty interesting.
He figured passive abilities might be more valuable than active ones. He could already imagine a future where he was stacked with passive abilities, enhancing every possible aspect of himself.
"Can't wait!"
Finally, there were some black nails—or rather, claws. While the first part had been an entire creature's arm, these were just the claws. Damian absorbed them.
[+3 Agility]
[Venomous Claws: All your claw-based attacks inflict poison.]
[Passive ability.]
[Can be improved.]
Damian was thrilled with what he'd gained. Three new abilities—two passive, one active—plus a bunch of stat boosts.
The difference in his power was obvious. He could feel it coursing through his body. He was more confident, less vulnerable.
After absorbing all the demon parts, Damian left the building.
As he descended the stairs, he started to feel something off. It was like he was being watched.
Then a demon lunged at him! It was small, not particularly strong-looking.
It resembled a reddish rat, about the size of a dog, with holes in its body and a foul stench emanating from it.
The rat caught Damian off guard, leaping to bite him, but he was faster and dodged the attack.
The creature seemed confused, unable to comprehend how Damian had seen it, since it was supposedly camouflaged to humans.
"Finally, a chance to test if I'm getting stronger," Damian muttered.