Chapter 9 – Liliana, The Demon From Above (Part 2)
"..." Jack's mouth hung open for a second, almost in a complete trance. He was in disbelief as he stared at the demon floating elegantly in the air, smiling at him with the most entrancing face he had ever seen.
His first thought was that he was hallucinating, or perhaps imagining things. However, that idea quickly disappeared from his head. There was simply no way he was imagining this—no human should be able to imagine someone this beautiful. It was something beyond the scope of the human mind.
It quickly became apparent that this was indeed reality, and the demon was truly talking to him. His first reaction was to slowly close his mouth and adjust his position. Staring directly at the woman, he spoke.
"Demon of hope?" Jack frowned. "What do you want from me?"
"Oh?" Liliana seemed quite surprised by his reaction and how quickly he recovered from the shock. A normal person would've completely lost it or fallen into deep obsession with her upon a single glance. Yet Jack didn't seem to be affected, apart from some attraction.
'Interesting, he has some very strong mental resistance.' She mused as her smile widened.
"I didn't expect you to have such a mild reaction to me. I expected something more… entertaining~" She licked her lips.
"I've seen enough extraordinary things today. This doesn't surprise me beyond what you've already witnessed," Jack replied calmly. While he was indeed still shocked, his apathetic and numb nature helped him regain composure quickly.
"Hehe~ That is a fair point, indeed."
"So, what do you want from me, Miss Demon?" he said.
"Well, I wanted to meet the very first person to gain the Divine Records on Earth. It turned out to be the least expected person," she said. "You're quite impressive—killing the Undead without fear or hesitation so quickly."
"..."
'The first?' Jack raised an eyebrow. 'So, I'm the very first person in the world to discover this system exists? That's… surprising.'
That meant one of two things—either every other person in the world was stupid, or, more likely, this invasion happened simultaneously in every corner of the world, giving him the opportunity to be the first.
'Could that be why the system said the "True Ones" are noticing me?' he wondered. 'Could be…'
"Ehem, are you ignoring my presence now?" Liliana coughed softly. "You're quite bold to do that when countless others would be on their knees for having the opportunity to talk to me for a second."
"Hm? Are you some kind of important figure? You said you're a demon."
"Indeed, I am. But that isn't important right now," she said. "You asked me what I want from you~ Well, you could say I'm very curious about you."
"Curious?"
"Mhm. You've already gained so much strength in a matter of minutes. That kind of talent is impressive," she said. "You have potential, Jack."
"Hm… I didn't do anything mind-blowing."
"That's what you think, but you're already Level 2 with pretty decent stats. Your skill is also particularly rare and strong."
"Wait…" Jack frowned. "You've been watching me this entire time?" he asked.
"Of course. I was waiting for the right opportunity to introduce myself. I was so nervous~"
"..."
Jack squinted his eyes before recalling a brief moment he experienced not long ago—the wet sounds he heard around the corner that he couldn't identify. It was fleeting, but when he recalled it now, everything started to make sense.
"That was you, wasn't it?" he asked calmly.
"Hehe, bingo. You're really smart." Liliana clapped her hands.
Seeing the casual and eerily cheerful look on her face, Jack felt a chill run down his spine. He had been watched intently, from very close proximity, by someone he couldn't see or sense. Had she not revealed herself, he would've never even guessed that a demon was observing him.
'What the actual fuck…' he cursed inwardly. 'She could've easily done anything she wanted, and I wouldn't have been able to do a thing.'
He could tell Liliana was no mere demon—she was a Divine being of sorts. Something about her eyes, her grace, and her presence told him that he was standing before a being far beyond anything he could even comprehend.
"You still haven't explained why you followed me. Being talented or the first person to get the Divine Records isn't a reason. You have a very specific reason for coming to me," Jack said, staring deeply into her eyes.
"Hahahaha…" Surprisingly, Liliana started laughing jovially. Her beautiful laughter was sweeter than any music Jack had ever heard. "You're quite smart, Jack. But you shouldn't read too much into everything."
"..."
"I found you by sheer coincidence. I wasn't specifically looking for you, but you stood out immediately among the many, many humans in this world. You can call it boredom and curiosity that brought me to this Sapling World," she said.
"Sapling World? What does that mean?"
"A Sapling World is a world freshly graced by the Records and taking its first steps toward becoming a Lower World—entering the path of evolution," she explained. "I came here to witness that change, and when I saw the very first human to discover all of this, I was curious about what you were going to do."
"Hm." Jack was suspicious of her story, but he couldn't find any flaws in her reasoning. He couldn't judge what a being of that scale would want to do with their free time.
"So you just wanted to meet the first person to, umm… awaken to said powers?"
"Basically. You seemed like a very entertaining person," she said. "The way you moved and behaved—I can't believe it's coming from a young human. You handled everything better than most people, even the ones who were ready for this change beforehand."
"I see… Well, there you go, you met me. Do you need anything else?" Jack asked warily. He really didn't like this entire situation. Something about Liliana was very off, and she gave him a feeling of unease he hadn't experienced before.
"Awww, so cold~ I'm really not here to hurt you, Jack."
"I know. You could've easily done that if you wished, and I wouldn't even know."
"Well, that's true. But in reality, even if I wanted to, I can't hurt you," she explained. "The Divine Records won't allow it. Since I'm a being from another realm, and I'm dozens of evolutionary steps ahead of you, it would punish me heavily if I harmed you."
"Is that some sort of defense mechanism to stop higher beings like you from hurting weaker beings like me?" he asked. "Or from affecting this world in some way?"
"Precisely." Liliana crossed her arms under her large chest. "So, I'm as harmless to you as anything else around you right now."
'If she's telling the truth, that makes sense. If beings like her were allowed all privileges, they could cause unimaginable damage. I wouldn't be surprised if they could wipe out the entire world.'
That was the vibe Liliana gave him—a being capable of erasing an entire race of creatures if she wished. That kind of power should never be allowed near a planet like Earth.
"In any case, all I want is to just pass some time here since I'm bored," Liliana continued. "And you seem like a pretty entertaining watch. So, would you let me tag along? Pretty please~"
"..." Jack frowned. "Are you even going to leave if I say no? Because I clearly can't force you to do anything."
"... Hehehe…" Liliana giggled cutely. "I won't do anything, I promise. I can even help you with useful information. Well, nothing major, of course. But I can really help you."
"... For free?"
"Yeah, completely for free. I'm simply here for entertainment purposes," she replied. "Also, I'm a tad bit curious what you'll be doing from now on. This world, after all, will be changing beyond what you can imagine."