Chapter 46: Wait, Do They Have Horns?

’Shit...’

He’d already decided to answer the Lieutenant’s questions truthfully, considering that the man was investigating what happened during the attack. However, explaining the full extent of his Precedence System was an entirely different matter.

He wasn’t even certain whether somebody in this world would believe him if he claimed he could obtain quest rewards before completing their objectives.

"I received an additional objective to defeat that bastard!" Zishan explained, pointing toward Larper. "The reward included Beast Taming Affinity and Beast King’s Authority. There were some other things, too!"

"Other things?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Such as?"

Zishan thought about the Dragon Egg, but said something else. "Some improvements to my Skills, sir!"

The Lieutenant examined him for a moment before writing something else. "And you’re saying you used your newly acquired ability to take control of Corporal Forteza’s tamed beasts?"

"Yes! Three Ridgefang Hounds and one Ironback Razorboar!"

"Where are they now?"

Zishan’s expression brightened. "Would you like to see them, sir?!"

"Not inside this tent!"

"OH! RIGHT! GOOD IDEA, SIR!"

The Lieutenant looked toward the Sergeant, who confirmed that he’d personally witnessed Zishan store the four Magic Beasts after Larper had lost consciousness.

Zishan continued recounting what happened afterward, including his discovery of the order transmitted through Larper’s slave collar. He described how the collar had received confirmation that the diversion had succeeded and how he’d warned the Sergeant that the Eastern Reserve Station had been attacked.

The Lieutenant stopped writing. "You obtained that information through Appraisal?"

"YES, SIR!"

"What is your current mastery?"

"Perfected, sir!"

The man stared at him, speechless. "...Perfected?"

"Yes!"

For several seconds, nobody said anything.

Zishan glanced toward the Sergeant. ’What? Did I say something wrong?’

The Lieutenant returned to his documents.

He questioned Zishan about Larper’s final attack and the exact circumstances of his capture. Zishan explained that the bastard had attempted to activate another Skill after losing control of his beasts, so he’d struck him with the pommel of his sword before he could finish.

Larper looked as though he wanted to murder him again.

"HAHAHA! Don’t look at me like that, brother! You should be thankful I didn’t cut your fucking head off!"

"Zishan!" the Sergeant snapped.

"I apologize, Sergeant Sir!" Zishan quickly straightened his posture again, chin up.

The Lieutenant gestured for one of the guards to escort Larper outside. The Corporal initially protested, although he stopped struggling when one of the soldiers reminded him that his slave collar was still being monitored and that any attempt to escape would be dealt with.

Zishan watched them leave. ’Bye, Brother! Take care of my future military career!’

Once Larper was out of sight, the Lieutenant asked the Sergeant to confirm several details from the previous day’s reports. They discussed the number of surviving beasts, the condition of the western barricade, and the sequence of events leading to the Eastern Reserve Station’s capture.

Zishan was already wondering whether he could leave when the Lieutenant placed another document on the table.

This one contained his name. "Zishan Walker. You were recorded as Level 20 following your assessment."

"Yes, sir!"

"That assessment took place shortly before yesterday’s attack."

"Yes!"

"And according to the information gathered from the soldiers who fought alongside you, your Level increased considerably during the Western Stampede."

"Yes, sir. Indeed, my level significantly increased during that event!"

The Lieutenant remained silent.

Zishan stopped laughing. "Sir?"

"What is your current Level?"

"Fifty, sir!"

The man placed his pen on the table. "Level 50."

"Yes, sir!"

"You gained thirty Levels between your assessment and the end of yesterday’s fighting?"

"Yes! I also received quest rewards, and I had some other rewards that helped me survive the horde!"

The Lieutenant leaned back in his chair as though he felt the exhaustion coming.

"Thirty Levels," he repeated, looking toward the officer sitting beside him. "A Sovereign-tier Fire-Based Skill, a newly awakened Beast Taming Affinity, another Sovereign-tier Skill, and Perfected Appraisal."

Zishan nodded enthusiastically with a smile on his face.

Then, he noticed that the Lieutenant wasn’t smiling.

The Sergeant had also become rather quiet.

’Huh?’

"Zishan," the Sergeant began, "is there anything else you haven’t told us about yesterday?"

"What?" Zishan sat straighter. "Sergeant! I already told you everything that happened! That bastard tried to kill me. I stole his beasts, and then I hit him in the head! What else do you want me to say?"

The Lieutenant raised one hand, stopping the Sergeant from responding.

"We’re not questioning whether you fought Larper Forteza. Several soldiers have confirmed your account, and the Corporal himself admitted that you were the one who defeated him," the lieutenant said.

Zishan felt slightly relieved.

"We’re questioning how you became strong enough to accomplish all of this in such a short period."

"..."

The Lieutenant opened another report. "You’re still Unascended, correct?"

"Yes, sir!"

"And you possessed neither of those Sovereign-tier Skills when you were first assigned to this battlefield?"

Zishan hesitated before nodding. ’Huh? Where is this conversation even going?’

The Lieutenant looked toward the Sergeant again. The two men exchanged a few quiet words, although Zishan couldn’t hear everything they were saying.

He was beginning to find the entire conversation rather unpleasant.

Wasn’t he supposed to receive some kind of commendation for capturing a valuable enemy Corporal? Perhaps a promotion? A nice little medal? Some cupcakes would have been much more appreciated, considering everything he’d gone through yesterday.

Instead, they were staring at him like he’d committed some kind of horrible crime.

"Sir!!" Zishan raised his hand. "If you’re worried about my strength, I can show it to you, sirs!"

The Lieutenant shook his head. "That won’t be necessary."

"Then tell me exactly what the matter is! Your faces are telling me something’s wrong," Zishan replied, his tone changing again.

The Lieutenant closed the document and folded his hands on the table. "Have you heard of the Nether Hollow Domain?"

"..."

’Huh?’

Zishan tried remembering whether he’d encountered that name during any of his conversations with the System. He’d learned quite a bit about Cyrune since arriving here, although most of that knowledge had come from attempting to avoid being killed by its extremely unfriendly inhabitants.

"I don’t think so, sir," he answered, shaking his head.

"It’s a domain adjacent to Cyrune. The Demons who inhabit it possess significantly greater natural strength than ordinary humans, and their rate of growth is much faster than ours. Even without relying on quests, a Demon can develop at a pace that would be considered extraordinary for a human."

’Demons?!’

Zishan felt his interest growing. ’Holy shit! Demons exist in this world? Don’t tell me I can get a Demon Bloodline, too?! That would be cool!’

He was about to ask whether Demons had horns when the Lieutenant continued.

"Humans have spent a very long time studying the differences between our races. Some have also attempted to reproduce the methods Demons use to accelerate their growth."

The Sergeant was watching Zishan closely now.

"One of those methods is known as Demonic Magic," the Lieutenant said. "It requires the consumption of souls. Large numbers of them, depending on the strength its practitioner wishes to obtain."

Zishan’s excitement disappeared.

"Souls?" he muttered as his expression turned bleak.

"Yes. Demonic Magic is restricted by race. A Demon can consume the souls of other Demons, while a human practitioner can only benefit from consuming human souls. The souls of other races cannot be used as substitutes."

’What the fuck? Is there something wrong with their minds? Why would they do that?’

Zishan stared at the Lieutenant.

He’d been expecting some ridiculously overpowered Demonic Skill that would allow him to summon an army or shoot enormous fireballs. What kind of fucking lunatic decided that eating other people’s souls was a reasonable way to become stronger?!

The Lieutenant glanced at the reports scattered across his table once more. "An Unascended Volunteer Auxiliary gaining thirty Levels in such a short period is already extraordinary. Acquiring two Sovereign-tier Skills, Perfected Appraisal, and a Beast Taming Affinity during the same battle raises additional questions."

Zishan’s eyes widened in realization. ’Wait...’

The Lieutenant leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together. "Zishan Walker, have you been using Demonic Magic to consume human souls to become stronger? And what exactly is your connection to the Nether Hollow Domain?"