Test it on some demons? Girl, aren't you a demon yourself? Also, isn't it a bit dangerous when that snake boss is still roaming around?

"I know it may seem wild, but, do not worry. With your current strength, normal demons won't be able to get a hold of you. We'd just test it on demons who will attack you. You'll just incapacitate them, not kill them."

Oh really now? I do feel stronger because of this whole mana shenanigans, but have I really gotten so much stronger to the point that most normal monsters in this building won't be that threatening?

"Do not misunderstand, though. You are still human, and if you are not careful, some demons might successfully entice you, and capture you in their charm. Just stay focused, and you'll be fine," she said calmly, "hopefully..."

Ah, that hopefully is not reassuring at all.

"What about that snake monster thing?"

"Don't worry. Some demons can feel the presence of other demons, I'm one of those demons. And from the looks of it, she's still on the highest floor, doing who knows what.

I'm still a bit conflicted, but, fine, whatever. I still need to leave this place at the end of the day, and besides, It's not like I can do anything else. That snake girl sealed this place off with her magic and I won't be able to leave.

Might as well train my magic, and see how strong it is right now.

With a small sigh, I followed Alura through the door, Eve trailing behind us happily.

---

It was eerily quiet. It creeped me out, to be completely honest with you. It doesn't help that the hallway has stains of blood almost everywhere.

None of us were saying a word, well, except for Eve, who just occasionally barks for me to pet her. But Alura was silent. She didn't utter a single word as we moved and just closed her eyes as she kept on walking. Not sure why, but I believe it might be she's sensing the other demons or something.

I kept gazing at her as we moved. It was still a bit bizarre for me. Just a few hours ago, she tried to violate me, and yet, here we are. She even helped me use my mana. I honestly expected my whole decision of sparing her to bite me in the ass later, and I was ready for it, but I'm glad it turned out like this.

I wonder, are other monsters like her?

Probably not.

And If I meet a monster who's evident on killing or violating me with no chance of letting me go even if I tried to spare her?

The choice is obvious. I had to kill them. Still, it's weird. Whenever I think about killing a monster, there's this strange feeling that takes over me. Was I always this soft? They're trying to kill me, god damn it!

Even Alura in front of me, the fact that I even spared her was ridiculous by itself, but this 'feeling' I got when I thought about killing her took over me.

Was it hesitation? Anxiety? Fear? Or just guilt?

Why would I feel these when they're trying to kill me?

It only happened with monsters, too. At least, I believe that's the case. I feel like if a human tried that, I wouldn't hesitate as much to kill them or incapacitate them.

Ah, I hate this... What's wrong with me?

Whatever, let's not think about it for now.

"Hmm, they should be a couple of rooms away... But that place is engulfed with them. It's a bit dangerous... We need another one..." She muttered to herself while her eyes were closed.

Might as well take this opportunity to waste some time and ask her some questions.

"So..."

"Hmm~?" Alura let out a hum as she raised one of her eyes brows while her eyes were closed.

"This whole mana thing, what is it exactly?"

"Mana exists everywhere, even in the vast emptiness of outer space, and even in our bodies. Demons and Humans, both have it. It's crucial to our survival. You can kind of assume it's our lifeforce. Of course, unlike most humans, we demons are able to capitalize on the surrounding mana, and use it to enhance ourselves. Some are even able to use their own mana to release devastating attacks. However, that has a cost on our lifespan."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Well, that's... not really what I thought it will be. You're saying that we always had mana in our bodies, and hell, it's our lifeforce? I just expected it to be some magical ethereal energy that we can use, not that it's our literal lifeforce.

"However, mana is different everywhere. For example, the mana in our bodies is a bit different compared to the one in our surroundings. Furthermore, humans mana is special. By simply mating with a human, we get stronger, and we can extend our lifespan."

Well, I do like some lore, If I do say so myself. Still, aren't we humans like... animals for the monsters? They want us to extend their lifespan.

"Still, it wasn't always like that." It was my turn to raise an eyebrow at her, "Believe it or not, we weren't always like this. We didn't force ourselves on humans before. According to the many history books I've read, we used to live in harmony. We mated, bonded, married each other, and even birthed children."

Woah woah woah, wait a minute lady. That doesn't make any sense.

"Wait, but- If we mate with monsters, don't they just absorb our souls, and we cease to exist?"

Alura suddenly stopped and finally opened her eyes. She turned around and gave me a baffled look as if I was a weirdo.

"What the hell are you saying?" She said, mildly annoyed, "This whole soul absorption thing is indeed true, however, it wasn't like that in the past. While we do absorb souls, they don't cease to exist. In fact, this whole ordeal of absorbing souls is only so that we can capture a human and live with us in the underground."

What.

"Where did you get that ridiculous idea of us erasing your souls?"

The game, that's where! Shit, I can't tell if she's lying to me or not. She may very well be saying this to trick me, but if what she said is true, then...

"Ugh, humans and their dumb ideas..." She sighed while rubbing her temples, "Is that why humans would rather kill themselves rather than let us mate with them? God!"

She was getting more flustered by the second, but after a few moments, she let out another sigh and calmed down.

"Regardless, that doesn't matter. You know, the original demon king was the first of our kind, there didn't exist any other demon, and he's the father of all demons." She said, "He was also the only male demon in existence. And do you know who our mother is?"

She looked at me as if I will know who it was.

Wait, don't tell me-

"A human."

...!

A human? Are you kidding me?

"We always had features of humans, even with the first demon king, but it wasn't to this extend." She pointed at her body, "After mating with humans for a long time, we have evolved to retain more human features. The first flora didn't exactly look like me, rather, she was a plant only with a head and reproductive organ similar to that of a human, but that was it. Everything else was a plant."

Shit, this sounds absolutely wild. The fact that the mother of all monsters was actually a human just sounds so weird to me. Then again, there weren't any other female monsters in the time of the original demon king, so I guess it kind of makes sense.

Still, this is...

"Hah... We'll talk about this more in detail when we get back. Maybe I'll even give you a few of my history books."

Ugh, that might be better... Still, if what she said is indeed true, then, did all of the people who killed themselves-

Ah, stop! Let's not think about it.

We eventually reached in front of a door to another room. It didn't look normal, and the door was similar to that of an elevator rather than an actual door. And I felt kind of nervous in front of it.

On the sign above it, it read; "The Monster Experimentation Lab"

Alura let out a hum, and then shook her head. "This won't do. The demons here are abundant in numbers. You might be stronger than a few demons, but this many will overwhelm you, and us, as well."

Couldn't really argue with her. Even here, I feel uneasy in front of the door, as if I will get gobbled up if I opened it.

"Let's find another one. I can feel other locations with fewer demons."

I nodded and followed her while petting Eve.

Ah, I feel restless. I have many questions, and I really need to know the answers to them.

"So, uh, you said something about the 'original' demon king. And you also said he's the only male one in existence, but, what about the current Demon King? Shouldn't it be-"

"The 'King' is simply a title," She said while cutting me off mid-sentence, "No demon can call herself the Demon Queen, even if she's the strongest demon that currently exists. It was a rule made by the original demon king, our father. From what I read, he doesn't care if anyone nominates themselves to be a Demon King, as he doesn't care about the title itself, but Demon Queen is a red line. That title is reserved only for our mother."

She closed her eyes for a moment, and let out hum before continuing, "In the end, our father sees us as mere children. He lets a demon call themselves a King, because it was akin to seeing his own child. In his eyes, no demon is a king. A female demon calling herself a King was nonsensical, as a King refers to a man. But, he never let anyone call themselves a Demon Queen. In fact, our current demon king tried to call herself a Queen, but she couldn't. When she tried to declare it, her voice suddenly gets cut off, and she wouldn't be able to speak, with herself being visibly confused by it. Despite our father no longer existing, his power is so unfathomable that he put a law- Not a normal law like you humans do, but a law that is similar to those of laws of physics- and didn't let any demon declare themselves as Queen."

...I didn't really expect all of that. This is unfathomable. A Demon so strong that he can literally put a law, akin to the laws of time and space, physics, etc... and even the current strongest demon couldn't bypass it? Isn't that kind of power in the realms of god?

Should I be glad that the original Demon King doesn't exist?

If he existed, wouldn't he be able to easily decimate humanity single-handedly?

"And there we go." Alura confidently said, cutting me off from my thoughts. We reached a door that seemed nothing special, similar to the other doors. "There are about 3 demons in there. With your current strength, you should be able to beat them. But, if worst happens, we'll help you."

Before I could say anything, she opened the door.

Damn it. At least wait for me to say something!