Chapter 64

So Dylan decided to wait conversation with father. He was very busy right now and it was unclear when he would be free. After all, his mother assured him that it was very important. After thinking about it for only a second, Dylan realized what he was busy with. His father was trying to advance the class to [Legendary] level.

"How strong will he be after?" Dylan said quietly.

And threw these thoughts into the depths of his mind to continue practicing magic. After all, all sorts of worries did not improve his concentration at all, and Mana needed to be protected. So he did this until late in the evening and even managed to improve the skill.

Congratulations, you have increased the skill level of [Magic of Arcane Will] [Rare] Lvl 229 > Lvl 230

It seemed too easy for him, but he didn't dare complain. Dylan fell asleep in a good mood, but after a while guards and possible events that he didn't want to see at all began to pop up in his consciousness. He tried to fall asleep for a long time and even at some point decided to read one of the books he brought, but quickly changed his mind, since he definitely wouldn't be able to fall asleep because of this.

...

Waking up, Dylan tried to remember when he fell asleep, but he couldn't. Digging through his memory, he didn't have any bad dreams, but he still felt lousy. Throwing it out of his head and getting out of bed, he took the book "Advanced Demonology". He wanted to read it yesterday, but wisely decided not to.

Demons are creatures that everyone has heard of, but few know how they can differ from each other. All who belong to the demonic race have demonic energy as a substitute for mana, which makes them evil, cruel and selfish in the opinion of most intelligent races. It is because of their inherently evil nature that holy magic and holy mana are so effective against them. Scientists from all over the world, over many centuries, have decided to divide demonic creatures into several categories:

1. Demons.

Demons are creatures born on the demonic plane, possessing a demonic essence and mind. Demons have several distinctive features due to which they are one of the most hated races in all worlds.

The first distinctive feature is [Demonic Energy]. Demonic Energy is essentially [Arcane Affinity] with soul energy, it contains the entire concept of the race, it is the one that can change any creature into a demon.

The second distinctive feature is the [Sin Cultivation] skill. Demons gain their "Sin" as they develop. Sin can manifest itself in different ways, some demons simply indulge with anger, while others seek to enjoy strangers shattered dreams. By cultivating their sin, demons become stronger, their demonic energy often gains the concept of sin. Which can form the terrifying Demonic Conceptual Magic.

The third distinctive feature is the skill [Demonic Grip], starting from the Demon rank, everyone gets it and with it can eat souls. First of all, demons love to eat souls because it makes them stronger and speeds up the regeneration of demonic energy, but of course it brings them the greatest pleasure. The skill can develop depending on the concept of sin and change its properties, giving not only the characteristics to demon, but also the skills from the souls eaten.

Demons, contrary to the delusions of intelligent races, build communities in which the key position is occupied by the strongest demon in the hierarchy. Any conflicts are usually resolved by extreme violence and the most brutal torture. In the hierarchy of demons, there cannot be a weak and stupid demon at the same time. Demons have a hierarchy that is considered an indicator of the strength and cunning of the demon.

Basic development options:

1. Demonic Spawn [???]

These creatures are demonic monsters by nature and do not possess intelligence. They can have any body type and race rarity. They are at the bottom of the hierarchy only because other demons see them as easy snacks, due to their lack of classes and brutal intelligence.

2. Lesser Demon [Uncommon]

Lesser demons are considered the weakest demons. They do not have their own "Sin", so their magic is weak compared to the rest. As a rule, lower demons die very quickly after their birth, from their own tribesmen.

3. Small Demon [Rare-Special]

A small demon is just starting on the path of developing skill sin, but and is not sentenced to instant death, since other demons are counting on enslaving him so that when he grows up, they can eat his soul and develop their own sin.

4. Demon [Special-Epic]

Having reached this stage of evolution, the demon gains the skill [Demonic Grip] [Epic], at this point, demons tend to become reckless from the rapid increase in strength and quickly die. Not only the strongest survive, but also the most cunning.

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5. Great Demon [Legendary-Mythical]

Greater Demons gain the [Demon Hierarchy] [Special] skill, with this skill they can oppress demons lower in the hierarchy, but become more susceptible to the same skill from demons on the stages above. At this stage of development, demons are usually interested in other worlds and are looking for a way to get into them. This is due to the fact that other Greater Demons in their surroundings are not potential prey. And obtaining new souls with excellent abilities often contributes to growth.

6. Greater Demon [Mythical]

When evolving into a Greater Demon, he gains the skill [Demonic Reincarnation] [Legendary]. Demons can no longer be killed by simply wounding their body. When the life energy leaves the body of a demon, it can release its spirit and possess another being, irrevocably changing their body. Such a death greatly weakens the demon, but over the next centuries, it can fully restore its former strength by eating souls. Therefore, against Greater Demons, it is imperative to use holy Mana and weapons that wound the soul.

7. Archdemon [Heavenly-Divine]

To evolve into an Archdemon, the [Heavenly] skill is required, and through evolution, the demon becomes immortal, its soul and body no longer age. It is assumed that this stage of development gives other advantages, but nothing is known about them due to the lack of information.

8. Demon Prince [Divine]

Requirements unknown, qualities unknown, skills unknown.

9. God of Demons [???]

Requirements unknown, qualities unknown, skills unknown.

Closing the book, Dylan rubbed his temples with his hands. The pain in his head only intensified. He couldn't imagine what this information meant to him now.

"Haha, if those fools think I'm going to fall into despair over this, they don't know me well enough, I'm too stupid for that. That's right, this should be treated as a delusional story. There can't be anything to do with the truth, because if something so evil existed, the world would have already been torn apart... Although it has yet to happen. Well, well, well, that's it, it's just a very entertaining read." Dylan said and patted his cheeks.

Dylan didn't immediately dare open the book, but after a few minutes of convincing himself that this was the ravings of a madman, he decided to do so.

2. Devils

Creatures from the demon world that are related to demons, but are often not considered as such, due to their lack of great cruelty and relative peacefulness. While most demons enjoy killing things for no reason, devils do not feel any attraction to this. Of course, they are still cunning, selfish, soul-devourers, but they still prefer to avoid senseless conflicts.

Devils as a type of demons still have three main skills, but for some reason most often avoid developing sin. It is still unknown why this happens, but this is reliable information. The peculiarity of devils as creatures is their way to become stronger, they live by concluding various contracts where their prize is a soul. Contracts are always mandatory and "honest" in their understanding. Honesty is expressed in the fact that the devil will never attack with the purpose of taking the soul, but will definitely try to deceive you in the contract. Devils are masters of [Karmic Magic], [Soul Magic] and [Contract Magic], so any voluntarily signed contract is necessarily fulfilled and is practically indestructible, even for the devil himself.

That's why devils often travel to other worlds and sometimes even become welcome guests. After all, there is no better servant than a devil who wants to get a soul. Devils also sign contracts that are not necessarily always fatal for the other party. A devil can agree to a lesser thing, such as an artifact, forgotten magic, another powerful soul, and other similar things, in order to exchange them later.

If you have the impression that devils are the world's traders, you are right. But they should not be underestimated. If a devil has made a contract to kill something, rest assured that he will carry it out, no matter how much he may not like it. Devils are masters of many schools of magic, in addition to [Karmic Magic], [Soul Magic], [Contract Magic], they are also proficient in [Demon Magic], [Space Magic] and definitely one or more combat schools of magic. Mostly, it is [Curse Magic]. It is almost impossible to survive a fight with a devil, due to how smart and meticulous they are, but it is much more difficult to kill or capture one.

The racial abilities of devils are unknown, aside from the three main skills, and speculation that mastery of [Karmic Magic] is in their blood.

The devil also has a hierarchy, which depends on the rank in the supposed nobility. The exact positions and supposed merits for the title are unknown, as are the benefits of holding the title.

3. Creatures that were not born in the demon plane, but became such.

Demons, like Devils, can turn creatures into demons. They do this for different reasons, demons can do it for fun, devils to fulfill contracts. The goal remains unimportant, what matters is the consequences.

The transformation of a person into a demon can happen in different ways. Some turn into mad demonic offspring, while others can become Great Demons, which will significantly increase their strength, but in return they will acquire the madness inherent in all demons. It can also happen much more slowly and unintentionally, due to simple contact with demonic energy. People gradually become more aggressive and bloodthirsty. If the demonic corruption is not cleared in time, the person will become a demon, which is irreversible.

4. Creatures born from the union of two powerful races.

(The following is not reliable information. This information is collected from myths and legends.)

One famous fable mentions the existence of a half-demon. Technically, this is impossible, because everyone who is exposed to demonic energy until the final end becomes a demon and loses their mind. But I find this theory plausible. When two powerful races mix (in my opinion), it is possible that neither of them will prevail and a half-demon will be born. I also believe that when a sufficiently powerful creature is demonized, a demon beyond the usual understanding can be born.

At this point Dylan closed the book, usually he leafed through the authors' crazy theories, but this time he became curious. And of course he regretted it, since the last words clearly hinted at accepting demonization and even said that this was an acceptable option...

Summing up, Dylan decided that he did not want to become a demon and would not try to negotiate with them. According to the book, he would still become food, which of course upset him. He was simply sure that his soul tasted very sweet and Dylan was definitely not going to lose it so senselessly. But of course he liked the image of devils, in the form of an intellectual in a tailcoat, who appear as a creepy merchant with a dubious contract.

"Hehe, this is really funny!"