Ryan had one knee planted on the ground.

  That technique had drained nearly 80% of his mana.

  The sudden reaction left him completely exhausted.

  Meanwhile, the demon approached with the confidence of someone who believed the fight was already over.

  "The other idiots focused on the mage when they should have killed the support first," the demon said while holding a dagger in his right hand, its blade wrapped in a blazing aura of fire.

  "Inspect," Ryan murmured.

  [ CHARACTER STATUS ]

  > Race: [Demon]

  > Threat Level: Principality

  > Elemental Manifestation: Fire

  > Titles: None

  > Strength: 991 | Magic: 600 | Agility: 1900 | Psyche: 600 | Stamina: 1100 | Luck: 45 |

  "Twins Fire!" the mage shouted.

  The demon leapt forward, slipping past the blazing swords and using that same momentum to lunge straight at Ryan.

  'Fire Wall.'

  The wall erupted into existence.

  The demon's dagger slammed into it and stopped cold.

  "Task, I can't believe you still have mana left," the demon added. In the next instant he activated his stealth skill and vanished from Ryan's sight.

  "Twins Fire!" the mage shouted again.

  The swords appeared.

  "agh..."

  The demon's silhouette flickered back into view. One of the mage's flaming swords had pinned straight through his right thigh.

  "Idiot. You used stealth but went straight into that boy's blind spot. You're so predictable," the mage said in a mocking tone, a smile spreading across her face.

  "Damn you! I'll kill you first!"

  'Damn, I'm completely drained, but...'

  "Fire Aura..." Ryan pushed himself to his feet.

  The demon was still pinned to the sword.

  He tried to turn when he felt the crushing pressure of killing intent coming from behind him.

  "Damn it, you can still move? You shouldn't have any mana left!"

  Before the demon could say anything else, Ryan's fist, engulfed in flames, smashed straight into his face.

  The demon crashed several meters away.

  He tried to stand.

  Ryan was already in front of him.

  One.

  Two.

  Three punches slammed into the demon's chest in rapid succession, forcing blood from his mouth.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  "You should've used stealth to run. You're pretty arrogant. I guess that's normal for a demon, isn't it?"

  "Damn you, shut—!"

  Bang.

  Another punch.

  Ryan's fist tore through his chest and straight through his heart.

  The demon's life faded almost instantly.

  [Bonus acquired: +98,000 XP]

  'That was close.'

  Ryan sat down on the ground in front of the demon's corpse.

  He panted.

  Using more abilities after being caught in the demon's technique that had burned away so much of his mana had taken a heavy toll.

  The exhaustion was overwhelming.

  The girl walked toward him.

  "Hey, trainee, you took down all those demons by yourself. Are you actually an S-rank hiding your power?"

  Pant.

  "No. I'm B-rank. But that doesn't matter right now. I'm completely exhausted..."

  "B-rank? Hmm... you resisted the mana burn and still fought afterward. No B-rank has that much mana. That should have knocked you unconscious."

  'And honestly, I feel like I'm about to pass out.'

  Ryan stood.

  He tried to restore his mana with Recovery, but that ability only activated when his mana was above 40%.

  With his reserves nearly empty, he couldn't help remembering Irina, the forest elf they had helped before.

  "Can you really walk?"

  "Yeah. Let's move. It would be a problem if more demons showed up right now."

  'I was too careless.'

  They started walking, even though they had no idea where they actually were or where they were going.

  They crossed a field filled with holes scattered everywhere.

  The environment made it clear a massive battle had taken place there.

  Ryan stopped for a moment, scanning the area.

  In the distance,

  he could see several houses, nearly destroyed.

  When he turned his gaze to the left,

  sunlight flashed in his eyes.

  But high in the sky, he could make out a silhouette.

  "A dragon?" he murmured.

  "A dragon? Where?" the girl asked frantically, searching the sky.

  Her eyes locked onto the same silhouette Ryan was watching.

  "It's... a Scarlet Dragon. That can't be..."

  "Scar—?"

  Ryan didn't finish the word.

  The girl suddenly yanked him into one of the holes in the field. She fell beneath him, wrapped one arm tightly around him, and clamped her other hand over his mouth.

  "Don't move... don't breathe... don't do anything..."

  'What the hell is going on now? Sure, I don't want to fight a dragon in this state, but is it really that serious?'

  A short time later, the dragon landed in the field.

  "If that dragon is here, then his master must be with him. Solaris, the Demon King's son," she whispered.

  'The Demon King's son?' Ryan still had the girl's hand over his mouth.

  Her hand was trembling.

  From everything he had seen so far, she was impulsive and arrogant. Seeing her tremble like this made it clear that demon was no weak opponent.

  "I'm tired of flying so much, master. Let's go home."

  "Irnina, I didn't give you permission to drop your dragon form!"

  "I'm sorry, dear master, but I'm really exhausted."

  The mage girl remained completely still.

  Ryan looked at her.

  She had no expression.

  She was completely frozen.

  It almost looked like she wasn't even breathing.

  Ryan slipped free from her grip.

  She didn't react at all.

  'She's really terrified, huh... I'll just take a quick look.'

  Pant.

  Ryan was still exhausted and had barely recovered any mana, but he slowly raised his head just enough to peek over the edge of the hole.

  What he saw

  was a girl with pink hair and a horn on her forehead, standing beside another young man dressed in an elegant suit.

  'That must be the Demon King's son.'

  His hairstyle was strange.

  What looked like two daggers were tied behind his head with braids.

  'Those braids... are those actually his hair?'

  "Hum?"

  Ryan immediately lowered his head again.

  "What is it, dear master?"

  "Nothing. I thought I felt someone watching me from over there."

  'Damn.'

  "But I don't smell or sense anyone."

  "You're not saying that just because you want to leave, are you?"

  "Of course not! But aren’t you interested in meeting your new brother? He’s supposed to arrive today."

  "Tsk, don’t call that thing my brother. I have no interest in seeing that hornless demon."

  They started walking toward the direction where Ryan and the girl were hiding.

  But suddenly the mage girl wrapped her arms around Ryan from behind and whispered into his ear.

  "I barely have any mana left, so I'll use yours to hide us. Don't move..."

  Ryan began to feel what little energy he had left being drained away.

  At the same time, he noticed both of their bodies turning translucent.

  That same faint glow spread outward, forming a circle that enveloped them.

  Ryan's eyes slowly closed.

  His mana was drained until he lost consciousness.

  Everything went black.

  ◇◇◇

  When Ryan opened his eyes, he was no longer in the hole, the last thing he remembered.

  Above him was the ceiling of a house, a massive hole torn through it.

  He could feel the softness of a bed beneath him.

  A shiver ran through his entire body.

  A soft pressure, warm and damp, pressed against his groin.

  'That feels... really good.'

  Ryan lowered his gaze.

  Long blue hair lay across his torso.

  When he focused more carefully, he noticed the girl's head moving slowly up and down.

  "What are you—!"

  The moment she realized he had woken up, she lifted her head, her tongue extended and touching the tip of Ryan's member.

  "You finally woke up..."