“Yes, just as I said earlier. But it has limited uses—probably 2 or 3 times at most. Make sure to bring it back. My father can recharge it.”
Aengus nodded in understanding and began his preparations to leave. His Doppelganger was ready. He had transferred most of the demonic cores to it and to Bella, keeping only the high-grade ones for himself.
He then changed into his High Human form and turned to the duo, feeling strange seeing his Doppelganger and Bella standing side by side. Fortunately, he could sense Bella’s presence, reassuring him that the Doppelganger would take care of things while he was gone.
Though the Doppelganger only had about 70% of his strength, it was still formidable.
“Take care, Bella,” Aengus said before activating the Spatial Disk. A map appeared in his mind, allowing him to choose the location. He selected the capital city of the Araknis Kingdom.
He turned to take one last look at Bella before stepping into the spatial rift behind him and vanishing from sight.
“Be safe… Husband,” Bella muttered, her voicing becoming low. “And, Don’t get swayed by those bi**ches.”
“I am here, Bella. I can hear you, you know,” Aengus’s doppelganger said, leaning closer to her ear.
Bella stiffened for a second, clicking her tongue at her mistake. But realizing who it was, she cooled down.
“Hmph. So, what? Now let’s go. We have some hunting to do.”
“Do you have a specific plan in mind, Bella?” he asked.
Bella, confident and domineering, replied, “Yes. We’re going to destroy the temples first, then secretly claim other territories until we have enough power to ignore the demon lords.”
They faded from view, their destination set on Fortress City, with goals ambitious and far-reaching.
—
Capital City Market, Araknis Kingdom
“Sir hunters, would you like to try our potions?”
“No, no, customers, check out our armors and swords!”
“Customers, take a look at our fine leather, perfect for comfortable hunting clothes.”
“We have the best skill books and monster body parts, please have a look.”
The market was bustling as news of the secret realm’s real opening spread like wildfire, thanks to an unknown source. People from other kingdoms and empires swarmed the city in groups and forces.
No one wanted to miss the opportunity to enter the secret realm, which King Milphomor had tried so hard to hide.
Now that the secret had leaked, the capital city was on the brink of crisis, overflowing with people. A breakout war with the kingdom’s forces seemed inevitable.
Tension was evident, but store owners seized the moment to profit.
A chubby hunter with a mace in hand waddled through the crowd, his large belly swaying with each step.
He stopped by a small blacksmith shop, where the piercing sound of hammering hot metal echoed loudly.
Placing the heavy mace on the counter, he asked, “Brother, how much to re-enchant this further?”
The muscular, tanned blacksmith glanced at the mace and replied nonchalantly, “It’s a C-Grade weapon, so that’ll be 1,000 gold coins.”
“So much!” The chubby hunter’s eyes widened in shock. “That’s nearly 10 million copper coins! Are you trying to rob a poor man like me?”
He quickly countered, “How about 200?”
The blacksmith scoffed, his face darkening at the audacity. “Humph… 1,000, and that’s final. Take it or leave it.”
“Brother, why don’t—” the chubby man wanted to continue, but suddenly his heart skipped a beat. He looked at the blacksmith and noticed a similar reaction.
It was a mixture of fear and respect.
The chubby man followed the source of the strange feeling and spotted a young man in black clothing hovering in mid-air.
The young man had an extremely handsome face, a chiseled jawline, battle-hardened muscles that looked like iron, and an air of cold indifference.
People nearby instinctively lowered their heads, feeling an inexplicable sense of suppression in their bloodlines.
The young man gracefully landed on the street, and suddenly, everyone felt normal again.
“Hey, what just happened?”
“Who is that young man? I felt like my father was standing there.”
“Yeah, you felt that too?”
“He just teleported, didn’t he? I swear I saw it!”
“Me too, me too!”
“Well, his clothes are definitely strange!”
The street was abuzz with curiosity and apprehension as people observed the young man.
Aengus, having just suppressed the aura of his high human bloodline, turned towards a nearby open clothing shop. He intended to buy some normal hunter clothes to shake off any lingering ties to the demon world.
“Give me the best, most comfortable, and agile clothes you have,” Aengus said, his voice calm but commanding as he addressed the leather clothing shop owner, who seemed momentarily distracted by his striking features.
Aengus furrowed his brows, and the store owner quickly snapped out of his daze, nodding frantically like a chicken pecking at rice.
“Y-Yes, Sir Hunter! Please wait a moment.” The owner hurried to the back of the shop, intent on fetching the finest garments available, fearing that offering anything less would be a grave mistake.
As Aengus waited, a chubby hunter approached him with a smile, his mace still in hand. “Hello, brother. My name’s Hank. What’s yours?”
Hank reached out, intending to pat Aengus on the shoulder, but he froze mid-motion, a sudden chill running down his spine. A terrible premonition seized him, and he quickly retracted his hand, his heart pounding.
Aengus turned slowly, his gaze cold and unwelcoming. “What do you want? What’s your intention in approaching me?”
His voice was indifferent, almost icy, and Hank’s face twitched, recognizing the unapproachable aura surrounding the enigmatic man.
“Nothing, brother. I was just asking casually. Can’t we be a little friendlier?” Hank sighed in exasperation, though his heart still raced.
Aengus studied him for a moment, his expression unreadable. Judging Hank’s intentions as genuine, his tone softened slightly. The man could be useful for gathering information, after all.
“Zero. You can call me Zero.”
He decided to use the name to not make a connection to the demon world with his same name. Sooner or later the name Aengus would be popular, which might attract attention of higher ranks.
Hank’s eyes lit up with curiosity and excitement, a wide smile forming on his face. He had heard stories about high humans and their incredible abilities, and now, standing before one, he was thrilled to witness it firsthand.
“Nice to meet you, brother Zero!” Hank replied, still marveling at the man who had appeared out of nowhere like a king descending from the heavens.
