Ascension: Online

I stepped out from the cover of the building and stood in front of the hairy man. He had no way to escape - behind him was a dead end.

"I wonder… what 'curse' could you be talking about?" I asked quietly yet menacingly, folding my arms.

He looked up slowly. I couldn't see his eyes behind his hair, but he could see mine… probably.

"You… cough… you can understand demontongue?" the man rasped after a short silence, spitting out pink blood once again.

My eyes widened. "Demontongue…?"

"Yes… the language you're speaking right now…"

It was then that I realized. He and I were not communicating in Chinese like the other natives of this reality plane. No… it was similar, but there was no doubt it was a different language. It had just felt so natural thanks to the auto-translating system in all players that I didn't even realize until he explicitly pointed it out.

"… Are you a demon?" I asked bluntly. If he was speaking demontongue, then…

"Yes… I am. Though I never thought I would see another one here…"

I quickly shook my head. "U-Uh, no. Don't misunderstand - I'm not a demon."

"Huh? But only demons can speak…"

"E-Er, it's complicated, you see…" I quickly interrupted, not wanting to explain the whole concept of players to him. "In any case… why are you spitting out blood like this? What curse were you talking about just now?"

The man seemed to be feeling a bit better now, so he straightened his back and stood up properly.

"That's… I… I can't tell you, if you are not a fellow demon…"

Ah, damn it… I should've just lied and told him I was a demon as well. That was a blunder.

I pondered for a moment, then spoke. "Fine. But in that case, answer me something else: why are you here in the continent of Azrine? I thought this place was the territory of humans, demihumans, and elves."

"I can't tell you that either…"

I rolled my eyes. This guy was getting on my nerves.

"Look… let me make it clear to you. I know your secret - you're not in any position to be refusing my demands. I already took a step back and asked you for something else when you said you couldn't answer my first question. Don't take a mile after I give you an inch."

I walked closer to him. He was shorter than me despite clearly being older.

"Do you understand now?" I whispered threateningly. "If you don't tell me what I want to know… I'll reveal your secret."

He flinched a bit in fear. My plan had worked. If he had refused there even after I said I would reveal his secret, it would mean he truly could not tell me the reason. I wouldn't have exposed him, because doing so would've brought no benefits for me. No reason to harm another person if it doesn't give anything to myself.

But naturally, he took the bait.

"A-Alright, I get it… it's just my luck, not noticing you following me… damn it," he cursed.

Actually, the reason he didn't notice me trailing him was because of a passive skill I purchased a few days ago called Conceal Presence, but I wasn't about to tell him that.

"Let's go somewhere less… conspicuous," I suggested, looking around. The hairy man nodded in agreement.

The two of us walked out of the alleyway, with me taking the lead.

"If you try anything funny, like trying to run away…" I muttered to him quietly.

"… I get it. I won't try anything."

"That's for the best."

*****

I led him back to the hotel we stayed at yesterday night, the one located remotely near the east gates of Qilian City. When I took him up to our room, Hina-nee and Aisa were already inside, just as I had hoped. Since Hina-nee was the one with the room key, if she hadn't been here, we would've had to wait.

"Welcome back, Kaze-kun~" Hina-nee smiled happily as she let us in, then her gaze landed on the… hairy dude beside me. "Oh, this is…"

"Yeah, he's the one who killed two dudes already with only his fists," I chuckled darkly.

As Hina-nee closed the door behind us, I welcomed the hairy man to sit on a chair, while I myself took a seat on the couch, beside Aisa. Hina-nee took my other side.

"So? Can you talk now? Why are you here in Azrine despite being a demon?" I asked, then turned to Hina-nee and Aisa. "These two here are my family - you don't need to worry about them spreading any news as long as you don't disobey me."

"This is actually related to my curse, which was why I didn't want to talk about it, but… alright. I understand." The man took a deep breath and began his story.

"As you all know already, I am a demon. But… not completely."

"You mean you're a half-blood?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He nodded. "Yes… I am half-demon, but also half-human."

"Er, is that supposed to happen?" Hina-nee wondered aloud. "I mean, nothing against cross-breeding, but…"

"No, you are right," the hairy man shook his head sadly. "Members of different races are not supposed to have a child together… otherwise the resulting newborn will end up with a deficiency."

I frowned. "Is that… the curse you were talking about?"

"Yes… I call it a curse, but it is really just a birth deficiency caused by cross-breeding. You see, I am blessed with the superior physical strength of demonkin, but whenever I use them, I suffer a severe backlash due to my human side. And since I cannot control how much power I exert…"

"Is that part of the curse too? The lack of being able to control your power?" Hina-nee asked curiously.

The man nodded once again. "Indeed. I've tried many times now, but to no avail. I just… cannot seem to hold back, especially when fighting against someone else."

"… So, from what you've told me, I can pretty much deduce why you're here in Azrine." I cleared my throat, and continued. "Let me guess - you were first raised in demon territory, but after your half-breed background was somehow exposed, you were exiled out of the race. Thus, having nowhere to go, you chose to embrace your other half and come to human territory."

"Yes, that is… quite accurate. This hair in front of my face, I left it like this on purpose, so that no one would be able to see my eyes. This diminishes my own vision too, but I can see somewhat through it."

"Why would you do this though?" Hina-nee and I frowned in confusion, having no knowledge of the demon race whatsoever.

"It is because the eyes are the defining traits of demons," Aisa interrupted with her arms folded, one leg crossed over the other.

We all turned to her collectively as she sighed and explained what she meant.

"Just as elves have pointy ears and most demihumans have tails depending on their subrace, demons have a special characteristic to them - their eyes. Unlike any other race, the demon race's irises each contain a white four-sided star-like pattern in addition to their pupils. Their irises are also generally a different color from what is commonly seen in other races, including blue, purple, and red."

"It is exactly as this little girl says. You are quite knowledgeable of the demon race," the hairy man noted, clearly impressed.

Aisa didn't bother responding, closing her eyes and leaning back into the couch.

"I see… so other than the eyes, demons look exactly like humans, allowing you to blend in to Azrine's society with ease," I murmured. "But then, why bother joining this competition? You can just settle down and live a quiet life."

"…" the man fell silent, as if uncomfortable with the topic. After a while, however, he decided to talk about it.

"I… only have six months of life left."

At this, Hina-nee and I both widened our eyes.

"O-Only six months? Is this part of your curse too?" I asked in shock.

Hesitantly, the man nodded. "If I am unable to cure this condition I have before then… I will die."

"Wait," Hina-nee interrupted, catching onto something crucial. "You say you only have six months of life left and need a cure, but… who told you all this information?"

The man flinched, unable to respond.

"… Talk," I ordered.

He clenched his fists in mental debate, but reluctantly gave in.

"On my way here to this continent, I met an old man who said he could cure my condition if I provided him the materials for it. I was hoping to ask for the materials needed if I won this competition…"

After some thought, I decided to help this guy out. "What materials do you need?"

"… One Firesaffron, one Bloodmint, and one Hailflower. They are the ingredients required to concoct a Convergence Pill, which can combine the two different races of blood in my body into one."

"Aisa, you remembered that?"

"… Yes. Though I am not your personal notepad," she said, sending me an unamused look as usual.

"Good enough," I chuckled, then turned back to the hairy man. "You can leave now. That's all the info I wanted."

He nodded, stood up from the chair, and began heading for the door. But just before he left, he turned back around.

"… Just to confirm…"

I sighed. "Don't worry, I won't expose you to anyone… by the way, what's your name?"

"You can call me… Koroth."

With that, the hairy demon - Koroth - left.