After moving down the sewage (a long trip), Mark expected so stench and so discomfort. But he was surprised to find a small door—hidden—on the wall of the sewage, and the crazy scientist woman entered it.
Mark followed her.
He was still very cautious of her and held her at arm's length, but in the end, it turned out she hadn't prepared any traps. They ended up inside a vast basent of sorts with bright lights all over it.
Looking around, Mark was sowhat stunned. Even Dona, who was on his back, was stunned. Her eyes widened, and her hold over his neck tightened.
The place was huge and full of complex-seeming equipnt. But out of everything, Mark's gaze focused on the thing right in the middle of the vast room. A huge humanoid machine.
He couldn't help but stutter.
"A cha?"
Mark walked into the room and gulped slightly.
"It doesn't work yet…" Yuri sighed. "It is a prototype I am working on. Tis are crazy, you know? Hunters, Demons, and all this apocalypse shit. I need to work on it, and I am guessing it should give so defensive asures."
Mark sighed, then looked at a particular wall, which was full of monitors. It had a huge assortnt of visuals from many parts of the world.
"Those are from hidden caras I set up around this hideout. If anyone—cops, Hunters, Demons—approaches us, we will be notified. It's live. It was very, very expensive to get set up, and there was a lot of underground work."
"Very… intricate," Mark mumbled. "Do you have a lot of enemies, woman?"
"Oh, quite a bit. I am sort of a criminal." Yuri removed her goggles.
Mark blinked. "What did you do to beco one?"
Yuri spat, "I 'thought.' That's what made a criminal. And also so human experints—you can get what I am saying, right?"
"Yep. I am smart enough to understand your words." Mark nodded.
So, this woman beca a criminal because of her dangerous thoughts. Damn. A mad scientist, for real. One that does human experints and consorts with Demons. And he was that Demon.
Yuri looked at Mark contemplatively for a while and then nodded. "Okay, Partner. Now, you can get fresh from that Bathroom. I also have clothes prepared, both for you and your…" she looked at Dona speculatively.
"She is Dona. My mate."
"Okay, both for you and your mate. Go in, refresh yourself, and return. I'll prepare sothing to eat, and we can talk about our cooperation while having so nutrients."
Mark smiled. "Co in with us to the bathroom, then."
He didn't trust her enough to leave her alone.
Yuri sighed. "Fine, I guess I will have to prove my sincerity. I have no devices at hand, and there is a veil in the bathtub; you guys can enter it, and I'll stand outside."
…
Mark had expected the bath to be awkward, so he wasn't too bothered when it actually ended up being awkward.
Hakase Yuri was fumbling about outside, hidden by a veil—he could see her shadow and also hear even her breaths—while he and Dona entered a generously big bathtub. Dona was obviously against the bathwater touching her, but she was too tired to resist.
The water was cool to the touch.
Mark slumped down into the water, and he and Dona both grew imnsely comfortable soon enough. Only then did his mind slightly panic.
He saw Yuri as a normal person.
Calling the cops or others or scheming against him with other Hunters wouldn't be her go-to solution to get him—a demon—as her research subject. She could just poison him or sothing similar.
Maybe this bathwater itself was a poisonous liquid. He had been too careless. Exhaustion had made him do it. But even as he laid in the tub, the cold water felt like water, and he didn't feel anything wrong.
Just in case, Mark even looked at the violet screen within him to see his stats. Nothing like a poisonous debuff was there. He had a feeling it would be there if he was, in fact, being poisoned.
Becoming a Demon had made him paranoid.
Sighing to himself, he just washed Dona everywhere. She comfortably snuggled against him and no longer seed to care for the water or the temperature. Taking the nice-slling soap, he took a sniff and threw it aside.
It was too harsh to his demonic nose.
He just used plain water and so olive oil that slled good to bathe in, and for the first ti since he t her, Dona was completely clean. He even cleaned her unntionables.
Hearing the noise of sothing, Mark looked out the veil and stifled a groan.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
Yuri said curiously, "I am just writing things on my hand with a simple pen. Is that wrong?"
"What are you writing about?"
"Demon Mating Habits, perhaps? It might be useful."
"…"
Fucking scientist. Paranoia really was killing Mark. He gritted his teeth inwardly. He couldn't even take a bath peacefully.
All because he was weak.
If he was strong, he wouldn't have to be so worried about soone taking him by surprise.
***
The bath ended quickly, and Mark and Dona got dressed in comfortable clothes. Even though he was a Demon, his size wasn't too ungodly. He was just a bit higher than 2 ters—so human clothes fit just well.
It was a simple white T-shirt and white boxers. How similar it was to Earth.
Dona also had a similar choice of clothing, but her appearance was now slightly different.
Due to her D-sized bust and rather generous curves, she looked extrely striking after she was in her white robes, and seeing that Yuri, in so kind of curiosity, gave her hair a simple braid job. In just a jiffy, Dona looked civilized.
A grey-haired, red-skinned, horned, cute demoness in civilized robes.
Dona didn't like it at all. She kept purring in dissatisfaction, and that made Mark chuckle. All in all, Dona just wanted to sleep now, and honestly, he would like so sleep too.
Suddenly, Yuri took a remote from the side, and Mark's gaze shifted to her. She clicked a button with a sigh, and a news channel was turned on.
"The A-Rank Hunter who is after you is already here. He seems to have been closer than expected and arrived quickly."
Mark's expression changed.
"Where is he?" he asked with a calm tone.
"He is above the school where you appeared. Currently, he is talking to three students—look, the news is live broadcasting them."
Mark looked at the screen. His eyes shimred.
Fulan. Maki. Shiden.
He clenched his hands as the news panel changed.
"Breaking news!"
Yuri also frowned as she looked.
"Right after the Seo Jin Hu suicide incident and Red School Demon incident, another shocking event had just happened in Sangrok Sports Hugh School."
Yuri cranked up the sound, and Mark patted Dona's hair. He knew what was coming.
"Three students Awakened and beca Hunters at the sa ti. All three of them ca to their Ability just thirty minutes after the Demon headed out and are still going through their first Awakening growth phase."
"We cannot tell what rank of hunters they each will be before they reach the limit in their growth but one thing is certain—this is a montous event for humanity. Three new Hunters, each from the sa place, sa ti, and with similar backgrounds."
"We have A-Rank Hunter Hanmo here with us. We will ask him about the Red School Demon incident and his opinion on the Trio Hunters."
Yuri muttered in amazent, "It really is sothing, huh? To think three Hunters would awaken out of nowhere. I say there is so kind of science behind this Awakening bullshit, though, and all three of them must have t so conditions."
Mark laid down on a crouch. "Can that A-Rank Hunter track us down?"
"Nope. He cannot." Yuri seed sure of it. "Why do you think I made my hideout so close to the god-damn ever-expanding ga Dungeon? The barrier between the Dungeon and the real world makes tracking abilities useless, and they won't ever find us now."
This woman really was capable. If she could really show him a way to evolve and beco a Tier 1, Mark decided he would put a bit more trust in her.
"Hunter Hanmo. What is the progress with the hunting of Red School Demon? Is it really wise to spend your ti here while the Demon might be out there, hurting innocent lives?"
A-Rank Hunter Hanmo—white-haired, icy-faced, tall, strikingly sky-blue eyes—said casually, "That Demon seems to have vanished from the tracking Hunters' perception. We are still tracking it down, but the highest probability is that it is already dead."
"Dead?"
"A demon has to make a Dungeon to reside in within 30 seconds of arriving in our World. Since he failed, our World's Will should have incinerated him. That must be the only reason we can't sense it—nor any new Dungeons nearby."
"Couldn't he be a Unique Demon that doesn't need to be in a Dungeon? Like the Dream Demon incident that happened two years ago."
"Could be, but the chance is low. If this were the case, it would have attacked imdiately. Or it is possible that this is an entirely new kind of Demon, but the dia doesn't have to worry about it. As long as the demon is found, I can reach it in minutes."
"An A-Rank Hunter giving us his words is really relieving." The reporter said, pushing aside many other mics, sweating. "May we know what your opinion is about the Trio Hunters?"
"Is that a fancy na for those three students?" the man mumbled. "They are still going through the trauma of losing their friend to a tragic suicide. It really is convenient for you bunch to forget that entirely, huh? Scum."
Ice covered the caras, and the coverage glitched, but just before it completely darkened, Hanmo said calmly, "I am taking these three as my Students. They'll beco good Hunters."
The screen darkened.
Mark frowned slightly. Now, those three were going to get trained by a being equal to Tier 2 Demons.
'The trauma of losing their friend?'
That couldn't be. Mark smirked inwardly.
He had literally entered one of the three students, Shiden's, mind. That kid was completely empty of thoughts. His head was silent like a grave.
It was not all as simple as it seed.
And so kind of figure was inside that Maki girl's shadow.
"Yuri," he called.
The scientist broke off of her thoughts and looked towards him. She was so calm about a Demon talking to her like her old friend. So uninterested in the Human affairs. This woman, too, was interesting.
"I want so insects. Any kind would do. Do you have so?"
"Eww…" The scientist frowned with a bit of displeasure. "They ruin all my chemicals. One single mosquito once cost thousands of dollars worth of it. I get rid of all of those creatures from my lab before I get in."
She paused. "Wait, do you eat insects?"
Mark shook his head. "I need them. Arrange so for sohow. And now, tell , how does a Demon evolve to Tier 1?"
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