Unforgettable experience

“What?! Humans don’t evolve?! This is your final form?!”

I had to cover my ears due to the volume of her outburst. And it wasn’t the first one, she had been surprised that human cities weren't built around volcanoes which in her eyes should provide them with thermal energy and double as giant sources of mana. The fact that there were more than seven billion of people living on the earth had been accepted in a calm manner, till I had expanded her concept of numbers which had previously ended around one million, although she might not have fully understood my explanation. The same shocked reaction had been obtained when I had told her that humans usually didn’t gather mana inside their bodies.

But the biggest of them all was this one:

“In this, I won’t believe! How can you be a dominant race when you’re so weak and you don’t evolve? I may be young but I’m not stupid!”

In front of me, Xeli was sitting about two meters away on the cape which I had returned, while I was on the cart. Her tails were constantly moving, sometimes stroking the shifting fiery hair when she was thinking, sometimes wrapping around each other like two serpents when she was absorbed in conversation, sometimes stretching in my direction in a playful manner when she wanted to share her happiness, sometimes waving energetically from side to side when she wanted to increase the importance of her words.

Talking with her helped to regain some of the emotional balance that got heavily shaken during all the events I went through in this mana spot.

“He’s not lying. In their world, humans really are a dominant race that doesn’t evolve the way we do. Feeling better Victor?”

Votr came back from his walk around the swamp. He walked slowly in our direction, with hands kept in the pockets of his trousers.

Yeah, let’s finish this already.

“Papa! They don’t have volcanoes! Is that why they’re so easy to catch with mana spots? They are greedy for mana?”

Her tails stood upright like two antennas.

Suspense? Awaiting? Expectations?

“Xelioatre, keep your tails in check. Your skirt is fluttering like a kite. You don’t mind Victor seeing your underwear?”

“He’s weak! Wouldn’t be able to touch me even if he wanted to. I could evaporate his face with one hit! Oh, don’t worry Victor, I won’t try to hurt you. I’m not like the others.”

“Thank you.”

“Xelioatre, be more modest.”

Votr raised his voice slightly.

“Roger... “

She stood up and wrapped each of the tails around the corresponding leg, after that she fastened the cape around her neck.

Is it just me, or am I not the only one here who changes his mind easily?

“That was a punishment, she’s timid like a mouse when placed close to someone who she doesn’t know the strength of, but grows reckless as soon as she gives that new person a ‘weaker than me’ label. I wanted to make her remember that hiding own strength is something that she should do in order to surprise the potential enemy. Right now she lets everyone see her thoughts like a bonfire during a dark night.”

I wanted to retort that the first and the second part of his answer didn’t click together, but when I thought about it deeper, I recalled how Xeli’s first move after being thrown on me was to immediately cover herself with mud, probably to reduce her attractiveness in the eyes of a potential threat. There was also an option that she was simply embarrassed, but I already caught a glimpse of her underwear so many times that I started to treat it as a red lacy swimsuit.

“Don’t worry papa! I’ve got the secret defensive bracelets you gave- auuu…”

With three energetic steps, Votr went near her and flicked her forehead.

Having problems with reforming your own daughter?

“Hehe.”

“Victor, I think that something important has changed inside you or you’re still not thinking straight, which one is it?”

Wish I knew that.

Votr reflected my face in his mirror eyes and shrugged his arms.

“We will see if this was just a temporary brain malfunction or a sign of something bigger when we meet again in the next mana spot.”

The young demon looked alternately at her papa and at me, not understanding what was happening, but then she probably remembered an important detail that made everything obvious and puffed her cheeks.

“It’s not fair! I want to read his thoughts as well!”

Xeli focused on me her orange eyes and started to deeply concentrate with a frowning expression. Her shifting hair stopped moving and gently fall down the shoulders.

“About your reward, though the bonus has escaped from us, when compared to what you have there’s still a lot of it to distribute.”

“What about the slimes? Aren’t they consuming a part of the mana?”

“The moment you return back to your world, this entire place together with everything inside it will be transformed into your rewards, so don’t worry about them. Well, they were already annihilated to kill some time during my walk. Or was I too hasty? Should I have allowed the brave new you to gain some fighting experience with a lantern?”

The thing I defeated with that lantern was myself.

“Whatever, tell me what options I have to choose from.”

“Victor! Don’t talk, think!”

“Xelioatre.”

“Yes, papa?”

“Y-O-U don’t talk, just watch and learn. Next time you open your mouth I’m going to send you home. Roger?”

Votr stressed out each letter of his first word in a way that caused me to shiver just as Xeli’s tails did. She started nodding energetically.

“So, your options. You may strengthen that active skills of yours if you put all of your rewarded mana into it, it may even level up and become more useful. Or you can start to develop a passive skill. Or get some interesting mana infused items. Or obtain a handy set of single-use skills. Like before, the exact details are unknown to me. You may also split the mana between each category, but it should have at least one-third of the whole or the risk of getting something useless will be quite high.”

The demon enumerated all my options with a curious expression and put one hand on Xeli’s head, it wasn’t a gentle patting but an iron grip of death. She was probably about to give me some tips.

Should I distribute it evenly to raise my versatility? Or focus on one aspect and try to become more like a one trick pony.

Items and single-use skills will run out fast, I may also hesitate before using them at a critical moment and fail hard. On the other hand, there are also items like Luna’s phone, but I doubt this place can provide me with something like that.

Right now, the limit of using my power once per day is the biggest problem.

As for the passive skill... Viktoria’s luck is a passive I guess.

This option suddenly sounded a lot better than the remaining three combined together.

“I decided.”

“I’m listening.”

“Two-thirds into the passive, one-third into the items.”

“Two-thirds self-centered, one-third onii-san? Done, you will get it as soon as you leave this place. Like before, there will be a short explanation implanted into your brain about the rewards, so you will at least have the bare minimum knowledge of how to make a good use of them.”

Simultaneously with his last sentence - a door slowly emerged from under the mud a few meters away from us. Thank the heavens, a paved path was created to it and I wouldn't have to wade in the mud anymore.

“Votr, is there any chance for Xeli to become Violet’s personal demon?”

“None. She’s-”

“Violet? Who’s Violet? Can she wait for me like a month or two? I will be ready by that time!”

“Xelioatre.”

“Yes papa?”

“Say goodbye to Victor.”

“Eh? Goodbye.”

As soon as she finished saying that word, she flashed with a bright red light and disappeared. By now it was obvious to me that showing her how a personal demon work looked like wasn't the only reason why Votr had brought her here. I thanked Xeli in my mind for acting as a crucial source of support and hoped to see her again sometime in the future.

“A month or two?”

“Don’t count on it Victor. In Xeli’s case it won’t be a month or two, but a year or two. There’s still a lot for her to learn before she will be able to apply for her personal demon category.”

Votr looked with a slight smile at the remains of the wooden cart.

“She will become a splendid star incomparably better than something like a ‘demon of temporary cart pulling’. Wait.”

He stopped me when I made the first step towards the exit.

“What?”

“There are still some things I want to talk about with you.”

I dreamed of nothing more than leaving through the door over there and getting a good long rest, but when the light in Votr veins started pulsating faster I understood that it was better to hear him out first.

“Victor, you’re like a horse I’m betting on, the better are your achievements the more I profit. There are four matters that I want to put some extra importance on.”

“Please make it quick.”

"First, retrieve DOLL and make sure to keep it close to you next time you use a ticket, I may be able to strip it from its power and turn it into mana without suffering from the nasty side effects."

“Wait! What about Luna?!”

“I should be able to remove the DOLL functions without harming your ego-boosting slave.”

I don’t like the way you put it, but if we can split the-

“Yeah, fifty-fifty.”

Alright, I will think about it.

“Second, remember about making promises and the eavesdropping devices.”

“Yeah.”

“Third, prepare yourself to fight with the wraith. I will certainly have it waiting for you in the next mana spot, but there’s a time limit. Bending the rules and keeping it hidden for more than four or five days will be impossible. After that time I will have to let it go and it will attach itself to a random mana spot. Remember that.”

“Four days to prepare… what about the last thing you wanted to talk?”

“Don’t move for a moment.”

The tone of voice he used till this point changed entirely. It went from a patient one tinged with an explanatory vibe to a sharp and cold one like a knife.

Shit! I know this feeling!

It was exactly the same thing that had happened back in the tomb when he wanted to show me that I was changing my mind every five minutes.

Though there were some differences. This time, the distance between us was shorter and Votr steps quicker. He also didn’t make a big show of changing his outer appearance, but simply walked briskly in my direction. His face was serious and the pulsating red light in his veins started racing with the rate of my heartbeat. Seeing my reflected face growing bigger in his mirror eyes, made me realize how scared I was and tempted to simply turn back and exit through the door.

Don’t run, don’t run, don’t run. It’s just a te-

Votr sent a quick, powerful, straight kick towards my left knee.

After a really short noise, as if someone had broken a stick made out of bone, a long beast-like cry of agony drowned out the sound of me falling down.

The lEg! ThE knEE! MY fuCKING leG! mY kNEe! WronG dIReCtIon!

“aaaAArrRggGg!”

The pain was excruciating.

My left leg knee was shattered, the whole lower part of the leg was bent forward. The bloody thigh bone was sticking out through the gap in the torn skin - its lower end broken, creating something akin to the tip of a sharp bone spear. Bits and pieces of shred tendons and crushed bones could be seen in a quickly growing pool of blood. Each, even the tiniest move or spasm, sent waves of suffering that made me unable to think of anything else except for the fact of how much it hurt.

“Fourth, don’t ever again call me a ‘fucktard’ in front of my daughter. I wanted to wish you a happy crawling towards the exit, but I may have gone a bit overboard. You're lucky, I will escort you out personally."

He grabbed me by the jacket and dragged towards the door.

"See you soon, Victor.”