Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

"Since you need help to subdue them, I'll come. But only because I promised!"

He noticed a spark ignite in her green eyes despite her dry tone.

'She must have been bored to death.'

With an inner chuckle, he outstretched his hand.

"Thank you. With you, we can march on their colony without worries."

As she shook it, his smile enlarged.

With the budding discipline and her powerful use of demonic energy, nothing could stop them.

'No, no.'

He shook his head, the hobgoblin's figure flashing in his narrowing eyes.

'Don't underestimate the enemy. We'll scout first and go all out when sure to win.'

Noticing her weird gaze and feeling her smooth skin through his finger, he coughed, realising he still clenched her hand.

Ears burning, he let it go before changing the subject.

"Can we start with the lesson?"

"Sure."

She nodded, her lips slightly curling upwards as she gazed at her hand, then his innocent, flustered face.

"Let's start with the basics. Every demon has demonic essence running through their veins."

She pointed at his burning hair.

"When the natural concentration is high enough, it gives us our green hair and eyes."

She turned her palm, letting green flames dance in them.

"We divide mastery into three categories. The first and most common are the ones who use it like Bart and Garduck."

She clenched her fist, her leather sleeve bulging with her muscles and stretching in protest.

"They reinforce their physique passively. Depending on their proficiency, they can burst with unexpected strength at critical moments and turn the tables when their adversary expects it the least."

He watched as her arm returned to normal, eyes wide in shock.

'Demonic essence provides a passive self-buff!'

His heart drummed against his chest at the discovery as a hint of fear tinged his excitement.

'Demons are not only stronger than humans. They outclass them with their natural essence. The dynamic may change after humans learn how to use their mana, though.'

However, a sudden clap of Luna's hand brought him back to the lesson, shattering his contemplation.

"The second is the one Shihan uses."

She manipulated the shadows to build various constructs in the room before condensing them into a chair and sitting on it.

"Few focus on this one because it requires high natural talent and hours of boring practice. Something they don't have in the demon realm. Anyway, it's a method that'll allow you to kill any threat from a distance, ignoring melee combat as long as you stand on the same tier and aren't too bad."

With a movement of her slender fingers, shadow spikes surrounded his neck, forcing a nervous gulp down his throat.

Then, she made them crumble and turn into a sea of glistening green sparks and offered him a charming smile.

"Of course, we usually use flames. I must admit that Shihan has some talent in the field."

As her words hung in the air, she rose to her feet, flames wafting from her eyes in a menacing display that made his legs tremble.

Her muscles bulged, and her out-of-this-world body grew by half a meter.

Horrifying flames engulfed her hands in fiery gauntlets before extending into a compact sword, sizzling and distorting the air.

"The third method is the simplest in theory but the hardest to master. It's just a fusion of the first two. Melee or range, both are your domain."

She narrowed her eyes, commanding her energy.

In response, the blade turned into a whip, a spear, and a bow, shocking him to his core.

She released everything the next second, returning to her everyday gorgeous appearance as if nothing happened.

"If you want to reach the demonic peak level, that's the one you'll have to master. By the way, every demon noble focuses on it. It's the same for other species. Everyone tries to fix their weakness and become versatile from the fourth tier onwards."

The explanation made him frown. Didn't they continue with their specialisation?

Fortunately, Luna delivered the answer.

"Very few are masters of both. I'm not that proficient in body reinforcement and prefer using the second method. However, if someone reaches me, I'd be able to fight back, create distance and retaliate."

He nodded.

"In short, you specialise in one and learn just enough of the other to supplement it and increase your safety?"

"Yes. Sit in front of me. I'll help you feel your essence for today. Starting tomorrow, we'll alternate between physical reinforcement and essence manipulation until you decide on which you want to specialise in."

Excited to start, he rushed to her, smiling brightly.

'Of course, I'll max both out if there are no class limitations!'

Every gamer dreamed of stealing a few skills from other class kits. He was not an exception, and here he could do it!

'A hybrid fighter and spell caster!'

The thought alone made his blood boil in anticipation.

Simultaneously, he felt Luna's warm hand tickle his back.

A surge of demonic essence followed and ran through his veins, making him gasp at the alien sensation.

"I'll meld my energy with yours. Follow its flow and remember the sensation. Don't worry about the time it'll take. I'll repeat the process as many times as needed."

Listening to her, he closed his eyes and focused on his body.

Each time she sent her energy, he felt a wave of discomfort before it followed his own for a moment, slowly integrating with it. Then... he felt nothing.

'Am I that bad?'

After five failures, he gritted his teeth, a fire igniting in his heart.

'Even if I must skip Garduck's training and spend the entire night here, I'll feel it!'

And on the eighth, he jumped to his feet, clenching and unclenching his fists in joy.

"Not bad. It usually takes twenty tries. You have good potential."

Luna slapped his back, chuckling at the triumphant pose he took.

"You can leave for today. We'll continue tomorrow."

He offered her a few words of gratitude before leaving, then headed to Garduck.

The powerful demon already waited before his hut, eagerness painted on his face.

They repeated yesterday's training for an hour before sharing a hearty meal with everyone.

The first stars shone on the territory when they returned to their habitation for the night.

Content with today's improvements, he fell asleep smiling and eager to raid the ant colony tomorrow and see what blueprint and items he would get.