Chapter 4: Go, Shiha Beast!
Lynn’s eyes lit up at the words before him. A Secretary Demon? This had to be a special type.
The moment Kasumigaoka Utaha became his retainer, he felt a noticeable surge in his physical capabilities and magical energy. The strength that had long lingered at its limit seemed to break through an invisible barrier, pushing him effortlessly to the rank of a high-level demon.
Noticing that the transformation on Utaha’s side was still ongoing, he opened his status panel.
[Retainer: Kasumigaoka Utaha]
[Skills: Demon Pawn, Demon Contract, Magic Release, Secretary Demon]
Lynn confirmed his newly elevated rank, then focused on the skill that had caught his attention—Secretary Demon.
-Demon Book: Grants the ability to record magic, celestial arts, and other abilities. The more detailed the information, the more precise the ability’s activation.
-Demonization: Fuses the body with the Demon Book, allowing it to bear the full weight of its recorded contents.
-Accelerated Magic Growth.
“Not bad at all,” he mused, carefully reading through the description. This skill seemed packed with potential.
A voice from the side snapped his attention away.
Utaha’s reincarnation ritual had concluded, and she was staring in stunned silence at a thick, dark book floating in the air before her. Its iron-like texture made it seem almost weighty despite its levitation.
“The Demon Book,” Lynn answered.
“The Demon Book?” she echoed before blinking. “Hold on a second.”
Lynn reached for her newly materialized tome. As her master and someone who shared the same Book Demon ability, her Demon Book was accessible to him as well.
Flipping to a blank page, he pulled a pen from his pocket, gave her chest an appraising glance, then lowered his head and began writing.
Utaha’s face immediately heated up. It was only then that she realized her clothes were still in disarray, leaving her embarrassingly exposed. Hastily, she adjusted them, shooting a quick glance around to make sure no one else was watching. Finding only Lynn, she exhaled in relief.
He had already seen everything.
Suppressing the grumble in her throat, she muttered internally, He’s probably not even human anyway…
“All done,” Lynn announced, handing the book to her.
Curious, she took it and examined the newly recorded details.
[Master: Lynn Walifer]
[Innate Skill: Book Demon]
Her fingers traced over the text, and her expression grew complex. “So… I’m not human anymore?”
“Congratulations,” Lynn remarked with a perfectly straight face. “The operation was a success.”
She shot him a glare before sighing in defeat.
What else could she do at this point?
At the very least, being a demon didn’t feel all that different. She hadn’t turned hideous, nor had she been twisted into some grotesque form like that other female demon. In fact…
Utaha clenched her fist.
Her body—felt powerful.
And then there was this Demon Book.
An artifact that granted supernatural abilities beyond human reach…
The sheer potential made her giddy. Before she knew it, she had accepted her transformation, her fingers itching to test her newfound power.
“What do the ‘i0’ values behind Strength and Agility mean?”
“Your ability scores,” Lynn explained. “It’s a ranking system. While it’s different from the Danmachi blessing system, the general idea is the same. Stats range from ‘i’ to ‘s,’ with each rank covering a specific range—i0 to i99, 100 to 199, and so on. The ‘s’ rank maxes out at 999. There are also rare cases where stats exceed the s-rank limit, advancing into ss or even sss levels.”
Apart from some structural differences, this blessing system lacked a magic slot and development abilities. Otherwise, it was nearly identical.
After hearing his explanation, Utaha quickly grasped the concept.
Grinding levels by fighting monsters?
Yeah, she understood that.
“So,” she asked, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. “Where do we start farming EXP?”
Supernatural abilities, huh?
How could she not be excited?
She needed to find something to kill—immediately.
Lynn glanced toward the alleyway’s entrance. “Over there, maybe?”
The earlier burst of magical energy had wiped out the cursed spirits lurking nearby, but dark, abandoned alleys always attracted more. Without a dominant entity occupying the space, the void left behind had already begun drawing in fresh horrors.
Following his gaze, Utaha’s eye twitched as a parade of grotesque figures slithered into view. Their twisted forms were nothing short of nightmarish, their elongated tongues dragging across the filth-ridden ground.
“…What the hell are those?” she muttered, shivering involuntarily.
“Monsters,” Lynn answered with a smirk. “To be precise—Cursed Spirits.”
So they really were ghosts!
Before she could react further, her feet instinctively carried her backward—right behind Lynn, where she planted herself firmly.
Lynn sighed. “You’re the one who wanted to level up, remember?”
He reached back and unceremoniously pulled her forward.
Utaha yelped and immediately latched onto his arm. “I wasn’t ready!”
“You can see them, can’t you?”
“Of course, I can see them!”
“Great. Because one of them just noticed you.”
Lynn casually pried his arm free, flashed her a perfectly innocent smile—then pushed her forward.