Broken and the rest of the Shadow Wolves were once again traveling toward the city. This time, however, Broken lagged behind the others, deliberately walking farther back because he was carrying the demon egg, secured in a backpack strapped to his back. Unusually, Marlene walked beside him, while the rest of the team kept some distance ahead.
Trailing behind Broken was one of Gaia’s Nature Beasts, a summon, Tiger Lily. It was a fierce tiger with vibrant colors, its face framed by petals like a mane. Despite its almost cute floral appearance, this tiger was a serious threat, even for players at level 200.
[Tiger’s Roar: Emits a roar that stuns nearby enemies for a short duration.]
[Claw Strike: A powerful claw attack that deals significant damage to a single target.]
The tiger’s skill set was lethal-a combination of an area stun and a devastating single-target attack. Tiger Lily was the perfect hunter, both dangerous and troublesome for its enemies, embodying a mix of beauty and deadly prowess.
Following closely behind Broken and Marlene were her two demon beasts-massive black wolves that occasionally melted into the shadows, only to reappear when monsters ventured too close. The combination of Tiger Lily’s thunderous roar, which caused incoming monsters to falter, and the swift, merciless strikes of the shadowy wolves, ensured any threat was swiftly neutralized.
Broken and Marlene continued walking, seemingly unbothered by the dangers around them, as if the world itself posed no threat.
Broken occasionally checked the demon egg inside his backpack, ensuring it was still pulsing with life. He could see a faint light flicker across the shell, a sign that everything was still stable. Even as they entered an area where the monsters’ levels began to drop, there were no visible changes in the egg.
“Is the egg still normal?” Marlene asked.
“Yes, it seems fine.”
She remained silent for a moment before continuing. “I think you can continue hatching it in the city, just make sure no one else sees it.”
Broken nodded.
“You can rent a private room just for yourself.”
“I will.”
Even though Broken walked side by side with Marlene for most of the journey, they barely spoke a word to each other. It felt strange, even for Broken, who wasn’t exactly talkative himself.
He was used to silence, but when walking alongside Subaru, there was always endless chatter. Subaru would talk non-stop, to the point where Broken eventually just let his words flow past him, tuning out whatever Subaru was rambling on about.
But surely Marlene wasn’t an introvert like him, right? She was sharp and assertive, always choosing her words carefully. When she did speak, people around her seemed to immediately fall in line, almost as if they were afraid to defy her. Was she really that powerful,
commanding such deep respect from everyone?
After all, Marlene was a Divine Champion-a Gluttony Champion with the ability to make contracts with demon beasts. Although Broken had only seen her summon two demon beasts so far, who knew what other creatures she had hidden up her sleeve?
After arriving in the city, the group headed straight to the inn to rest and mark their logout time. As planned, Broken rented a room for himself, adjacent to the other Shadow Wolves. It was a single-person room, but larger than most, giving him much-needed space after being confined to the cave for the past two weeks.
Broken carefully placed the demon egg in the center of the room and watched the faint pulse of light emanating from the shell.
Suddenly, a notification appeared.
[The Fetus senses many low-class demons nearby. It feels uncomfortable.]
Broken furrowed his brow at the message. The demon egg had now advanced from the embryonic stage to the fetal stage, meaning the creature inside was beginning to take shape. However, the fetus didn’t like the presence of low-class demons around it. Was this a mistake on his part? Should he bring the egg back to the forest?
If the problem in the inn was the presence of too many low-class demons, perhaps a quieter location would work better. He could either find a secluded place or maybe upgrade to a premium, more spacious room on the top floor, where fewer disturbances might occur.
Broken stepped out of his room and asked the innkeeper for the most secluded, spacious room available—one that would block out any outside disturbances.
He was quickly shown to a room that was clearly more luxurious than the others. The large bed could easily accommodate multiple people, the bathroom was expansive, and a dining table with several chairs filled the space. It was obvious why this room was pricier-nearly four times the cost of the one Broken had originally rented.
He peeked into his backpack, waiting for the egg’s response.
[The Fetus smells a low-class demon. It wants that trash gone.]
The notification had changed. Earlier, it had mentioned ‘too many’ demons, but now it only referred to a single demon. Broken realized it must be talking about the servant-a hunched, male demon who had followed them to the room.
“I’ll take this room for the next week,” Broken said.
“Yes, esteemed guest. Please allow me to handle the payment,” the servant responded. Broken sighed, realizing he’d have to pay extra just to accommodate this troublesome egg. Even before it hatched, it was already causing him more hassle than he expected. At the very least, he hoped it would be as powerful as Flauron, or even stronger, so that all this effort wouldn’t be in vain.
After supplying some Mana to the egg, Broken still had a few hours before logging out. He decided to use the time to explore the city and take care of a few tasks. First on his list was repairing his equipment and then searching for a merchant who sold blueprints that could be useful for his crafting.
He wandered through the city, and his first stop was an accessories shop. He browsed for some clothes, bracelets with gear-like designs, and a necklace. There was something he had been curious about for a while, and that’s why he was intentionally trying to change his
appearance.
Broken wanted to participate in the Tower of the Infernal Duelists, a place he had spotted before. The tower offered a challenge where one could ascend its floors by engaging in bare- handed duels. For some reason, he found himself intrigued by the idea of fighting with nothing but his fists and testing his strength in this unique way.
After picking up enough accessories to alter his appearance, Broken headed to the blacksmith workshop. To his surprise, they rented private rooms for demon travelers in need of a blacksmith workstation. He quickly repaired all his equipment to full durability and then continued on his way.
With a decent amount of Hell Gold collected from his recent hunts, Broken had more than enough to cover his usual expenses, including his stay at the inn. He had also exchanged some of his Yunatea currency for Hell currency through Subaru, ensuring he was well-prepared for
his time in the city.
Once his errands were done, he put on the cloak and mask he had purchased. The mask covered his entire face, and the tattered black cloak concealed his form. He adorned large chain bracelets on his wrists and a matching chain necklace, giving him a darker, more mysterious
look.
Now, with his identity hidden and his name obscured, he pondered what to call himself in this new appearance. After a moment, a name came to mind-something that sounded powerful
and ominous.
He decided to call himself “Void Reaper.”