Mind Demon's Path of Domination

It was raining heavily.

In a silent parking lot amidst the downpour, feeling the cool water trickle down his naked body, Mark looked at the violet screen. It stood out in the dark of night.

[Sufferings of Misfortune]

[1st Suffering—Suffering of Man]

[Remaining Time: 1Y/3M/7D/9H/25M/11S]

He closed the screen. Days were reducing in number so fast.

"Are you not worried about the future, Mark?" Reol’ran asked in his mind.

Mark chuckled. "A man who suffers before it is necessary suffers more than is necessary."

Reol’ran was stunned to silence.

A truck eased into the Laboratory’s parking lot, its turn signal clicking steadily. Rain lashed at its windshield, the wipers straining at full speed. As it drew near Mark, it halted, and Choi Sung rolled down the window from within.

"The backdoors are open, enter through," the Hunter said, a cigarette burning between his lips.

Mark didn’t waste any time and entered the truck from the back, pulling Dona along with him. She sleepily walked along.

He locked the door behind him and the truck revved up.

"What’s up, Mark?" Choi Sung said, "Been a while since you called me."

"The regular stuff," Mark said, "The past week has been full of Yuri taking my blood and poking my wings. On hell, that woman takes me for a lab rat."

"I pity you." Choi Sung laughed.

The Hunter with the Broken Glasses spat out the snubbed cigarette to the rain outside and lit another one with a small fire that poked out of his fingertip.

In the cargo, Dona leaned against Mark’s chest and he grew silent, caressing her head. Mortal cigarettes or liquor made him feel nothing when he had tried them recently and he had no interest in it himself.

"So where are we headed?" Choi Sung asked, stopping at a junction with traffic lights and a small human traffic. Even at this dark time, some humans were still busy.

"Let’s head to Crillac Warehouse," Mark said, "Southwest of the Mega-Dungeon Entry Point from where we usually enter it."

"Isn’t that..." Choi Sung said, "The headquarters of the Solar Gang?"

"Why?" Mark said, "Are you scared?"

Choi Sung raised the vehicle’s gas without moving it for a second but then grinned. "Scared is not a word in my dictionary. On god, I ambushed you without knowing shit about you—do you think I will be scared?"

The truck revved up and Mark smiled.

Choi Sung said, "I won’t have to fight, will I?"

"You are useless in a battle of that level," Mark said tonelessly.

Choi Sung laughed awkwardly.

Mark’s gaze shifted to his mate.

Dona caressed his face with her hand and kissed him. "Mark," she said.

"What?" he asked, holding her hand.

Dona showed him her hand and there was a hidden, green symbol drawn behind her palm.

"This!" she said, pointing at the symbol. "This what?"

Mark grinned.

That was something Reol’ran had taught him in the past week. It was a method of awakening an innate Trait that all demons could awaken in themselves easily by drawing a certain rune on their palm.

To awaken it for Dona, he had just had to draw that intricate rune behind her palm and somehow, it had lit up in this green color. For himself, the trait was useless but for Dona, it would be very helpful.

He was going for a test run for the rune now.

"That rune will help you," he said, "You will see."

Dona pouted at him. "Mark! Tell!"

"Not now, you will see."

She used his wings like a blanket and just sulkily laid against him.

Mark smiled.

...

"Mas—Mark, we’re here," Choi Sung said, chewing gum.

Mark looked out the window of the truck’s cargo room and saw a warehouse. It stood silently in the rain, illuminated by an isolated streetlamp. With his Soul Sense, he could sense many people inside the warehouse; most of them seemed asleep.

Three people inside took his special attention. Two middle-aged men, and an old, fat woman.

Choi Sung looked back at Mark and looked at Dona clinging to her mate with raised eyebrows. Demons are weird, he thought.

"What?" Mark asked, displeased.

"Nothing." Choi Sung looked away. "So, why are we here?"

"What do you think we are here for?" Mark smiled.

Of course, he was here to slaughter. Killing demons was not to his advantage anymore, and since he had to make Dona reach her pinnacle, the only other way to do that comfortably was by hunting Hunters.

Mark stood up and his head almost touched the roof of the truck.

"Tell me about the Solar Gang," he said.

Choi Sung mused for a moment.

"Just a mishmash of punks. Three well-known B-Rank Hunters are running it from behind the scenes. A guy called Montino or something is the main leader, his wife, and his best friend are the secondary leaders—all three are B-Rankers. They were Hunters who met inside the Dungeons and then became lifelong friends. Well, they are brutal mafia, name a crime and they have done it."

Mark chortled.

"What?" Choi Sung asked in interest. "Are you going to do good for the society and kill them? You, a demon?"

Mark stretched his shoulders. "Indeed, I am here to kill them."

"Why?" Choi Sung asked, confused.

Mark smiled. "Because I am Batman."

No, he just wanted to test out Dona’s new Trait and help her become a Pinnacle Lower Demon.

"Bat...man? What is that?"

Mark ignored him.

Choi Sung shook his head. "Whatever. They say the Solar Gang has a bank’s worth of gold buried under their warehouse. Yeah, but they are still B-Rank Hunters with a great many connections, though—so it’s not the best idea to covet their treasures."

"Not the best idea for you, not me," Mark said.

Yuri had chosen the Solar Gang as his target and given him their coordinates. Killing them was not going to bring any future troubles like an A-Rank Hunter relative or something similar looking for revenge—not that it was a big issue considering he was a demon.

But one had to be cautious of whom they offended and whether it was worth it when there were other alternatives.

Mark didn’t want unnecessary trouble. He had plans in this world.

This was necessary trouble.

Taking Dona into his embrace, the Demon spread his wings wide apart and jumped out of the truck. He whizzed through the rain in an elegant flight and landed on the roof of the warehouse.

His hands were wrapped around the Demoness’ slender but strong waist and her rain-soaked face looked at him. He could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

Inside the warehouse, the sleeping men were hurriedly awakened by their fellows and the three main ones were looking up at the ceiling with angered eyes. They had noticed his Soul Sense.

Mark’s senses focused on one man who was running out of a container towards another place where the other two B-Rank Hunters were. It was the only B-Ranker who was alone—a middle-aged man with snake-like eyes and a bald head.

___

[B-Rank Hunter]

[Tier 1]

[Physique: 100 (Pinnacle)]

[Mind: 100 (Pinnacle)]

[Hunter Ability: Light Explosion (Pinnacle)]

___

"Let’s dance," Mark muttered into Dona’s ears.

Dona hummed.