The moon hung high.
The village was quiet. Only the occasional dog bark echoed in the night.
Shimura, carrying a bucket, bait, and fishing rod, slipped out of his house.
His greatest love was fishing. But his wife was strict. She never let him go.
He could only sneak out late at night, while she slept.
"I baited the spot with corn today. I'll catch some big ones tonight!"
Shimura thought. He couldn't wait. He walked faster.
At his favorite spot, he set his line, baited the hook, cast the rod.
The hook hit the water. Shimura sighed, content.
"Good night for fishing."
He worried he wouldn't catch anything. Then, the bobber sank. The line went tight.
"A fish! Already!"
Shimura grabbed the rod, excited. Then, his face changed.
"Power... It's strong! A big one!"
He soon realized it wasn't just big. It was huge. Like nothing he'd ever caught.
Shimura used all his skill. After a hard fight, he pulled the "big one" closer.
He saw a huge black shape in the water. He blinked.
It was too big.
Bigger than a man!
Could there be a fish that big in this river?
The shape came closer. Shimura felt a growing dread.
It wasn't a fish. It looked like a person!
No!
It wasn't like a person. It was a person!
"A body? Did they drown themselves? Or fall in?"
Shimura's heart pounded. He fought down his fear, pulled the "body" closer.
"No smell... Not dead long?"
Shimura put down the rod. He'd drag the "body" ashore.
Then, his arm was grabbed.
The "body" lifted its head slowly. Golden slit eyes gleamed.
Shimura's heart stopped. Two seconds later...
"A demon!"
He screamed. He tore his arm away, ran for the village, shouting.
"Demons! There's a demon!"
Aoki felt a pang of guilt.
He'd just woken up. He hadn't meant to scare anyone.
"This is a payment, I guess. Hope he doesn't have nightmares."
He grabbed a five-pound fish, tossed it in the bucket. He glanced at the village, growing noisy. He leaped away.
Soon after...
A crowd gathered at the riverbank. They carried knives, shovels, weapons.
"Where's the demon? Where?"
Shimura pointed, shaking. "I pulled it out of the water right here."
They looked.
No demons. Just a bucket. A big fish flopped inside.
Silence hung in the air. Then, someone spoke. "Shimura... You didn't catch a big fish, did you? You made up the demon story to show off?"
"I wouldn't do that!"
Shimura snapped. "Besides, I didn't catch a fish!"
"You're saying you saw a demon? It didn't hurt you? It gave you a fish?"
Shimura stammered. "I... I saw a demon!"
Someone asked, "What did it look like?"
"Uh... Golden slit eyes. Handsome."
Shimura stopped. He'd been scared. He hadn't seen clearly.
"Okay, okay. That's enough. Let's go home," someone said, yawning.
"I saw a demon!" Shimura insisted.
"Yeah, yeah. A handsome, kind demon. One who gives people fish. I hope I see him."
People left.
Shimura tried to speak. Then, pain shot through his side.
"Ah! Wife!"
"I'll deal with you at home!" His wife hissed.
Shimura protested. "Honey, I saw a demon! Don't you believe me?"
His wife glared. "I'm dealing with you for sneaking out to fish! No wonder you're tired during the day!"
Shimura wilted.
"Clean up. Don't forget the fish!" His wife added.
"Huh?"
Shimura took the fish home, scared. He never fished at night again.
...
Aoki sat on a rock. He still felt weak.
"Blood Boiling is the Hunter skill I use most."
He'd used it to survive two crises.
"But the aftereffects are brutal!"
Aoki focused. The blue screen appeared.
[Name: Aoki]
[Strength: 13]
[Constitution: 11]
[Intelligence: 12]
[Agility: 12]
[Profession: Hunter, Aberrant Demon]
[Free Attribute Points: 2]
[Items: Demon Brew Gourd]
[...]
[Aberrant Demon]
Quality: ★★
Level: lv5 (218/500)
Skills: Demon Blood Ⅲ, Space Warp (Available), Transparent World (Available), Demon Devour
Free Skill Points: 2
Aoki didn't add stats. He looked at the Aberrant Demon skills.
"Space Warp... Learn! I'm learning it!"
Those demons had used Blood Demon Arts to beat him today.
It wouldn't happen again!
Two skill points vanished. Aoki's mind filled with new knowledge. His body felt different, just a little. Nothing else changed.
No stat boost. No new power. But a smile touched Aoki's face for the first time since his transformation.
Now, the sky's the limit. The sea is open.
Whoosh!
Aoki vanished. He appeared a hundred meters in the air.
He started to fall. He vanished again.
Space shifted.
Two warps carried him over a wide forest. One moment, he was near the village. The next, he was far away.
Wind blew. Grass swayed.
Aoki lay in the grass. The night sky, full of stars, filled half his vision. The lights of a town filled the other half.
He'd pushed too hard. He was exhausted.
But Space Warp was amazing.
Blood Demon Arts didn't have a cooldown. But for many reasons, he couldn't use it instantly.
Now, he could use Space Warp about once a second, if he wasn't disturbed.
The distance wasn't fixed.
It was how far he could see.
He could warp anywhere he could see.
With Eagle Eye, he was unstoppable.
In the sky, he could warp dozens of kilometers at a time.
On the ground, especially in forests, the distance was much shorter.
Landing was hard, too. Especially for long warps.
He'd landed a little too far this time. His legs, below the knees, had merged with a rock.
Good thing he was a demon.
A human would have broken his legs.
Landing where he wanted would be a long-term project.
Space Warp's only flaw was the cost.
It used a lot of stamina. And a lot of mental power.
The longer the warp, the higher the cost.
Aoki couldn't use Space Warp as much as he wanted. Not yet.
---
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