After school ended, I sent a text message to Sophia telling her to meet me on the rooftop.
One important thing to note about this school was that we were constantly under surveillance. Except for the bathroom, there were cameras in almost every area of the school. This made the things I could do extremely limited.
I told Oliver and Theodore that I would see them later before departing. I climbed the stairs towards the rooftop.
Stepping out onto the roof, I saw a sea of students exiting the school. Some were walking by themselves, others were in groups, while some walked with their significant other. I saw a couple leaning on the railing and another couple sitting on a bench.
They were all blissfully enjoying their days of being high school students. The school environment was mostly peaceful. That's part of what made 'Demon Among Us' different. Normally in theses types of stories there would be all sorts of chaos happening:
The lower ranked students would be bullied to death, terrorists would attack the academy and nobles would be plotting behind the scene. None of that has happened yet.
"So, what do you want?"
After a few minutes of waiting, Sophia arrived.
Hearing Sophia's voice behind me, I turned around to see the pouty face of my adopted sister.
"I need to tell you something; come a bit closer," I beckoned her.
Sophia looked up at me suspiciously before folding her arms and walking closer to me. She stopped just a few inches away from me. Seeing this, I smiled and continued speaking.
"You see, what I wanted to tell you is that…"
I paused.
"What?" she asked, frowning.
I then raised my hand and pointed at something above the entrance of the roof. This caused Sophia to turn around and look at what I was pointing at.
"It's a camera," she said as if it was no big deal.
"Yes, they are all over the school. We're constantly under surveillance."
Sophia frowned and gave me a look, as if to say 'so what?!'
I ignored the look she was giving me and continued speaking.
"All the surveillance is being monitored over at the administrative wing. As you know, the administrative wing is off limits to students. Places like schools and different office buildings usually store the surveillance files on a black box where someone would normally go over the files at a later date," I explained.
"Huh?" Sophia looked at me as if I had lost my mind. "Stop going off topic; just tell me why you called me here or I'm leaving."
Seeing how agitated she was getting, I couldn't help but crack a smile.
"Since we're being watched, I'll tell you another time," I said as I walked past her and headed for the exit. "I'll see you at home."
I waved as I walked away. I could feel her murderous eyes staring at me as I walked away, but I ignored it and left the roof.
…
The rest of the school week passed without issue. Well, not quite. Roku had made it a habit of extorting Oliver, Theodore, and I. It had gotten to the point where it had become a burden on my pocket. Because of my low rank, the money I received from the school was measly as it is.
Plus, there were a few things I needed before the weekend. After purchasing them, I was left with a total of 1000 Zencoins.
It was currently Saturday morning, and I was going through my bag to make sure I had everything ready. Inside my bag, I had a special edition water bottle which could hold up to 10 gallons of water.
The bottle also had a special feature where, just by turning a small dial on the bottom of the bottle, I could adjust the temperature of the liquid inside. It cost a total of 1200 Zencoins. I also bought a flashlight that could be attached to my chest. It was surprisingly cheap since it cost only 20 Zen coin.
I also bought a few packs of cup noodles which cost a total of 10 Zen coin.
With everything packed, I picked up my bag and left the dorm room, heading towards the school building.
Since it was the weekend, I didn't have to wear my school uniform. I was dressed in a simple black t-shirt with a brown jacket over it, matched with brown cargo pants and white sneakers. The school building was mostly empty apart from a few teachers and staffs.
At the back of the school, behind the first, second, and third-year buildings, was a strange facility. Arriving at this strange facility, I waved my watch at the sensor at the door before I was allowed to enter.
This building was one of the many training facilities. Specifically, dungeon training. For a fee, the school would allow you to enter one of the dungeons on the island. My plan was to spend the weekend inside of a dungeon which was why I bought the items from before.
The dungeons were in the area color-coated in orange on the map.
Upon entering the building, I was given a pamphlet showcasing different dungeons, along with the types of monsters found inside and also the cost of entering that dungeon. After going over the list, I decided to choose a D-ranked dungeon which only housed goblins.
Dungeons were ranked based on the amount of mana present inside, which is always equivalent to the strength of the monsters inside the dungeon. Just like proficiency, dungeons were placed on a scale of 12.
1-3 = D-ranked dungeon.
4-6 = C-ranked dungeon.
7-9 = B-ranked dungeon.
10-12 = A-ranked dungeon.
The dungeon I chose had a reading of 1.5, making it a D-ranked dungeon. It cost a total of 1000 zencoins, so after I paid the fee, I was left completely broke.
After paying the fee, I was led to a lobby where I had to wait until someone came to escort me to the dungeon. There were other students waiting inside the lobby. I could see a few of them shooting me glances from the side before turning back to their friends and whispering.
I immediately knew it was because of the way I was dressed. Most of the students in the lobby were dressed in armor or different clothing that was made from beast crystals. While I was dressed as if I was going out for an evening stroll.
The reason I was dressed like this wasn't because I didn't have the money to buy armor; if that was the case, then I could simply make it. The real reason was because armor worked against my demonic skill.
In order to adapt, I needed to sense my environment. An example of this was when I was fighting Sensei Barrett. After I got injured, I developed a regeneration ability. I wouldn't have gotten injured if I was wearing armor, hence I wouldn't have this skill.
My body would continue to evolve and change the harsher the environment I was exposed to. I wouldn't be exposed to any of these if I had armor to protect me. In short, my body was the perfect armor since it was constantly developing. Why limit its function with armor?
Another thing that made me stand out was because I was entering the dungeon alone. Students normally entered dungeons in groups, know as a party. Clearing a dungeon would be easier if you were in a party. The only downside was that you had to split the profit.
Just then one of the students waiting inside the lobby, stepped forward towards me. He looked like an upperclassman. From his demeanor, I could tell that he was coming to check if I was ok or offer some friendly advice but just before he could, I was called forth as it was time to enter the dungeon I selected.
I was escorted to another room. Inside the room were many portals of different shapes and sizes. At the center of each portal was a mass of blue energy colliding onto one another.
The room was littered with various machines and technology that made it feel as if I had stepped inside a sci-fi movie. The staff that led me inside was a young woman with red hair tied in a bun. She was dressed in a white lab coat.
Her delicate fingers danced against the panel as she entered a code on the portal. My guess was that she was entering the code for another portal machine that was likely located in the dungeon I would be entering.
I did the same thing whenever I was sending the weapons I made to my warehouse. After she was finished typing on the machine, she turned to me and said:
"There is an emergency button on your watch. Click it if you're ever in need of help. The watch is also keeping track of your vitals so we will know if there is something wrong and send help inside."
That wasn't all the watch did. An important feature on the watch was that it tracks all students' locations.
After going over the rules and things that should be done in case of an emergency, I was then permitted to go through the portal.
Stepping closer to the portal, the energy emanating from the inside felt unreal. The blue energy from it felt almost alive. Strangely, the sound emanating from it reminded me of the ocean. Like the tides colliding. It released a strong gust of wind that ruffled my hair and clothes.
This was the kind of detail I couldn't get while playing the game. It made everything so surreal.
What led me to this dungeon was a small wish I had.
A wished to be reborn.
I was a demon, yes, but I was a sheltered demon.
This dungeon would be my baptism.
With a deep breath, I clutched my dagger tightly as I took my first step towards adapting.