Chapter 122 - Special Service of the Charm Demon

He carefully read through each task.

Task One: kill the D-class Charm Demon. Murders have plagued the urban area of Windmill City in East Sea County, mostly involving adult men of varying ages and professions. They typically disappear in the evening and are found in an almost mummified state the next morning. It is suspected that a Charm Demon, a dark creature that uses illusions to transform into a seductive human woman, is luring and draining adult men.

Timeframe: within three months.

Dark Essence: 1 to 2 standard units.

Note: detailed information can be obtained at the Mission Hall window using the task slip. Remember to take the task token before leaving.

Task Two: capture the Black Pixie. Headless corpses have appeared in several fishing villages along the southeastern coast of East Sea County. The victims are of all ages and genders. It has been reported that a Black Pixie, about the size of a human head, has been seen in the coastal forests. The pixie is hideous and has a green face and fangs, identified as a D-class Black Pixie. It is currently gathering nectar, using human heads to build its nest. The brains inside human skulls are its favorite food, also known as brain honey.

Timeframe: within three months.

Dark Essence: 1.5 to 2.5 standard units.

Task Three: kill the D-class Shadow Demon in northern East Sea County, Tingda City. Recently, victims have been dying on the streets at night. No visible injuries except the outlines of their shadows appear blurry. It is suspected that a Shadow Demon is absorbing their spirit and willpower.

Timeframe: within three months.

Dark Essence: 2.0 to 2.5 standard units.

Task Four: ...

Task Five: ...

Five tasks all together. If Cassius could complete them all successfully, he would gain more than ten standard units of dark essence, greatly accelerating the time it would take to recover his strength.

Furthermore, it was clear just from the looks of these task slips, the world wasn't as peaceful as it appeared on the outside. There were countless bizarre creatures lurking in human society, waiting to hunt down their prey.

However, the creatures were relatively far and few between, so ordinary people had no contact with them. Even those following different supernatural Dao were unlikely to encounter them. There had been no news of such beings in at least the seventy years of the Hongli Federation's Beiliu County Covert Martial Arts circle. That alone proved that the creatures were well-hidden.

Only something as strange as Black Rain Manor kept close tabs on them, which was how Cassius was able to obtain such detailed information. This was probably a case of each profession having its own specialty.

Cassius placed one of the paper slips back in his palm, his eyes slightly lowered. He hadn't expected to see his old friend, the Shadow Demon, among the targets. Given that Hellsings were professionals in the area, perhaps he could gather some information about the Shadow Demons while he was in Twilight's era.

Who knows? He may just get some insights into the Shadow Demons' weaknesses.

While Cassius was lost in thought, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to find a burly man about 1.85 meters tall. The man had unkempt, gray-black long hair curling over his shoulders, and deep, rugged features. His green eyes and scruffy beard gave off a kind of savage aura.

"Can I help you?" Cassius asked calmly.

The man said abruptly, "Could you spare me one?"

"No," Cassius replied just as bluntly.

"Alright." The gray-haired man didn't argue. He simply turned on his heel and walked off in another direction, seemingly in search of others to ask for a task.

Cassius stood there, momentarily stunned. He had expected that his flat-out refusal would infuriate the gray-haired man, leading to some sarcastic remarks and a hidden grudge, with the man possibly trying to steal his task later. To his surprise, nothing of that sort happened.

The other guy likely didn't hold a grudge either. Cassius's sharp senses could usually pick up on larger emotional shifts, and the gray-haired man really had just up and left.

"What an interesting guy." Cassius noted the gray-haired man's features and was about to step forward when another man in a black leather jacket intercepted him. A powerful aura emitted from this similarly burly man. A silver "V" shaped piece of metal peeked through beneath the leather jacket.

"Can I help you?" Cassius said again.

"I saw you grab a bunch of tasks just now. How about sharing a few with the rest of us? You can't possibly finish them all, right?" the man in the leather jacket spoke brusquely, with a rather aggressive tone.

Cassius smirked inwardly. He had just been thinking how the gray-haired man didn't fit the standard mold, and now here was someone who did. "I can handle these tasks just fine, no need to worry about me."

Cassius didn't give the other man any chance to retort. He turned and swiftly squeezed through the crowd and headed toward the window.

Behind him, the leather-jacketed man cursed, "Taking five tasks at once? Are you trying to get yourself killed?! Damn it, and here I was offering to help you out, and fool won't even appreciate it! That moron is dead for sure; look at him wasting five extra tasks for nothing. These newbies really don't know their limits."

He ground his teeth in frustration, revealing his sharp fangs. The man was a member of the Werebeast Sect, likely a tiger or a wolf, judging by the shape of his fangs.

Cassius had already gone to the window to register, leaving the man with the leather jacket no choice but to turn and look for someone else in the hall.

Five minutes later, Cassius walked out of the Mission Hall with five tokens in hand. He stuffed them into his pocket, and returned to his quarters.

That night, Black Rain Manor sent him his regular three-month mission through his mark. Cassius didn't pay much attention to it—after all, he already had five tasks to complete, so one more wouldn't make much of a difference.

The next morning, he returned the room key to Darkblade, opened his umbrella, and left the manor to return to the mundane world.

Cassius had brought back six tasks. The task slips he had grabbed were all in the same region, with neighboring locations. Most were in East Sea County, with a few in the adjacent southern Ganang County. Fortunately, all six were within two counties; if they weren't, he would have had to spend most of his time traveling, making it nearly impossible to complete the tasks.

***

Time: July 15, year 106, Hongli Federation Calendar.

Location: East Sea County, Windmill City, South Road Street.

The sky was starting to get darker, and the sun left its final fiery red streak above the horizon, tracing along the edge of white clouds that looked like ocean waves. It was like a vivid and mystic oil painting.

The tiles on the buildings lining South Road Street gleamed under the last remnants of sunlight. At the street corner, a middle-aged man who had just gotten off work at a furniture company walked down. Tired eyes unseeing, he reached up to loosen his tie.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Work had been exhausting the past few days, and things at home weren't going well either. He frequently quarreled with his wife, and his teenage son's grades in high school were pretty bad. Anxiety and exhaustion had caused the man to lose quite a bit of hair.

He didn't feel like heading home after work. He was going to unwind with a drink at the bar on South Road Street first. He figured he'd probably have another fight with his nagging wife when he got home. With that in mind, the man picked up the pace and walked straight into Starlight Bar.

Two hours passed, and it was just before eight in the evening when he stumbled out the door, face flushed. As he lurched forward, he continued chugging from a brownish-yellow bottle.

"Peter, oh Peter, you're just too much of an honest worker! Otherwise, that dumb pig wouldn't keep piling so much work on you!"

Suddenly, all the fatigue and bitterness in his mind surged forward.

"Damn it!" He hurled the bottle at the wall. Liquid splattered everywhere, and a piece of glass ricocheted and cut his face. Peter yelped and squatted down, his hand flying up to the wound. Once he realized it wasn't bleeding, he ran his hands through his thinning hair. He patted his red face.

"Enough complaining, let's go home, Peter..." the man mumbled to himself as he stumbled to his feet and continued walking along the street by the wall.

As he passed a street corner, he heard a sultry voice not far away, drawing him in like a woman's smooth and tempting scent.

"Want to enjoy a special service? Only fifty Federation dollars~" Peter turned and saw a sensual-looking woman standing to his right at an alley's entrance where the streetlight met the shadows. A lit cigarette held aloft, she leaned against the wall in a black bodycon dress that accentuated her exaggerated, curvaceous figure. Her long, straight, honey-colored legs were eye-catching.

Peter swallowed hard, involuntarily taking a few steps toward her. The woman seemed to sense his interest and flashed a seductive smile. Her face was heavily made up, vibrant and alluring, with her fiery red lips glistening with a moist sheen. She took a drag from her cigarette and blew a smoke ring at Peter.

"Fuck!" Peter cursed under his breath. He had never touched coin nor drug in his life, but women were his Achilles's heel. Sometimes, he'd even sneak a peek at swimsuit magazines during work. Peter was definitely very tempted.

Fifty Federation coins? What a steal for such a stunning woman. Peter's private stash of money would easily cover it.

He patted his pocket and was about to get closer, when, for some reason, his wife's nagging face flashed through his mind. His wife hadn't always been like this. Lizzie had been beautiful when she was young, with a pair of bright, expressive eyes. Fifteen years ago, she had married a poor, struggling young man.

The two of them had stumbled through life together, and although they occasionally argued, they always had each other's backs. Those days were particularly tough, with both Peter and Lizzie working three jobs each. Lizzie's rough, unattractive hands and slightly hunched back were the result of washing dishes for a long time. Even after coming home, she still did the housework and put the kids to bed. The pressures of life had gradually worn her down until, little by little, she turned into the nagging wife she was now.

Peter stopped in his tracks, his mind now filled with two images: one of Lizzie as she was now, and the other of her in her youth. One wasn't nearly as attractive as the seductive woman before him, but the other was a hundred times more beautiful.

Peter, you coward. Are you really that scared of the old hag at home?! You're already standing at the doorstep and can't make that last step in?

His alcohol-clouded mind seemed to be arguing with itself.

It's not really fear, more like guilt toward Lizzie... Besides, I'm just being cautious. This woman's price is so low, she could have some disease! Not worth it, not worth it...

he consoled himself. He reached a streetlamp on the main road, and suddenly his stomach churned. He threw up, one hand grasping onto the lamp post.

A moment later, a passing thug reached the spot where Peter had just been. His eyes lit up at the seductive voice's invitation, and he began unbuckling his belt as he ambled over.

Soon, faint moans came from that direction.

"You're just going to do it in the alley? That's too wild..." Peter, who had just finished emptying his stomach, couldn't help feeling curious. He wiped his mouth and crept to the corner of the alley.

Under the dim moonlight, in the shadows of the alley, two figures entangled together. It was an inexplicably eerie atmosphere. As Peter watched the scene, he didn't feel aroused. On the contrary, the only thing rising in him was a deep sense of fear and horror.

Thud!

The thug, who had, moments ago, been so vigorous, collapsed onto the ground. His entire body convulsed wildly like he was being electrocuted, and a wheezing sound escaped his throat. A cloud of white smoke began to rise from his body before he rapidly shriveled up as if all the moisture had been sucked out from him.

"Holy sh—! What the hell?!" Peter's eyes widened. His legs refused to move.

In the shadows, the woman adjusted her bodycon dress, then turned to gaze at him. Seemingly dissatisfied, she seductively licked her full lips with a smooth, red tongue.

"Since you're already here and watching, don't you think about leaving." The sultry voice sent chills down Peter's spine, freezing him to the core. Paralyzed, he watched the woman strut toward him, her high heels clicking with each seductive step.

Suddenly, brisk footsteps echoed from the street. A shadow as swift as a panther darted into the alley, wielding a strange mechanical weapon. Dozens of crossbow bolts rained down at lightning speed on the seductress.

The woman reacted in an instant and dodged to the side, only to collide with a man in a trench coat sprinting toward her. He brandished a gleaming longsword which he brought down, slicing sharply through the air.

She quickly retreated, her eyes turning pink as she stared intently at the man, but it had no effect. Another barrage of crossbow bolts shot at her like a storm of arrows. Caught off guard, three bolts hit her. Her movements slowed and her aura noticeably weakened.

The man in the trench coat seized his chance and launched a ferocious assault, using punches, elbows, kicks, and knees, along with a long knife coated in silver mercury.

Clang!

With a powerful swing, the long knife vibrated, severing two fingers through the bone!

The woman staggered back in disbelief and clutched at her bleeding neck. Another cold flash of light, and her head flew into the air and was swiftly caught by an outstretched hand that had a black shield emblem on the back.

"Charm Demon. Target item was the head. Eliminated." The man with a trench coat pulled out a black bag and tossed in the dripping head. He flicked the blood off his long knife, then retrieved a vial from his coat, pouring half of it onto the woman's body. Instantly, a sizzling sound burst out as her body dissolved into a pool of gurgling black liquid that stunk foully.

After everything was done, the man pulled a folded hat from his coat, elegantly placing it on his head. It obscured most of his face. Still holding his knife, he melted into the shadows.

At the entrance of the alley, Peter collapsed onto the ground in fear. The fight had been terrifying, but even more horrifying was the woman's severed head.

In that moment, he had seen her true face. It was ugly and disgusting, like a demon from hell, a gaping mouth with jagged fangs that covered a third of her face, a nose without the nasal bones, and rotting eyes. Compared to that, any woman in the world was a goddess!

When he thought about how tempted he had been by such a creature, Peter wanted to slap himself. Glancing at the withered corpse of the thug on the ground, he felt a twinge of relief.

Thank goodness he had resisted. Otherwise, it would've been

his

body on the ground...

Peter recalled the man in the trench coat, whose swift and graceful movements had made him look like a whirlwind when he chopped off the monster's head. Like a nameless wanderer, he had silently walked away. A mysterious aura combined with formidable skills... He was a true hunter of the night!

As he scrambled to his feet and ran home, Peter carved that image of the departing figure in his memory. As his thoughts drifted to his wife's delicious soup on the table and the sound of his child studying in the room, Peter quickened his pace.

I hope Lizzie won't scold me too much for smelling like alcohol. Oh well, maybe I deserve it!

Yeah, I'm never going to a bar again.