Mind Demon's Path of Domination

"So, Rat, can you get me a Tier 3 corpse?"

The corpse wasn't too important but he planned to leave the Demon World for a while, and if he had the corpse of a stronger demon than himself, he could use that as reference material, and as raw material for another interesting experiment which he had an idea regarding.

"I can give you a corpse of course," the Rat said. "I am a reliable businessman. But let me tell you something." It paused.

Mark clicked his tongue. "What is it?"

"No matter what kind of power you have, you will not be able to hurt a Tier 3 Demon while being a Tier 2 Demon. Some Lower Demons might be able to hurt a Middle Demon, and some Demonlings might hurt a Lower Demon using some schemes and such, but a demon weaker than Tier 3 can never hurt a Tier 3 Demon."

Mark frowned deeply. "Why are you so sure? What if someone planned an elaborate scheme?"

The Rat shook its head. "When a Middle Demon evolves and becomes an Upper Demon, they fundamentally change. They will no longer have to worry about people of weaker Tiers ambushing them and so… because they will gain something called an 'Invulnerable Body.'"

"They are… invulnerable?"

"Indeed, no attack of weaker Tiers would ever affect them. Think of it like this—Upper Demons have the same Defensive Magic Aura that you Middle Demons have, but unlike yours which can be broken, theirs cannot be broken."

Mark felt his throat dry. "If their Invulnerable Body is like an unbreakable Defensive Magic Aura, won't they be unkillable?"

The Rat shook its head again. "They can be killed by people of the same Tier of evolution, their Invulnerable Body can't resist attacks of the same level as them."

Mark nodded, somewhat shaken still.

"So why are you telling me this?"

"That Invulnerable Body thing isn't only true in the living demons, it even goes for corpses. Even if you get an Upper Demon corpse, you can't harm even its hair. As I said, it will be invulnerable. So don't blame me if the corpse ends up being useless."

Mark nodded after a bit of thought.

The Rat quickly moved into a nearby trashbin and as Mark watched in disbelief, made a goblin-like corpse—with two heads—float out of it.

It was gigantic!

The corpse was bigger than the space in the trash bin but when it reached out of the bin, it shrank and became human size. Inside Demon Cities, all demons shifted size to human size, and that included corpses.

"This is the body of an Upper Demon who my friend killed, he cut it off so that I could have something to eat. You can have it. Or maybe you prefer female corpses? The weaker demons always want the corpses of stronger demons for that, but I don't have a stock of females in hand. Well, this one also has holes."

Reol'ran made a sound in sheer disgust: "Tsk."

Mark took the corpse and shook his head. "This is enough."

He wanted to try Alchemic Shapeshifting on it, and maybe glean into secrets of making more Ultimate Demonic Arts from it. Even though that might not work at all due to that 'invulnerable body' thing.

He didn't pull the corpse into his World Space—no need to show the Rat his treasures.

"So, is there any Portals open to an unconquered World that's good for a Middle Demon?"

The Rat smirked. "I expected you would ask this. The Middle Demon slaves of some Demon Kings are vying for control in multiple Worlds, you can enter one randomly from the Portals open in the city and search for opportunities.

"Of course, I don't think there will be anything remaining for you other than useless scraps or the final treasure—the World Core."

Mark sighed.

The Rat added, "You can try conquering a whole world if you are a Dungeon Demon to get the World Core. But if you try, the lackeys of Demon Kings who are there for that purpose, too, would report it and the Kings will send forces against you, so I don't recommend that."

The Demon Kings themselves wouldn't be able to enter the weaker Worlds, but they could send their slaves, and if enough came to kill him, Mark would die for sure. But he wasn't going to another World to conquer it, he had another, simpler goal.

And he now knew there were plenty of worlds to choose from.

He said, "I will pay your debt in time."

"If you fight on behalf of me in the Battle Royale, I can void our debt!" the Rat said, eyes shining.

Mark waved his hand. "Don't try to scam me more. I will pay for all the help sooner or later or I will become your slave. Why are you so eager?"

With that, Mark left. He felt good after scamming a scammer.

The Rat just squinted and scurried into another corner, looking for more business. It felt smug too. It would either gain a slave in ten years or a Portal Key or Seal of Destiny.

The Corpse was worthless to Upper Demons other than as a bit of nutritious food—souls were better—and Middle Demons couldn't do anything with it anyway. It was useless. And he had sold it for something that could be of actual value, if not now, ten years from now.

He was patient.

…

In another alleyway where Mark was fairly certain that he was out of anyone's sight, he walked out of the shadow and melded into the crowd. Even if someone was following him, they would lose him in the huge herd of demons anyway.

Soon, he left the crowd and appeared on an entirely different side of the city. He could smell the scent of soul noodles and it seemed much less crowded here. He walked into another alley and came out into an empty street.

The corpse was missing from his hand, already put into his World Space.

"Now, we need to enter another World," he said. He felt slightly excited. Even though he wouldn't be there for long, it was going to be a whole other World. Different fauna and flora, different living conditions, another civilization itself.

It was simple to find a Portal in the Demon City. Mark only had to walk around for 2 hours before he came across a shimmering blue hole in the wall of a building—there wasn't even a crowd around it.

His gaze shimmered as his Violet Screen blinked.

[Portal to the World of Magi]

[Dominant Race: Magi]

[Highest Powers in the World of Magi: Tier 8]

[Warning: You cannot return from that world before completing the Mission you will be given upon entering the Portal.]

Mark stared at it with wide eyes. No, not this one. There really are Tier 8 beings out there?

The thought alone made Mark's mind spin. I alone am too overpowered, then how strong are they?

But there was not a thing called too overpowered.

He walked till he found another Portal.

[Portal to the World of Savages]

[Dominant Race: Savages]

[Highest Powers in the World of Savages: Tier 2]

[Warning: You cannot return from that world before completing the Mission you will be given upon entering the Portal.]

Even if shit hit the fan, the strongest people in this World would still only be Tier 2. The same as him, and if he was there, he might even gain unexpected benefits. He hoped that the mission of the Demon World wouldn't take too long, otherwise, he would have to face his first Suffering of Misfortune in the World of Savages.

He wanted to face the Suffering in the Exchange, if possible.

Sighing, Mark mixed into the crowd entering the Portal—all of them were mindless Middle Demons, being ordered to enter by more sentient ones. Mark soon squeezed into the blue light and he felt himself being pulled...

To the World of Savages.