Mind Demon's Path of Domination

They left the area near the abandoned and old mansion—the ex-Dungeon—to complete their further goals.

For one, Mark wanted to maximize that sense of fullness. He wanted to kill more. He also had other plans.

For the first part, they just had to kill a bunch of pigs, and he could kill as many as he wanted in a nearby slaughterhouse.

Convincing the Pig Butcher to give tens of pigs away for slaughter didn't take much effort. Yuri was ready to give him money, which made things much easier for Mark.

They made the Pig Butcher leave the slaughterhouse for half an hour, and Mark—the easily identifiable Demon—entered the countryside building silently, along with Dona.

They wore yellow raincoats to avoid the blood getting on them, and then they began a slaughter. Funnily enough, Mark used the nearly 2-meter-long corpse of the snake as a belt around him—he didn't want to get it burned.

Choi Sung fried many of the pigs using his fire, which could both be cold and hot and with Mark's help, Dona began to eat them.

Pork fry. It was the first time she had eaten it.

Mark didn't bother eating and just left her to her devices after he got enough ready for her to eat. She was not only eating the bodies of the pigs but also their souls.

Then, he himself focused on killing as many pigs as he could with as little time as possible. Soon enough, he had killed so much, and his gaze locked onto his total Soul Spheres.

The sight made his eyes sparkle.

So much.

Yuri took note of his murders from the side. Whenever Mark killed something, their souls were automatically absorbed into his Soul Space; they would lose their luster somewhat imperceptibly due to that.

That was something weird in Yuri's sight.

Why was he killing others different from Dona doing the same?

Mark knew the answer, though.

It was because of the violet screen within his mind. It was the sole reason why he was able to do most of the things he was capable of. He was not a simple Demon.

[Soul Spheres: 100]

A phantom sensation of fullness made him pause his killing. It was a very intriguing sensation. He asked, "Can you see any difference in me, Yuri?"

Yuri looked at him closely, then shook her head. "My memory is good. You look a bit bored but nothing else—the same as this morning."

Mark stretched himself with a sigh. Then, he stomped another pig to death.

[Killed a Pig—The Host's Soul Space is full. Cannot absorb the Soul Sphere.]

The bloodied corpse didn't lose its luster this time.

That made Mark frown.

He looked at Dona, who was eating the pork around, and sighed. His Soul Space had reached the limit of how many souls he could store inside him.

Silently, he squatted down and just pondered. Now that he was here, he had some thoughts about how a Demon could evolve and become a Tier 1.

For one, there was a common point in all the Demons that evolved. They became blank and sensed something within them before they evolved.

Mark had a guess of what the 'thing' they sensed was.

Soul Space.

From the very first day he became a Demon, that thing had always been within him, and the violet screen had always stored the souls of the things he killed inside it.

It had never been full like it was now.

That all meant something.

The Soul Space was not a part of the violet screen but a part of himself. It was something that was as intrinsic to him as his own organs.

The hamster that had been given excellent medical care rolled above his head, and he held it at bay with a simple hand.

But considering that his guess was right and a Demon had to sense their Soul Space to evolve.

How can one sense a Soul Space?

He still had that phantom sensation of being full. It felt just like eating too much and the stomach bulging. Maybe, if he filled that sensation to the brim, he might sense it.

But how could one sense their stomach due to that?

He was in a dilemma.

Then, he thought of how all Demons had to be in an intense situation to Evolve. If they had to sense their Soul Space and had to be in an intense situation.

There was more lead now.

How was an intense situation and sensing Soul Space linked together?

Is it adrenaline that would help him, just as Yuri had said?

Honestly, adrenaline had been coursing through him since the first time he came face to face with that Minotaur.

So, just what was it?

Just…What is it that he was missing?

What did the other demons who faced intense situation have that he doesn't?

Why can they evolve when he couldn't?

Ah...

I know.

Mark suddenly clutched his heart and fell down on the stony ground of the slaughterhouse. He thrashed about on the ground and cried out in pain.

I know!!!

He knew what he had to do to sense the Soul Space. In fact, all of a sudden, he could sense a vast space of darkness within him, shimmering with light all around.

He was evolving.

Yuri and Choi Sung immediately focused on him and they both ran towards him.

Dona was looking at him from his side and her face immediately grew confused at how much in pain her mate seemed.

He was gagging and thrashing about.

Mark could feel his horns hitting against the stony ground, and his forehead hurt, but he couldn't stop his own thrashing.

Yes. It had been so obvious.

—what the demons who evolved in intense situations must have had in excess that he didn't.

Mark suddenly felt a sense of detachment from himself as he analyzed the situation. He felt as if he could see his surroundings like he had hundreds of eyes.

Choi Sung's expression is wrong.

The youth was struggling with the decision of whether to kill Mark or not—his hand was trembling due to anxiousness.

This is the best chance I will ever get to kill this Demon. It's not going to be too hard. He is evolving right now; he has gotten the understanding.

That must be Choi Sung's thoughts. Mark stifled a moan of pain.

Choi Sung gritted his teeth silently.

But what if he is testing me, and this is all an act? What if he is not actually evolving?

But that thought must be stopping him. And a sense of loyalty.

This time, he couldn't stifle the painful groan and it echoed. But even through that, he could feel his surroundings more and more clearly.

Yuri was looking at the scene with pure fascination. She just seemed lost in wonder and bliss at seeing something phenomenal.

Dona was also looking at him, but her confusion turned to worry quickly.

Taking a deep and wheezy breath, Mark ignored them all for a brief moment.

He focused everything on his realization.

Yes. It had been so obvious.

Intensity. Intensity!

From the start, that had been the common point in all the cases of Evolutions that came before him.

But unlike what Yuri guessed, it was not intensity in some situation or place. Not some intense, deadly scenario.

That was not what he lacked to evolve.

It was the deep, deep, deep.

INTENSE desire to grow stronger.

To become better.

To evolve.

That desire was all it took.

All the Demonlings evolved and became Tier 1 only when in intense situations like Yuri had shown because it was only then that they wanted to evolve so badly.

They had to evolve, or they'd die.

Their intense desire to evolve sparked within them an intense greed for more.

That was the catalyst of their evolution—a need for more power to survive.

But to Mark, a life without growth was a life without vibrancy. Only chasing his dreams made him feel alive.

He already had that intense desire but it had never been so crystal clear.

And that desire to be stronger was the key to evolving from a Tier 0 Demonling to something more—a Tier 1.

He wanted to evolve so badly.

So. So. So badly.

And that alone was the requirement.

Why it was so, he didn't know, but he knew he more than enough met the mark.

He was evolving.