Forsaken By The Gods, I Made A Contract With the Demon King

In one of the towering skyscrapers of Bengaluru, one of the most famous and central cities of the United Asian Continent, a young man was lounging in a bathtub. The water was filled with fragrant foam from the scented shampoo he was using, and floating in front of him was a blackbird. The raven swam lazily through the water, behaving more like a duck than a bird of omen.

"Hah! This is the life... No monsters, no danger, just me and this warm water." Levi let out a deep sigh of relaxation, sinking further into the tub until only the upper half of his face remained above the water.

It had been two days since he returned from Paradise, and quite a few things had happened in that short time.

Firstly, thanks to the intervention of the Mercenary Federation, no one dared to challenge Levi after his exit with Franz.

He was taken directly to the Federation's headquarters, where Franz had stern words for him. Franz reprimanded Levi for his reckless actions, especially for breaking Kai's leg. He warned Levi not to provoke elite families too much, as the Federation couldn't always protect him from their wrath.

But despite the warning, the Federation had extended him unexpected help. They provided him with a luxurious place to stay—a room in one of the city's five-star hotels. They even assisted him in selling the monster parts he had hauled back from the Sanctum.

To his surprise, the parts fetched an astounding price. When the credits were deposited into his newly created bank account, Levi found himself with one hundred thousand credits—a sum that equaled what he could have earned from forty years of labor in government factories.

With that kind of money, Levi realized he could easily live a life of luxury for the next 10-15 years, at least when it came to indulging in good food - which was the only thing really mattered to Levi.

Another significant change was the bump in his mercenary rank. He'd been promoted from F rank to E rank. It wasn't a huge leap, but it opened up the possibility for more lucrative missions—missions that could help him earn even more credits.

Of course, the Mercenary Federation had its own curiosity about what transpired in the Sanctum. They questioned Levi about what he had encountered and gained inside.

Ever cautious, Levi chose to reveal only what he deemed safe. He spoke about the Larvae, the Black Cocoon, and the Black Wing of Lunacy, but he carefully omitted any mention of the Goddess or the essence of Lunacy that he had consumed.

As for Noir, his raven, Levi told them it was an Avatar.

As to what Avatars were, they were rare and highly coveted rewards—perfect replicas of monsters, crafted entirely from essence by the Providence itself. They were sometimes granted by Providence as rewards when killing monsters, and their rarity was so extreme that Levi, despite killing hundreds of monsters, had not yet received one.

When asked about his rewards from the Sanctum, Levi presented the Eternal Vigil artifact, hiding the Key of Lunacy and the inheritance he had obtained.

He had a sense that Franz suspected he was holding something back, but for some reason, Franz chose not to press the issue. Perhaps he believed having Levi as a mercenary was more valuable than anything Levi could have brought out of the Sanctum. Little did he know how priceless those rewards truly were.

Luckily for Levi, they hadn't used a Truth Orb during the debriefing, allowing him to weave his lies with ease - he realized that he was really good at it!

Anyway, the Federation didn't pry further, and Levi was free to enjoy the fruits of his adventure in peace.

And now, he was savoring his time in the five-star hotel.

Despite taking eight baths over the last two days, he could still faintly smell the stench of the Larvae's mucus and the Black Cocoon on his skin. Yet, he didn't mind.

The comfort of the hotel was more than enough to make up for it. Delicious meals were delivered to his door daily, and the peace and quiet were everything he had wished for in the past.

But what about now?

As Levi lay in the warm, fragrant water, he found himself wondering, What did he want now?

Well, even Levi wasn't entirely sure what he wanted right now. His immediate focus, though, was to find a way to create a demonic sanctuary—or at least to uncover clues that could lead him to one. The quest from the Goddess could wait, after all, he didn't have anything else pressing to do.

As he rested in the bathtub, Levi's gaze shifted to the blackbird swimming leisurely in the bathtub.

Noir was very helpful during his duel with the Malakani family's young master. While the bird hadn't fought directly, its quick action of stealing Kai's weapon had created the perfect opening for Levi to strike and win.

For that, Levi was more than grateful, and he'd shown his appreciation with two whole roasted chickens—both of which Noir had devoured with gleeful enthusiasm.

Sipping the refreshment resting by the side of the tub, Levi summoned the status window of his little bird.

----[Black Wing of Lunacy]-----

Name: Noir

Rank: Essence Monster

Master: Levias Drake

Demonic Core: Nascent

Demonic Essence: 0/100

Trait: Death's Hier

Trait Ability: Carrion Feast | Phantom Flock | MorphWing

Innate Ability: Lunacy | Umbral Perch

----[Black Wing of Lunacy]-----

A new innate ability had appeared in Noir's status, one that it had obtained after feasting on the boss monster of the Sanctum.

And it was also the exact ability that allowed Noir to glide seamlessly into the shadows.

----[Umbral Perch]----

Description: Wherever there is darkness, wherever there are shadows, the Black Wing exists.

----[Umbral Perch]----

This new ability had been absorbed after Noir devoured the Lord of the Dark Skies. It was an incredibly useful skill, enabling it to hide and travel through shadows.

While the description seemed vague, Levi had already discovered some of its uses. Not only could Noir become one with the shadows, but while in darkness, it also entered a state of invulnerability. No physical attack could touch it in that state.

However, this power didn't come without a price. Noir couldn't stay hidden in the shadows indefinitely, for now at least as the ability consumed an enormous amount of essence, limiting its use. That was part of the reason why the bird was currently swimming in the bathtub.

Anyway, aside from these benefits there were also other things Levi had gained - the artifacts from Kai!

---***---

Thank You allcat_gaming for the Magic Castle.