Mind Demon's Path of Domination

This dungeon was weird. First of all, there was no Dungeon Demon inside.

The only demon inside this dungeon was the Vine Centipede. It had killed all the other Demonlings before Mark came, and then, it had killed the armored warrior-like demon to crawl inside it and become a parasite over its energies.

Now that its energies had been exhausted, it could no longer perform any demonic tricks. Thus, its vines wilted, and since Dona had planted her Fire Seal on it, it was done for.

Second of all, the beautiful woman frozen in the ice wall was alarming. Creepy.

For now, Mark focused on the crawling centipede.

It stared at him without moving.

The centipede-like demon was small—merely a bit bigger than an average human. It was big with respect to other centipedes but small compared to demons of its same Tier. But that didn't mean the centipede was easy to kill, maim, or anything similar.

I don't really have any way to capture it. Thankfully, there are no more demons here.

If he left it in a demon-infested place, it could use its Parasite demonic trick and become other demons' parasites to steal the Mindpower. Then, he would have to deal with those vines all over again, and this time, Mark didn't have many black water bottles left.

But still, I have to capture it to use it as my Puppet's catalyst to becoming a Hunter…

Being bigger than it was no advantage. Even though it was small, he couldn't harm it—it had Pinnacle Physical and Mental Resistance. Not to mention, if he used Dona's abilities, the demon would just die. He couldn't have it die.

Yuri had to be capable of researching it. It had to be tame.

I wish I could use Heart Input… a pity.

It was now weak. Moreover, Dona's Fire Seal was now implanted in it and with one thought, Dona could burn it into cinders. Mark wanted to keep it alive and use it to become a Hunter using his Puppet. That was the goal.

In fact, it could still fight even without its demonic tricks and Mindpower. Even with its body alone, it was not weak. In fact, if he didn't use Dona's Fire Seal, there was no other way to kill it in Mark's hand.

Unlike what one might expect, exhausting one's Mindpower didn't make a person's body or mind exhausted in the slightest. Mindpower was just a part of them, a fuel they could use. Without it, their senses might become less crisp, but their bodies wouldn't become exhausted.

If he were to fight this demon in a brawl, Mark's chances of killing it were zero. Just like its chance of murdering Mark was also zero in a physical brawl. Both of their physiques were Pinnacle Lower Demon-level, and both had Pinnacle Physical Resistance.

Just as Mark was worried about how to capture it, Dona looked at the centipede coldly. Her red eyes glinted. Her mate curiously looked at her; what was she about to do?

He had told her not to kill it.

Fwu–Fwu—Fwuf!

Hot fire burned the centipede from the inside, and a burned smell filled the lab's basement. The creature thrashed about, screamed, and coiled in pain. Yet, neither Dona nor Marcus cared one bit. They just watched until it grew still.

It was not dead, but it wouldn't resist anymore.

Mark focused on the ice wall. The woman was silent. She seemed like a pristine corpse.

***

The lab was still full of contaminants, but Mark removed the contamination using a vacuum-like tool and many other decontaminants. It was a fun cleaning session, and surprisingly, Dona helped him, too.

Kinda fun to do such mundane things in this big… demon form. I feel like a hidden boss.

In about five hours, the lab was safe for humans, devoid of any contamination or dangerous radiation. Luckily, all the equipment needed to decontaminate the lab was in the lab itself, so Mark didn't have to go back to Yuri to get it.

Then, he waited for Yuri to arrive.

She arrived near the new lab as the sun peaked at noon in Choi Sung's truck. But the woman had been sleep-deprived for days, so she was asleep in the cargo, so they didn't wake her up.

Choi Sung was, as usual, her driver. But today, his appearance was different. His broken glasses had been broken a bit more, and of his hands looked like mere bones, too. The Hunter seemed not affected by it, though.

He just seemed lazy.

Mark had ordered Choi Sung to bring Yuri here this morning, along with all the equipment.

Using the truck, the Hunter had moved all of the previous lab's major pieces of equipment here. And now, the equipment just had to be put into its place.

Yet, all of the important stuff was now in the truck. The Minotaur's crippled body, the Hamster, Mark's Puppet who was submersed inside a glass vessel, and even the other animals like dogs and cats that were left in the first lab had been brought along.

Good indeed.

Due to the crowd in the city outside, they couldn't move all the equipment into the new lab, but that could wait. For now, they sneaked the important things—Hamster, Minotaur, smaller pieces of equipment, and Mark's puppet—into the lab in secret. As for the others, they would have to wait for the night to arrive.

They didn't want anyone noticing them.

Then.

Yuri woke up and entered the lab with a somewhat sleepy expression.

She finally had a view of her dream lab.

"Fuck, so many demon corpses!" she said with awe.

For once, she seemed well rested. The woman hopped from one Demonling's corpse to another with starry eyes, and when she found some exciting ones, she even did a little dance in joy.

"Mark, this is amazing!"

Then, her gaze moved around the largely empty, bright room full of broken shards of glass.

"Damn those stingy science-obsessed freaks," she cursed. "They took all those world-class equipment away with them when they shifted from here." Then she giggled, and her face turned a shade Mark had rarely seen. "But this place is good. Too good. The ventilation is superb, the temperature is godly, and the space is vast. I have so many researchable corpses, too.

Who needs their equipment? I am rich, and I can buy anything I want! This building alone is godly!"

She was nearly euphoric as she left her goggles hanging on Mark's wings and went around to have her look. Mark followed her calmly while Dona looked at her from Mark's back. Dona had made it her own hobby to sling behind his back—she just wouldn't leave these days.

And on the top of his head, a little hamster laid coolly.

Mark wasn't complaining. She was light for him, and Dona smelled good. She was also his personal dungeon on the side. He liked her presence.

"Mark." Dona nudged her pointy ears against him and kissed his neck.

Choi Sung, who was silently walking behind them, turned his eyes slightly. Dona—she gave him a dangerous vibe now.

Is she a Lower Demon already? Is her intelligence higher, too?

Mark smiled.

"So, is the Boss Demon below killed?" Choi Sung asked. He remembered that demon. It looked like a warrior in armor. One swing of its hand and he himself had lost one of his hands.

Had Mark got rid of that terrifying thing?

"It's not killed. It's alive but weakened in a burned state. It's no harm."

"Can I see it?"

"No. No one shall enter the basement," Mark said calmly.

Yuri frowned and looked at the basement door curiously. It was just a metal slab. She could hold back everything in herself. Pride, she didn't care. Lust, she cared a bit. Hate, fuck that.

Love, never felt much. Greed, a bit.

Curiosity?

She could never hold back on that.

"What is below?" she asked, gulping as her black eyes widened.

Mark calmly said, "I'll tell you later."

Not that he himself had come to any conclusions. He had tried touching the ice wall after confirming it was not dangerous. He had even tried some force on it. But there was no change to anything. The woman was like a corpse in that ice.

Yuri's beautiful eyebrows twitched. "Cruel, Mark. You are so evil..."

But then, her interest was taken by something else, and just like that, she walked through the lab and checked every corner for a whole hour. Then, she finally came to a halt.

"Mark, so have you decided what demon you want to use as the catalyst for your Hunter Awakening?" she asked. "The Puppet's ready, and it is just waiting for your choice now. The Minotaur, the Demon below. What's it you want me to use?"

"Choose what you think is the best for me to get an offensive demonic trick," Mark said. "I can tell you what the demonic tricks they each have."

"Actually," she said. "Even these Demonlings can be used for our purpose. Since they hadn't been claimed by the World Will yet, we just have to put its genetic structure into your Puppet and then push it outside the lab. When the World Will collects it, you will awaken as a Hunter."

"Then, let's choose wisely."

Whatever it was, today, Mark wanted to Awaken.

Finally, it was time.

He felt somewhat rushed.

No more hesitating.

Lady in the ice, newly gained Dungeon Laboratory without a Dungeon Demon inside, all of that mystery could be solved as long as he was stronger. Now, he had to be stronger. Maybe, find a way to evolve into Tier 2.

Also, he had to max out Dona, too.