Akira walked towards the storage closet slowly with his dagger at the ready. "Here goes nothing," he muttered and kicked open the door with his legs.
The imp turned around quickly, hissing like an animal that has been cornered. Up close, it looked even more frightening. Its grey leather-like skin was tight over its bony frame and it had ears that resembles that of a bat that twitched nervously, and its glowing red eyes burned with a hunger that made it seem truly evil.
"Human... lust..." it said. "You... smell of it..."
Akira didn't wait for it to finish.
He swung the dagger in a wide arc, aiming for its head. The creature shouted and dodged to the side with unnatural speed, rushing up the wall like an oversized spider.
"Shit!" Akira stumbled back and nearly tripped over a mop bucket.
The imp launched itself from the wall with its claws out, aiming straight for his throat. Akira raised the dagger just in time, and the blade caught the creature across its chest.
Green blood splashed across the closet floor, burning where it landed.
"Gaaaah!" The imp tumbled backwards, trying to hold its wound. "You... you killed one of us... I smell it on you..."
"Yeah, and you're next," Akira growled, moving forward and closing the distance, despite his trembling hands.
The creature hissed again and tried going for his legs this time.
Akira kicked out out of instinct, his foot connecting with the creature's face. The impact sent a shock of pain up his shin, but the imp flew backwards, crashing into shelves filled with cleaning supplies.
Bottles fell to the ground, some breaking and releasing the strong smell of bleach.
"You're tougher than you look, human," the imp snarled, walking around him like a circle now. "But you're still weak and pathetic. I can taste your fear."
"Fuck off," Akira shot back, adjusting his grip on the dagger.
The imp rushed forward again, this time pretending to go to the left before going right. Its claws grazed across Akira's arm, tearing through his jacket and drawing blood.
"Argh!" He stumbled backwards, his free hand going to the wound. It burned like fire.
"Delicious," the imp cackled. "Your pain is…"
Akira didn't let it finish. He stabbed forward with everything he had, catching the creature in the shoulder. It shouted and started thrashing violently as green blood poured from the wound.
But it wasn't enough; the imp was still moving.
Suddenly, Akira's vision flashed with the red text:
[CHOICE AVAILABLE: USE AURA OF DOMINANCE – COST: 15 PP]
[WARNING: This will reveal your power to anyone nearby.]
Akira gritted his teeth. He was running out of options, and the imp was getting more aggressive.
"Use Aura of Dominance!" he commanded.
[PURCHASING SKILL...]
[AURA OF DOMINANCE ACTIVATED]
[PERV-POINTS: 75]
Immediately, something changed inside him. He felt like a wave of pressure coming out of him from his chest, invisible but very powerful. It felt as if his very presence had weight, as if gravity itself was listening to him.
The imp's eyes widened in terror. "No... no! This power... It's not possible!"
The creature tried to run away, but the aura from Akira held it in place like an invisible hand crushing down on it. It whimpered, dropping to its knees with its claws clutching at its head.
"Stop... please... master..." it whined pathetically.
Akira felt the power inside of him; it was intoxicating and addictive. His body pulsed with energy, and for a moment, he understood what Ai had meant about perverted power.
"I said you're next," Akira said in a cold voice.
He raised the dagger high and brought it down with brutal force, digging the blade deep into the imp's skull. The creature's body convulsed once, then twice, before it went still.
Green blood begin to gather under it, but only for a moment. The corpse started dissolving fast, breaking down into a sickly green mist that floated upward.
Akira tried to step back, but the mist moved like it has a mind of its own, rushing toward him and forcing its way into his nose and mouth.
"Gah!" He choked, but couldn't stop it.
A rush of power filled him. It was strong, intense and impossible to ignore. Every nerve of his body felt the feeling of new strength.
When the mist finally dissolved in the air, he was left panting. His heart was beating fast and sweat was dripping down his face.
The system pinged:
[IMP DEFEATED]
[PP +20]
[POWER +3]
[NEW QUEST UNLOCKED: FIND AND CLOSE THE OPENED PORTAL]
"A quest?" Akira gasped, still catching his breath.
"Yes," Ai replied in a grave voice. "That imp came from somewhere. There's a portal nearby, probably a small one but it's growing. If you don't close it, more will come. Stronger ones."
"How do I close a portal?"
"We'll figure that out. But first, you need to survive long enough to find it."
Akira turned away from where the imp had been, wiping green blood from the dagger with a rag he found on the floor. His arm still burned from the claw marks, but the wound was already starting to close, probably another benefit of his increased Power stat.
This wasn't just about high school revenge anymore. The demons were real, they were organised, and somehow, he was caught in the middle of it all.
He barely had time to hide the dagger back in his gym bag before the door to the changing room swung open.
Mia Takahashi was standing there with wide eyes, her gym bag hanging over her shoulder. She was wearing black leggings and a sports bra; her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. But her expression wasn't flirtatious or teasing like before.
She was staring at the remaining green dust swirling near his feet, slowly fading into nothing.
"What the hell was that?" she demanded, stepping closer.