He realized quickly that this was a golden opportunity. If he played his cards right, he wouldn't just avoid a fight; he could get the information they desperately needed. He straightened his back, putting on his best "tired college student" glare, which, combined with his new Fist Sentinel physique, made him look intimidatingly bored.
"Stand up," Emmet commanded, trying to keep his voice deep and steady. "I have no interest in your life, provided you can answer my questions."
The demon woman looked up cautiously, her purple eyes flickering with hope and fear. "Anything, Excellency! Anything for the Royal House!"
"Tell me, why are you here in this land and what is your name?" Emmet asked, asserting his voice with a cold authority.
"My name is Violet, Your Grace," she said, her voice shaking visibly. "I was sent to the Great White Forest as punishment for failing my nation, sir."
So this place is the Great White Forest, Emmet thought to himself.
"My Lord, if I may speak... I have a question," she whispered.
"Speak," he commanded.
"Why are you here? Only those sent to die remain in this forest."
Thinking quickly, Emmet replied, "I was sent here to grow my strength. My family believes that I am too weak."
"My Lord, I apologize for my words," Violet said, her eyes cast downward, "but I don't think you were sent here to grow stronger."
"What do you mean, girl?" Emmet said, intensifying his gaze.
"The forest stretches almost endlessly in all directions," she explained. "The Four Great Kings reside here. The only way out is to travel through their territories and kill them, but you won't make it. This place is littered with monsters everywhere."
"Well, it seems I was a disgrace to my family and the Demon Lord, so I was sent to die here," Emmet said dryly.
Violet stared at Emmet, her confusion slowly turning into a sharp realization. Suddenly, her face contorted.
"Yo—you... you lying piece of shit! You're not demon royalty! You're not even a demon!" she shrieked, anger flaring in her purple eyes.
"You figured that out fast," Emmet said, unfazed. "What tipped you off?"
"WHY WOULD I EVER TELL YOU THAT? I'll kill you for making a fool of me, human!"
"Or we could make a deal," Emmet countered calmly. "You said people are sent here to die, so why not make an agreement? I am a survival expert and have been living here for months, but I don't know the local fauna. I've been surviving on what I know from my world. It would be a great help to have a guide. What do you say?"
Violet hesitated. "It's not a bad idea. But I will only work with you if we form a blood contract stating we will not betray each other."
"Sounds good to me," Emmet said softly. "I'll even let you draft the contract as a show of goodwill. I apologize for earlier; I had to make sure I could trust you." He said lying to the idiotic demon woman.
"Fine," she muttered with annoyance. "Come here, let's get this over with."
Emmet watched as she chanted strange, guttural words and drew a magical circle of blood on the forest floor.
"Give me your hand. I need your blood for the contract."
Emmet offered his hand. She used a small dagger to cut a shallow slash on his palm and then her own. She interlocked her fingers with his, letting the mixed blood drip onto the circle, which began to glow a faint, ominous purple.
"It's done. All you need to do is step forward into the circle," she said, a small smirk playing on her lips.
"Perfect," Emmet said with a calm smile. Then, in one fluid motion, he grabbed her and threw her into the glowing purple circle.
The moment she touched the ground, the blood circle vanished into a flurry of sparks. The light coalesced into a permanent golden ring around Violet's neck, shattering her leather choker in the process.
"You damn Hero! How did you know it was a trap?" she screamed, her voice trembling.
"Why would I trust a demon? Especially one making desperate decisions to survive," Emmet said, shaking his head.
"Also, don't have a circle glowing with only your mana. It's suspicious. Now, since you know I'm a Hero, tell me: how do I activate my powers?"
"Why would I help you? As you said, you can't trust me!"
"Suit yourself, then." Emmet turned around and began to walk away.
"Wait! Don't leave me!" she cried out. "You... you have to take responsibility for this! Are you just going to let me die out here after turning me into your slave?"
"First of all, you did that to yourself," Emmet replied without looking back. "Second, what use are you to me? You're an idiot."
Stammering, Violet replied in a soft, nervous tone, "I—I may not be useful with my knowledge, but I can be useful in other ways... if that's what you want."
"No thanks. Not interested," Emmet replied flatly.
"Well, what do you want from me if you don't want my body? Are my breasts too small? Is that why?"
"No, it's not about your breast size. I don't look for that in women; any size will do," Emmet thought out loud. "As long as she has either a long tongue, a tail, some thick thighs, and preferably some long ears... wait, what am I saying? I'm not trying to sleep with someone I just met! Why would you think that?"
"Well, Heroes usually capture demons for their bodies or just kill us, since we are at war," Violet said quietly.
"I'm not like those guys. I just want to survive," Emmet said, finally stopping. "If you answer my questions, I will keep you alive and treat you like a person, not a slave. Understood?"
"Yes... understood," she replied, nodding quickly.
"How do I activate my ability? Can I get more abilities or unlock skills?"
"Yes you can,but to use your ability, you just visualize it since you don't have a status window," Violet explained innocently. "Heroes can't get more base abilities; they can only improve the one they have. To get skills, Heroes have to defeat Boss Monsters. They are rewarded with a skill they deeply desire, but the stronger the skill, the less likely it is to drop from a weak boss. Does that answer your questions?"
"Yes, it does. Come on. We have a Boss Monster to kill before nightfall," Emmet said, excitement creeping into his voice.
"This may be easier than I thought". Emmet thought to himself.
Running to catch up, Violet asked nervously, "Aren't you afraid you might die?"
"No. If Hero power is based on willpower, this will be an easy fight. Besides, I don't plan to fight it head-on. I'm taking it slow. I just need one convenient skill to make life easier. Now, lead the way."
After walking for a few minutes, they arrived at a cliffside. Peering over the edge, they saw the Boss: a giant lizard the size of a car. After a few minutes of preparation, Emmet found the perfect angle. He crafted a heavy stone spear and coated the tip in a concentrated forest poison he had identified earlier.
Using his full, enhanced strength, he launched the spear. It whistled through the air, hitting the lizard square in the eye. The beast thrashed for a moment before the poison reached its brain, and it fell silent.The moment the lizard's thrashing ceased, a soft, ethereal voice resonated directly within Emmet's mind: **"Boss slain. Skill: Silk Web obtained."**
A shimmering status window flickered into existence before his eyes. He quickly scanned the description: the skill allowed him to produce high-tensile, versatile silk at will. Emmet's mind immediately began racing with the possibilities. With this, he wouldn't have to rely on brittle vines for his traps or rough-spun fibers for their gear. It would be significantly easier to craft advanced tools and turn their cold cave into a proper home.
The realization was bittersweet, however. If this forest truly was an endless expanse guarded by four Great Kings, he and Oliver would likely be staying here for a very long time.
He tried to focus on the window to read more about the silk's properties, but after only a few seconds, the translucent screen shivered and vanished.
"Damn it," Emmet muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes. "It seems like the status window only shows up when I earn a skill since I don't have a way to keep it activated. I'm going to need to find a Saint or some kind of permanent catalyst soon, or this is going to get real annoying in the future."
Violet watched him from a distance, her eyes wide as she saw him staring into empty space. "You... you actually killed it? With a single throw?" she whispered, her fear of him growing alongside a new, begrudging respect.
"Don't just stand there," Emmet said, turning back toward the cliff path. "We have a base to reinforce and a friend to update. And I've got some weaving to do."