The park was a popular place during the week, but it got especially crowded late at night or on weekends.
It was a huge park with plenty of trees, places to play sports, and benches where people could relax.
Not many people were there because of the time and day.
Vorgath and his friend Mia sat on one of the wooden benches spread throughout the park.
Mia tapped her fingers on her skirt in a steady, endless rhythm.
"Would you believe me if I have a way to... make you pass in your exams?" Vorgath said, staring at her.
Healing someone's sight was hard for him. Giving a Dungeon Delver new abilities was tough too. But helping someone pass an exam? That, he was sure he could handle.
Mia was the perfect person to try it. She had been struggling with her exams, though her parents had no idea.
They would know in the future, of course. Mia had no idea what they would do to her.
"What do you mean?" Mia asked, "Don't tell me you stole the exams?"
Vorgath shook his head. "No, of course not. But I did find an artifact from the dungeon that can help you. Still, there might be some consequences if you use it."
Mia had no clue what Vorgath meant. He asked for paper and a pen again, then wrote another contract similar to the first one, tweaking a few things.
First, he would only get one point in each of his attributes, which was all his current power allowed.
Second, in exchange for spending intimate time with Mia, she would get a temporary buff that would let her know all the answers to her tests.
Vorgath added a special rule: Mia would get the answers for her first exam without having sex with him, but for the next exams, she would have to keep her side of the deal.
This worked out well since Mia had two weeks full of exams.
When Mia read the contract, especially the part about sex, she froze. "Are you fucking serious?" Mia said, "Do you really think I'll believe you?"
Vorgath did his best to convince her.
"You can sign it and try it on your first exam. Look, we both know you need to pass, and without my help, you won't."
The timing couldn't have been better. Mia's first exam was in two hours, so she would soon find out if the contract actually worked.
"What do you mean by... intimate relations?" Mia asked, her cheeks turning red as she looked away.
"It's exactly what you think," Vorgath replied. "Like I said, you can try it for yourself. But remember, you have to keep your end of the deal. If you don't, there will be consequences."
Vorgath was careful. He always wrote contracts with clear rules so no one could get what they wanted without paying what they owed.
Mia didn't respond. She stared at the contract for a few minutes, trying to decide what to do.
"Give me the pen," she said at last.
Mia needed to pass her exams. If she didn't, she felt like her whole life would fall apart.
She thought a lot about the contract and couldn't find a good reason to say no.
Alex was attractive, so if the contract actually worked, which she doubted, being close to him wouldn't be so bad.
"Done," she said, handing over the contract for Vorgath to sign.
Vorgath signed his name. He started to write 'Alex' but then the system warned him.
[You must use your demonic name when doing contracts, or at least add an abbreviation of some kind.]
He couldn't just write Alex, so Vorgath added VGT instead. No one would know what it meant, and if anyone asked, he could make up an answer.
When Mia grabbed the contract again, she saw his signature.
"What does VGT mean?" she asked.
He couldn't think of anything to say.
"It's nothing, really. Anyway, once you see the contract work, where should we meet?" Vorgath asked.
Mia, once again shy when speaking about it, said, "We can meet up in that hotel close to the bridge. It's quite private, I think."
The hotel was far from both Mia's home and the University, so it felt safer to meet there instead of somewhere they might run into people they knew.
"Alright," Vorgath said, "tonight, at 11 pm."
Confident that the contract would work, Vorgath was already planning to meet her there.
He got up from the bench, taking the contract back from her.
"Can you lend me some money? I need to buy some food…"
Vorgath felt a stab of embarrassment as he asked for money—a demon like him, begging for food. But there was nowhere for him to run. It was either that or steal.
Vorgath didn't feel guilty about stealing. If he were strong enough, he'd do it. But right now, after his recent beating, he was too weak. Anyone could overpower him.
Even an old man could beat him up. Just looking for a decent weapon felt exhausting.
Even if he managed to pull it off, he'd probably end up in jail or on the run from the police. It just wasn't worth it. Asking Mia was a much better option.
Mia pulled a few dollars from her purse. "You'll have to pay me back. You know I don't have that much money…"
She was basically broke, just a student. Vorgath knew that, and he intended to pay her back.
"Don't worry," he said with a smile. "See you later."
He waved a few times before disappearing among the park's trees. Vorgath tried to save every bit of money, since he didn't know when he'd get more. So, he couldn't waste his precious money with expensive food.
On the edge of the city, there was a small, cheap restaurant where the owner treated homeless people kindly. Alex went there all the time.
The only problem with eating there was how far it was, but Vorgath didn't care. As he walked, he kept looking around, amazed by the lights, buildings, and cars passing by.
"This world's architecture and technology are so different."
Brunan, Vorgath's old world, was like a medieval fantasy planet. All these modern things on Earth made his eyes light up.
He ate a bowl of pasta at Mr. Lu's restaurant. The old man was glad to see him and even made a joke about it.
"This is the first time you're actually paying for your food," Lu said, laughing.
Vorgath did pay for his food. Only a few times, as Mr.Lu always shared food with him.
Of everyone who met him, Lu was the first not to ask about his bruises. He understood how hard life was for someone homeless and didn't press for details.
After eating and saying goodbye, Vorgath headed straight to the hotel near the bridge on the far side of town. It took him two hours to walk there. He stopped multiple times to rest, or else he would faint. It was already nighttime when he got there.
Vorgath found somewhere to sit and waited for hours until Mia finally arrived. She was still wearing the same skirt, her slender legs visible.
He smirked as he watched her cross the street and head straight toward him.
"It's about time I finally have some fun!" Vorgath thought.