"Don't be so serious," the kitten said, lazily flicking its slender tail. It hopped down from the cabinet, sauntering with elegant feline grace.
"I'm just here to remind you—you're being a bit too obvious."
The girl's relaxed posture stiffened instantly. She fixed her gaze on the kitten. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, come on, it's about your acting, isn't it? Even if you're harvesting the lifespans of the dying, you're playing it way too straight. At least take them out one by one before prepping the next. Setting up a whole batch at once? That's a glaring flaw! Even shepherds don't shear the same flock endlessly in one spot!
And why do you think being a Demoness means causing death? Sure, cursing people to death is Demoness-like, but isn't divining fates just as Demoness-like? Or, to get extreme, the core of this acting is being loathed, feared, and rejected. Killing is just a means to that end… Oh, I get it. You're enjoying the thrill of taking lives? Or maybe you're just too lazy to bother with subtlety? Tsk tsk… I'd say getting a visit from the Nighthawks would be far more trouble. Don't forget—you're only acting."
The kitten's high-pitched, almost childlike voice delivered the lecture with an old-soul's gravitas. The girl's face twisted in disbelief.
"You actually know? How could you possibly know? I only just started preparing!"
"How could I not? You can counter-divine, so what's stopping someone from counter-counter-divining? Nothing's absolute in the mystical world. You've changed hideouts so many times, yet I still tracked you down, didn't I? Take my advice: don't rush, or the potion's mental imprint will mess with you.
You're acting the part, not becoming what the potion points to. Unless, of course, you want to fully transform—body and soul—into a woman before you get a chance to turn back into a man. In that case, forget I said anything."
The kitten circled her, occasionally glancing up at her skirt with a teasing "tsk tsk."
Despite the kitten's roguish behavior, the girl didn't snap. She sat back down at the vanity, her commanding position undercut by a faintly timid voice. "Do I really have a chance to become a man again?"
"Don't play the pity card with me. I've been clear: except for the Monster pathway, that lonely orphan of a sequence, every extraordinary pathway has at least one adjacent pathway. At Sequence 5 advancing to Sequence 4, you can switch to an adjacent one. And it just so happens that one of the Assassin pathway's adjacent pathways has a Sequence 4 that can turn a woman into a man." The kitten hopped onto the vanity, leveling its gaze with hers. "I'm just your trading partner, not your sugar daddy, and I've got no interest in sampling a Demoness's charms. So, if you want more intel, pay up—or figure it out yourself."
"I got you that Fourth Epoch notebook! That's a high-grade extraordinary item, capable of substituting for extraordinary materials!" the girl protested, glaring. The kitten flicked its tail dismissively.
"Come on, sister, have a conscience. I told you exactly where to hide and when to strike. All you did was swoop in and pick up the spoils after they beat each other to a pulp. Giving you a Pleasure Witch acting method that doesn't clash with your male mindset was already a stretch. And I just threw in the core of Demoness acting for free!"
The girl took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, repeating the process to steady herself. Fixing her gaze on the kitten, she said, "Fine. Tell me what it'll take for you to reveal the name of the pathway adjacent to Assassin and the details of that Sequence 4."
"What else do you have to trade?" The kitten tilted its head, its eyes scanning her as if calculating her remaining worth.
"The Assassin pathway's potion formulas, from Sequence 9 to Sequence 7," the girl said solemnly, locking eyes with the black cat. The kitten turned, flashing a human-like grin. "You think I'm short on potions?"
"You could use them to train subordinates," she countered, holding its gaze. "The Assassin pathway's potions are top-tier in versatility, both in function and… effectiveness."
The kitten fell briefly silent, then looked up. "Alright, consider it an investment. Write down the formulas. My reputation's solid, right?"
Without hesitation, the girl grabbed a pen and scribbled rapidly.
The kitten watched her write, while elsewhere, Snow was simultaneously copying the formulas' contents.
"These potion formulas are genuine," Snow murmured to himself, channeling his spirituality. He flipped a gold coin high into the air. As it landed heads-up, the kitten mirrored the gesture with a smile.
"Excellent. The deal's done. The pathway adjacent to Assassin is the Hunter pathway. The Sequence 4 is called Iron-Blooded Knight."
"Iron-Blooded Knight, huh?" The girl nodded, still staring at the kitten. "And the bonus?"
"Bonus?" The kitten feigned confusion.
"Don't you always throw in a little extra with our deals?" she said, dead serious.
"Come on, I give bonuses when I'm in a good mood, not as a rule!" The kitten spread its front paws in exasperation. The girl narrowed her eyes. "So? Got anything?"
"Nope!" The kitten tilted its head defiantly. The girl stood abruptly, lifting her skirt slightly by the hem. "What if I put you in a good mood? Would I get a bonus then?"
"Spare me your coy tricks! I'm a cat right now—human feminine wiles don't work on me! And that half-hearted skirt lift? Not even past the knees! No sincerity whatsoever!" The kitten scoffed, eyeing the flushed girl before shifting tone. "Fine. Hand over the full materials for the Assassin pathway potions, and I'll share some secrets tied to the Demoness Sect—plus, I'll toss in the identity of an Iron-Blooded Knight. Of course, whether you can hunt a demigod is on you."
"Tied to me?" The girl ignored the Knight offer, zeroing in on the "tied to" part.
Since the night she became a Demoness and met this cat, they'd made several deals. Despite its infuriating personality, the cat's credibility was solid. If it said something was tied to her, it was likely significant.
"Simply put, it's why the Demoness Sect is so obsessed with feeding men Assassin potions. Oh, and by the way, you're their favorite project so far." The kitten emphasized "project" with a smirk. A chill ran through the girl as she nodded.
"Assassin potion materials aren't rare. But Tingen's black market should have them. If not, I can requisition some from the Witch Sect under the guise of training subordinates. Three days at most. Name a place…"
"You can sacrifice them to my Lord—"
"No. Either give me an address, or come pick them up yourself!" The girl cut the kitten off firmly. It spread its paws helplessly.
"Is praying to my Lord really that bad?"
"Even an occult novice wouldn't pray to some unheard-of evil god!"
(End of Chapter)
--
Author's note:
The original novel mentions that in the Ancient God era, without the concept of sequences, beings consumed similar beyonder characteristics haphazardly. For example, someone with a Demoness's powers might consume a Undying's characteristics, or someone with the Sailor pathway's notarization abilities might take Arbiter pathway characteristics, or the Monster pathway might consume Seer characteristics, and so on.
Kudos to those who thought of the sphere-splitting paradox—very sharp! But that's a spoiler, so I won't say more (laughs).