Demons were classified into ten tiers, a ranking known across the hidden continent. At the bottom were the 10th-tier demons, the weakest of their kind, while at the very top stood the 1st-tier demons, the most powerful of all.
However, although these ranks were widely known among the masses, demons above the fith rank were merely myths the people and mages read about in history books. For hundreds of thousands of years, not a single fourth or higher-tiered demon has been spotted.
According to the Book of Legends, the first sage to ever exist is said to have eradicated the den of these terrifying creatures. Since then, the inhabitants of the Hidden Continent have celebrated this event annually and wholeheartedly thanked the pioneer of magic.
Derik's eyes lit up with fascination as he studied the structure of a 10th-ranked demon leader. Absorbed in his curiosity, he failed to notice the terrifying gazes of the chained demons. Even Tanya was busy teaching Derik the difference between a regular 10th-ranked demon and a leader among those, which led to her senses not detecting the abnormality.
Just a few meters from the lake's shore, the demons being transported to the merchants union to be sold desperately struggled to free themselves from their chains and flee the place as soon as possible. Their once dim eyes turned bloody red as they fiercely used every bit of their strength to break free.
Clank...Clank...Clank...
Clank!
At first, the mages paid no attention to the demons' constant struggles. They had witnessed such scenes countless times before, as it was common for the captives to periodically fight against their restraints in vain attempts to break free.
However, the next scene stunned them, causing goosebumps to run down their bodies and making their hair stand on end with instinctive fear.
Right before the soldiers, all the 10th-ranked demons dropped to their knees, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. Despite being the lowest-ranked demons with underdeveloped minds, they still prostrated respectfully on the ground, not daring even to breathe too loudly.
"Told you not to worry, Derik, such a demon would fetch a high price!." Tanya wore her rigid face and scolded, "Brandin! Come over here! Shackle this demon as soon as possible!"
"Ma...Ma'am!" A bald, fat man who appeared to be six foot six didn't dare to take out the shackles from the horse but stood there, fearful of the sudden scene.
Meanwhile, upon hearing her subordinate's stuttering and noticing the sudden eerie silence that had fallen over the slaves, Tanya turned her head to investigate the cause.
The moment her eyes fell upon the kneeling 10th-ranked demons, a wave of fear gripped her heart. Instinctively, she muttered under her breath:
"Wind Steps."
As she finished speaking, her figure vanished, leaving only afterimages in her place. In an instant, Tanya had moved 10 meters away from her original position, now floating in mid-air above the lake.
Thud!
On the lake's shore, each soldier, lesser demon, and even Derik himself could be seen lifelessly dropping to the ground with a loud thud; their heads could be seen rolling on the ground with blood gushing out of them and their necks like a miniature fountain.
'If I were a moment slower, I would have lost my head as all of them!'
This scene caused the woman to take a deep breath, and she could not regain her senses for a long time!
This was mind-blowing; this entire thing was too much for Tanya to handle.
What lesser demons and merchants union to sell it to them? Tanya felt she would be fortunate if she were to escape this place alive, much less think about such things. But the most crucial part for Tanya at this moment was the identity of this demon.
'This is no leader of 10th-ranked demons; this is something way stronger than those!' Tanya's heart beat faster with each passing second.' Just what is happening in this forest? Is this still Duke Brand's territory?'
It should be known that anything in this forest near the cave was under Duke Brand's direct control, and all the demons in this forest shouldn't surpass the 8th-rank demons. Anything powerful than that was supposed to get banished into the depths of the mountains, or were the textbooks the empire published were deceiving others?
It's a nightmare; this isn't something humans could deal with! Tanya could really feel every inch of her body shivering from fear!
She was a tier 3 mage, and one of the ten adventurers ranked S in the Empire. If not for the astronomical amount Derik paid to hire her to hunt dozens of demons to be sold and also to complete his family's mission, Tanya would have never agreed to such a low-level mission.
Yet, as someone of her status and strength, she felt that her life was meaningless each second she gazed at the demon, who stood meters across the lake. The demon was five feet tall, with a hunched back and a few horns from his forehead.
She felt that her long years of cultivating, accumulating mana, and striving to become one of the strongest wind magicians in the Empire had just been childish play.
"Just what exactly is that?" Tanya regained her senses after a long, long time.
On the seashore, the demon Tanya had brought to sell watched her with amusement. He made no move, simply observing her growing fear with each passing second. It was as if he delighted in toying with his prey before devouring her.
Tap...
With a single tap of his foot on the muddy ground, the demon's figure vanished, reappearing a mere centimeter in front of the woman the very next moment.
"Hu...Huuh?!"Tanya was nearly overwhelmed by the demon's sudden burst of speed. Before she could utter a word or make a single move, he raised a finger, and chains forged from demonic energy coiled around her, binding every fiber of her being. A faint layer of the same energy sealed her mouth, leaving her utterly helpless.
"I'm not going to harm you; relax," the demon said in a hoarse voice. He could feel the human's internal struggle and noticed the bloodshot intensity in her eyes, but he didn't care as long as he got what he came here for.
Although Tanya didn't dare to believe his words, she stopped resisting the chains and forced herself to calm down, fully aware that escaping this demon was impossible.
"I intended to deliver this message to a powerful mage, but it seems I only managed to catch a rather weak one instead," he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he debated whether to seek out a stronger human or settle for this one.
"Ugh, this is too much thinking. Listen, human," the demon said impatiently. "I'll ask you questions, and you'll answer with a yes or no. Blink once for yes and twice for no." Without offering further clarification, he went straight into his questioning.
"Tell me, do you have any connections to any strong person in this land?"
Hearing his first question, Tanya rolled her eyes at him. 'Am I truly that weak in your eyes?' she thought, irritation flaring unexpectedly. For some reason, her fear, panic, and every other emotion had been swept away and replaced by anger.
Despite her anger, Tanya didn't dare waste time. She immediately blinked once.