It had been a long time, and Marc was almost fifteen. The admission of new students to the academy was set to happen in December, meaning Marc would soon have the chance to meet the protagonist.
He felt both excited and worried at the same time, knowing he couldn't control the plot indefinitely. If this were real life, some of the annoying traits of the female lead and the male lead would become real, causing Marc to involuntarily recoil in disgust.
Marc found it a little strange that ever since he had gotten the devil's eyes, his eye color had changed to golden. He could now see perfectly at night, which was an advantage, but the mutation had made his mana rare, leaving him unaware of Diablo using demonic energy on him.
It was August, which meant the academy would start admissions in just four months. Marc was glad he didn't have to wait too long for this, and he would be turning fifteen in October. He had gained enough strength to rank among the top three first-years if he attended the academy.
He went to the association to accept a mission. At the quest board, Marc's eyes scanned the E-rank hunting quests. Diablo had been nagging him to take on a gargoyle extermination quest, so he finally agreed to it.
The gargoyle nest was located on the outskirts of a nearby town. The journey to the town took six hours. Upon arriving, the mayor expressed immense gratitude towards Marc.
He was treated like a VIP in the town, taken to a fancy hotel at no cost, and women were brought in to keep him company at night. While he rejected their company, he certainly didn't refuse the complimentary services.
After a restful night, he told himself that the hunt would begin the next day.
In the morning, Marc woke up early and started searching for the nest. Although he had been given a map, it wasn't detailed enough.
After hours of searching, Marc finally located the nest. It appeared to be newly established, housing only five gargoyles and three eggs with shells resembling stone.
He waited until the five gargoyles left the nest, ignoring Diablo's persistent urging to attack them head-on. He could charge in, but he wanted to be cautious, knowing that gargoyles had petrifying poison in their claws and razor-sharp teeth.
Once all the gargoyles had left, Marc dashed for the eggs. The eggs were extremely valuable; some nobles used these monsters as pets, while mage towers utilized them as test subjects.
However, Marc knew when to curb his greed and told Diablo that they shouldn't be overly greedy.
Diablo simply replied with a single word: "Pushover."
Marc decided not to argue with a thousand-year-old devil and quickly dropped the subject. Looking at the eggs, he destroyed them swiftly and concealed their remains. When the gargoyles returned, he was already hiding behind a large rock.
The gargoyles were shocked by the disappearance of their eggs. They quickly sniffed the area and discovered the buried remains. The largest of the gargoyles mourned their loss before letting out a deafening roar. Gargoyles weren't dangerous solely because of their poison, but also due to their high intelligence. Despite their intellect, they could not be reasoned with; they were still classified as monsters.
Now that the gargoyles were enraged and thinking irrationally, Marc used a stone infused with one-third of his mana, which he hurled at the weakest-looking gargoyle. The stone pierced the gargoyle's head instantly.
The remaining four gargoyles became even more furious; the loss of their eggs and companion transformed their grief into a vengeful charge toward Marc.
Marc skillfully countered and attacked the gargoyles. After years of training his devil eyes, he had honed his skills effectively.
Marc's devil eyes had four modes:
- The round pupil, which was the base mode, improved his eyesight and helped him estimate attack trajectories.
- The vertical pupils provided better sight and night vision.
- The horizontal pupils offered almost 360-degree vision.
- Lastly, the cross pupils combined the powers of both the horizontal and vertical pupils.
While this last mode was powerful, it put a strain on his eyes since it didn't consume mana. Continuous use could lead to bleeding or even serious eye damage.
With his devil eyes activated, Marc easily took out two of the remaining gargoyles. Now only the leader remained, and it seemed to have calmed down a bit. Marc recognized this change and prepared himself.
The fight was straightforward: Marc charged in and backed off when the gargoyle attacked. He understood that if the battle dragged on, he would eventually find himself at a disadvantage.
To end the fight quickly, Marc recklessly charged at the gargoyle, sustaining some scratches. The gargoyle was taken aback by his seemingly suicidal action.
However, Marc wasn't being reckless; he knew Diablo could neutralize the poison, but he preferred not to rely on him too much.
When an opening appeared in the gargoyle's defense, Marc seized the opportunity and lunged forward, plunging his sword into the gargoyle's heart. The gargoyle fell to the ground, rolling until it stopped.