If it were an ordinary little demon, it would never behave like this.
Little demons kill to satisfy their hunger and their nature; they never waste energy on pointless actions.
Alan was puzzled when suddenly the ground began to tremble. A terrifying creature burst forth from the crowd of little demons, charging straight at him.
What... what is that?
Upon seeing the monster, Alan was momentarily stunned.
**Strong.**
**Inordinately strong.**
The little demon's evolutionary path was clearly different from Alan's. Its muscles bulged grotesquely, trampling through the crowd like a tank, effortlessly crushing any little demon that dared to attack it. They were grabbed and squeezed like wet rags.
If I could eat this guy...
No, no, no...
Alan quickly shoved that thought from his mind.
This monster had likely undergone countless evolutions—four times? Five times? It was simply beyond Alan's capabilities to contend with.
I should run.
Just as Alan scrambled to his feet, the muscle-bound monster abruptly halted its assault on the demon it had caught. It turned its gaze toward Alan, its instincts screaming that devouring the nearby demon would benefit its own power.
Ugh...
With a deep, rumbling growl, the muscle monster broke into a grotesque grin and lowered itself into a sprint toward Alan.
Oh no, why is this monster coming after me?!
Feeling the tremors beneath him, Alan turned to see the massive demon barreling toward him, causing his heart to race as he hastened his escape.
But to make matters worse, the muscle-bound monster was roaring into the air as it ran, as if it wanted everyone to know it was there. Because of this, a ring of little demons began to encircle Alan.
These little demons were manageable, but if that muscle monster caught up, he would be in serious trouble.
Alan needed to stand firm to kill the demons blocking his path, but the behemoth behind him could simply bulldoze through everything in its way.
Bang!
Finally, the terrifying muscle monster reached a short distance away from Alan. It raised its hands high, fists crashing down into the ground. A violent tremor radiated from its position, causing the surrounding little demons to stumble and fall, while Alan fought to maintain his balance.
Seizing this moment, the muscle monster, now on all fours, charged straight at Alan without missing a beat.
There's no way out; it's time to fight!
Alan lifted his hands, bracing himself for the impending strike. A tremendous force struck his head, and his vision went dark as a wave of pain pulsed through him, nearly knocking him unconscious.
This power… would surely turn any feeble little demon into pulp.
Seeing the "little guy" before him not flattened, the muscle monster was puzzled. Ever since it had evolved, its fists had never failed to crush opponents; this was the first time it had encountered resistance.
But it didn't matter; if one punch wouldn't do it, two punches would suffice.
With that thought, the muscle monster pressed Alan down with one hand while raising the other fist high, preparing to bring it down with force.
I'm done for…
Alan closed his eyes in despair, bracing for death.
Just then, a radiant light enveloped Alan's body, and with a loud boom, the muscle monster's fist crashed down.
However, when it pulled back its fist, it found not a pile of meat but a corpse crushed beneath its weight.
Where did that guy go!?
The muscle monster pondered as it began to unleash its fury, wreaking havoc on the surrounding little demons.
......
"Ugh… looks like I'm not dead yet."
When Alan slowly opened his eyes, he found himself in a room filled with candles. His eyes widened in disbelief.
The scent...
Indeed, there was no scent of blood here, nor was it dry.
This wasn't the Abyss.
I'm back.
*"Detected that the host has crossed planes, updating data.
Location: Main Plane, Kingdom of Byronvale.
Unlocking side quest: Assist the summoner in fulfilling their wish.
Reward: Offering."*
I… have been summoned!
In an instant, memories surged from the depths of his bloodline, expanding Alan's previously inadequate knowledge about little demons.
**Demon Contracts.**
These are the laws established after the separation of chaos and order, defined by the two Great Demons of Arrogance and Greed, and a powerful fallen human.
According to these laws, beings from the main plane can summon specific, semi-sentient demons from Hell through a certain ritual, bringing them into the main plane. The strength of the summoned demon depends on the summoner's desires. For simple tasks, a cunning imp may be summoned, while for an act of destruction, such as annihilating a nation or slaughtering a race, a terrifying demon would appear. In most cases, fulfilling the summoner's wishes is not terribly challenging for the summoned demon.
Of course, demons are not benevolent little sprites; they require compensation for their services.
**Offerings.**
To command a demon to act, one must provide an offering.
For the summoned demon, an offering is something they greatly desire, which could be the crystallized souls of hundreds or thousands, or perhaps some form of magical essence.
An imp might be satisfied with common magical crystals or equipment, while a terrifying demon might demand a diamond stained with the blood of thousands or a large-scale ritual sacrifice.
Once the offering is accepted, the demon agrees to assist the host in fulfilling their wish, bound by the laws of the contract, unable to harm the summoner, and required to exert their full effort to complete the wish. After the host's death or the wish's fulfillment, the demon returns to the Abyss.
However, if the offering does not meet the demon's needs, the demon is entitled to do anything to the summoner. Eating the summoner would be a light punishment; more severe repercussions could involve having their soul extracted and turned into a puppet for the amusement of powerful demons in the Abyss.
Naturally, when the rules were drafted, both Great Demons left ample room for interaction between the summoner and the demon.
Ah… it feels nice to breathe in the moist air again.
Alan stepped out of the summoning circle, taking a deep breath.
Having narrowly escaped death, returning to the main plane, and receiving an offering—these three joys combined should have been…
*Cough cough.*
Just as Alan was about to express his gratitude, he noticed a frail girl in a tattered robe, propped up on her hands, holding a piece of seemingly indiscernible material in front of her. Her face was filled with terror as she stared at him.
And before her lay a transparent orb made of unknown material.
If he guessed correctly, she was the one who summoned him.
And that transparent orb in front of her should be his offering.