604. Path to Primordial
“Become ‘something more’? What does that even mean?”
I exclaimed, but the Devil ignored me. Instead, he turned around, and ceded controls to [The World Of My Mind] back to me. He strode back— like he was about to leave. But I stopped him, pointing an accusing finger his way.
“Also— what [The Great Agarus] did is not impressive at all! I know of Primeval Demons who can come back from the dead!”
I waved a hand off dismissively, before pausing. I thought of a burning city. And I thought of a siege.
“I even know an Archdemon who could do it! And I also knew Humans who could do that too! So I’m not impressed.”
I huffed, looking towards the horizon. [The Great Agarus] was disappearing over the horizon— it was fleeing as far as it could from the Beast, refusing to risk dying again. Sal just sighed, shaking his head.
“Certainly, there are those who have yet to hit their final evolution who can cheat death with a Grand Skill. But… is cheating death once truly such a great feat?”
He tilted his head at me. And I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Tell me: how often can these Archdemons or Humans escape death? Once a day? Certainly not. Once a week, perhaps? Or, probably, once a month? Maybe even once a year…”
Sal looked back towards the direction where [The Great Agarus] fled— the wild Primordial Demon was gone, no longer visible from where we stood. It had bounded away as fast as it could, and it could move incredibly fast.
The Devil smirked.
“Perhaps to a mere Primeval Demon like you, my dear daughter, such feats are impressive. However, to even undergo your final evolution, these so-called Grand Skills of yours will be no different from an ordinary Skill in nature.”
“Are you saying that every Skill becomes a Grand Skill at Level 200?”
I blinked a few times. That sounded awesome to me. But Sal shook his head.
“In a way, yes. But also… no.”
I massaged my temples, confused.
“I don’t get it…”
But a voice spoke up behind me.
“I do.”
Haec strode up to me from behind as I turned around. I faced my companion, and he offered me a reassuring smile. He still hesitated when faced with the Devil, but he didn’t back away warily like before.
“The Demon King—”
The former Heir of the Netherworld started, then paused. He deliberately cut himself off and corrected himself.
“I mean, Regnorex told me what the requirements were to become a Primordial Demon. It is not as simple as you think, Salvos.”
I frowned as I stared at my companion. The Devil nodded along in the background. I crossed my arms.
“And what makes evolving into a Primordial Demon more difficult than any other evolution?”
I huffed. Haec pursed his lips.
“Because the requirements become so much steeper. It is the reason why Regnorex refused to let any of the Dukes or Duchesses into his Vanguard. Because he only allows those who have the potential to become a Primordial Demon into the ranks of those hundred Primeval Demons.”
He explained as he gestured weakly at himself and Taburas.
“Even we were excluded from the Vanguard. And I was the Heir of the Netherworld.”
I blinked, looking Haec up and down.
“But why? You haven’t explained what you need to do to become a Primordial Demon.”
“Well, it’s simple.”
Haec sighed as I raised a brow. I didn’t know why both my companion and my dad kept skirting around the topic. But it seemed I was finally going to get an answer as Haec continued.
“The reason why evolving into a Primordial Demon is difficult is the evolutionary options given to you are far more limited than even the evolution into a Primeval Demon. And to even be given the option to evolve, you will need to max out all your Grand Skills first.”
He held my gaze as he spoke. My eyes went wide, and I opened my mouth.
“Wait, that means…?”
The Devil sighed, speaking over my companion.
“To put it simply: the more Grand Skills you have, my daughter, the harder it’ll be for you to become a Primordial Demon. And last I checked, you have quite a handful of Grand Skills.”
“Huh.”
I stared at my dad as he finished. He wore a small smirk on his face. I didn’t like it. Usually, it was playful, but this time it seemed condescending. I looked between him and Haec.
“Is that true?”
I asked softly, and my companion.
“Unfortunately, it is true, Salvos.”
“But my Grand Skills aren’t just for my Subspecies!”
I tried to protest, gesticulating wildly.
“One of my Grand Skills is a General Skill, and the others are for my Class! So I only have one Grand Skill that I need to max out— and I’ve already maxed it out!”
I placed a hand on my chest as I spoke. But the Devil just shook his head at me.
“It does not matter if it’s a Grand Skill for your Class, or if it’s a General Grand Skill. The requirements to evolve into a Primordial Demon require you to max out all your Grand Skills, or for you to have no Grand Skills at all.”
“What…?”
I just stared at him in disbelief. I tried to work my jaw, but I couldn't find the right words to say. This didn’t make sense to me— if what my dad and Haec were saying was true, that meant that it became harder to evolve because I achieved more feats before I became a Primordial Demon.
I caught myself, wiping the stupid look of my face. I shook a fist at the world.
“That’s stupid! That’s so stupid! You’re messing with me, right?”
“Unfortunately, my daughter, I am being as serious as I will ever be right now.”
The Devil took a step back, before gesturing vaguely at me.
“If all your Grand Skills are maxed by the time you’re Level 190, you could potentially even be given an evolution at that point. Depending on what you’ve accomplished, of course.”
He turned around and faced the rest of the Netherworld. The lake of fire expanded around me, and the cracks in the sky began to close. He spread his arms wide as he explained.
“Once you’ve maxed out your Grand Skills, you will find that using them is a lot less laborious than they once were. They will be quite like your ordinary Skills when you were a Lesser Demon— the cooldown between each use taking hours and not days, days and not weeks. And once you become a Primordial Demon, your ordinary Skills shall be elevated to be nigh Grand Skills. And with it, even a Level 199 Primeval Demon stands no chance against a Level 190 Primordial Demon.”
“That doesn’t explain anything!”
I wanted to tear out my hair, frustrated. Sal just snickered.
“[The Great Agarus] once died six times in a single day, and it returned each time because of its Skills. Perhaps if slain four more times, it would have eventually permanently succumbed to death. But at that point, killing it becomes a mere hindrance, rather than the threat it is to one such as you.”
“Right, I get that… I think. But how does that relate to needing to max out my Grand Skills in level before I evolve?”
I asked exasperatedly. He sighed.
“You don’t get it, do you? Once your ordinary Skills are nearly as powerful as a Grand Skill, then what becomes of a Grand Skill? That’s right— it is no longer so grand. So it has to reach its max potential before it can become a Grand Skill befitting a Primordial Demon.”
“That’s—”
I opened my mouth. What my dad said made sense, but I still found it incredibly annoying. So I voiced my frustrations.
“That’s just so dumb! And is that why Haec can’t join the Demon King’s Vanguard? Because he has two Grand Skills?”
I asked as I turned to my companion. He nodded at me.
“They have no Grand Skills, Salvos. Not a single one of them has a Grand Skill. Only Primeval Demons who have the potential to become a Primordial Demon the fastest are allowed to join the Vanguard.”
I frowned for a moment.
“Wait, so the hundred Primeval Demons who were going to accompany Regnorex to the Mortal Realm were just the ones who could become a Primordial Demon? Are you saying he has even more Primeval Demons in his army?”
“He has over a thousand in his army, Salvos.”
Haec explained simply. He gestured broadly in the direction of the Demon King’s Domain.
“He has enough Demons in his army to crush not just all of the Human lands, but all of Secely.”
“Huh.”
I stared at Haec, processing this. So Regnorex was even more dangerous than I thought. And he was definitely more dangerous than anyone in the Human lands could ever imagine. I wondered how I was going to be able to break that news once I returned.
I stood there, taking in all these new pieces of information— the fact that it was going to take me forever to become a Primordial Demon because of all my Grand Skills, and the fact that the Demon King’s army was… just that terrifying. It was almost too much for me at the same time.
But my dad just smiled at me. He didn’t do it reassuringly. Instead, he did it with a mocking look.
“I’m glad you finally understand the gravity of your situation, my dear daughter. I didn’t want you running around, making a fool out of yourself, not realizing how out of your depth you are.”
Sal took a step back, and a rift opened up behind him. My brows snapped together when I saw this.
“Now if you’ll excuse me—”
He started, but I immediately reached out to grab him. He blinked, and Haec paused, seeing this. Taburas, Bertrugil, and Aemula who had been standing off to the side, eavesdropping on the conversation, recoiled at my sudden reaction. But I had stopped the Devil on instinct alone.
Because there was something that still needed to be done.
“Wait.”
I said simply. Sal opened his mouth and moved back to break away from me, but I spoke over him.
“I still need to talk to you about something, Dad.”
I held the Devil’s gaze. My eyes flickered, and tiny flakes of corruption wisped off me. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the end of the world in my eyes. The ruins of a once vast kingdom.
His kingdom.
And he knew what I was talking about.
“Ah… that.”
MelasD
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604. Path to Primordial
“Become ‘something more’? What does that even mean?”
I exclaimed, but the Devil ignored me. Instead, he turned around, and ceded controls to [The World Of My Mind] back to me. He strode back— like he was about to leave. But I stopped him, pointing an accusing finger his way.
“Also— what [The Great Agarus] did is not impressive at all! I know of Primeval Demons who can come back from the dead!”
I waved a hand off dismissively, before pausing. I thought of a burning city. And I thought of a siege.
“I even know an Archdemon who could do it! And I also knew Humans who could do that too! So I’m not impressed.”
I huffed, looking towards the horizon. [The Great Agarus] was disappearing over the horizon— it was fleeing as far as it could from the Beast, refusing to risk dying again. Sal just sighed, shaking his head.
“Certainly, there are those who have yet to hit their final evolution who can cheat death with a Grand Skill. But… is cheating death once truly such a great feat?”
He tilted his head at me. And I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Tell me: how often can these Archdemons or Humans escape death? Once a day? Certainly not. Once a week, perhaps? Or, probably, once a month? Maybe even once a year…”
Sal looked back towards the direction where [The Great Agarus] fled— the wild Primordial Demon was gone, no longer visible from where we stood. It had bounded away as fast as it could, and it could move incredibly fast.
The Devil smirked.
“Perhaps to a mere Primeval Demon like you, my dear daughter, such feats are impressive. However, to even undergo your final evolution, these so-called Grand Skills of yours will be no different from an ordinary Skill in nature.”
“Are you saying that every Skill becomes a Grand Skill at Level 200?”
I blinked a few times. That sounded awesome to me. But Sal shook his head.
“In a way, yes. But also… no.”
I massaged my temples, confused.
“I don’t get it…”
But a voice spoke up behind me.
“I do.”
Haec strode up to me from behind as I turned around. I faced my companion, and he offered me a reassuring smile. He still hesitated when faced with the Devil, but he didn’t back away warily like before.
“The Demon King—”
The former Heir of the Netherworld started, then paused. He deliberately cut himself off and corrected himself.
“I mean, Regnorex told me what the requirements were to become a Primordial Demon. It is not as simple as you think, Salvos.”
I frowned as I stared at my companion. The Devil nodded along in the background. I crossed my arms.
“And what makes evolving into a Primordial Demon more difficult than any other evolution?”
I huffed. Haec pursed his lips.
“Because the requirements become so much steeper. It is the reason why Regnorex refused to let any of the Dukes or Duchesses into his Vanguard. Because he only allows those who have the potential to become a Primordial Demon into the ranks of those hundred Primeval Demons.”
He explained as he gestured weakly at himself and Taburas.
“Even we were excluded from the Vanguard. And I was the Heir of the Netherworld.”
I blinked, looking Haec up and down.
“But why? You haven’t explained what you need to do to become a Primordial Demon.”
“Well, it’s simple.”
Haec sighed as I raised a brow. I didn’t know why both my companion and my dad kept skirting around the topic. But it seemed I was finally going to get an answer as Haec continued.
“The reason why evolving into a Primordial Demon is difficult is the evolutionary options given to you are far more limited than even the evolution into a Primeval Demon. And to even be given the option to evolve, you will need to max out all your Grand Skills first.”
He held my gaze as he spoke. My eyes went wide, and I opened my mouth.
“Wait, that means…?”
The Devil sighed, speaking over my companion.
“To put it simply: the more Grand Skills you have, my daughter, the harder it’ll be for you to become a Primordial Demon. And last I checked, you have quite a handful of Grand Skills.”
“Huh.”
I stared at my dad as he finished. He wore a small smirk on his face. I didn’t like it. Usually, it was playful, but this time it seemed condescending. I looked between him and Haec.
“Is that true?”
I asked softly, and my companion.
“Unfortunately, it is true, Salvos.”
“But my Grand Skills aren’t just for my Subspecies!”
I tried to protest, gesticulating wildly.
“One of my Grand Skills is a General Skill, and the others are for my Class! So I only have one Grand Skill that I need to max out— and I’ve already maxed it out!”
I placed a hand on my chest as I spoke. But the Devil just shook his head at me.
“It does not matter if it’s a Grand Skill for your Class, or if it’s a General Grand Skill. The requirements to evolve into a Primordial Demon require you to max out all your Grand Skills, or for you to have no Grand Skills at all.”
“What…?”
I just stared at him in disbelief. I tried to work my jaw, but I couldn't find the right words to say. This didn’t make sense to me— if what my dad and Haec were saying was true, that meant that it became harder to evolve because I achieved more feats before I became a Primordial Demon.
I caught myself, wiping the stupid look of my face. I shook a fist at the world.
“That’s stupid! That’s so stupid! You’re messing with me, right?”
“Unfortunately, my daughter, I am being as serious as I will ever be right now.”
The Devil took a step back, before gesturing vaguely at me.
“If all your Grand Skills are maxed by the time you’re Level 190, you could potentially even be given an evolution at that point. Depending on what you’ve accomplished, of course.”
He turned around and faced the rest of the Netherworld. The lake of fire expanded around me, and the cracks in the sky began to close. He spread his arms wide as he explained.
“Once you’ve maxed out your Grand Skills, you will find that using them is a lot less laborious than they once were. They will be quite like your ordinary Skills when you were a Lesser Demon— the cooldown between each use taking hours and not days, days and not weeks. And once you become a Primordial Demon, your ordinary Skills shall be elevated to be nigh Grand Skills. And with it, even a Level 199 Primeval Demon stands no chance against a Level 190 Primordial Demon.”
“That doesn’t explain anything!”
I wanted to tear out my hair, frustrated. Sal just snickered.
“[The Great Agarus] once died six times in a single day, and it returned each time because of its Skills. Perhaps if slain four more times, it would have eventually permanently succumbed to death. But at that point, killing it becomes a mere hindrance, rather than the threat it is to one such as you.”
“Right, I get that… I think. But how does that relate to needing to max out my Grand Skills in level before I evolve?”
I asked exasperatedly. He sighed.
“You don’t get it, do you? Once your ordinary Skills are nearly as powerful as a Grand Skill, then what becomes of a Grand Skill? That’s right— it is no longer so grand. So it has to reach its max potential before it can become a Grand Skill befitting a Primordial Demon.”
“That’s—”
I opened my mouth. What my dad said made sense, but I still found it incredibly annoying. So I voiced my frustrations.
“That’s just so dumb! And is that why Haec can’t join the Demon King’s Vanguard? Because he has two Grand Skills?”
I asked as I turned to my companion. He nodded at me.
“They have no Grand Skills, Salvos. Not a single one of them has a Grand Skill. Only Primeval Demons who have the potential to become a Primordial Demon the fastest are allowed to join the Vanguard.”
I frowned for a moment.
“Wait, so the hundred Primeval Demons who were going to accompany Regnorex to the Mortal Realm were just the ones who could become a Primordial Demon? Are you saying he has even more Primeval Demons in his army?”
“He has over a thousand in his army, Salvos.”
Haec explained simply. He gestured broadly in the direction of the Demon King’s Domain.
“He has enough Demons in his army to crush not just all of the Human lands, but all of Secely.”
“Huh.”
I stared at Haec, processing this. So Regnorex was even more dangerous than I thought. And he was definitely more dangerous than anyone in the Human lands could ever imagine. I wondered how I was going to be able to break that news once I returned.
I stood there, taking in all these new pieces of information— the fact that it was going to take me forever to become a Primordial Demon because of all my Grand Skills, and the fact that the Demon King’s army was… just that terrifying. It was almost too much for me at the same time.
But my dad just smiled at me. He didn’t do it reassuringly. Instead, he did it with a mocking look.
“I’m glad you finally understand the gravity of your situation, my dear daughter. I didn’t want you running around, making a fool out of yourself, not realizing how out of your depth you are.”
Sal took a step back, and a rift opened up behind him. My brows snapped together when I saw this.
“Now if you’ll excuse me—”
He started, but I immediately reached out to grab him. He blinked, and Haec paused, seeing this. Taburas, Bertrugil, and Aemula who had been standing off to the side, eavesdropping on the conversation, recoiled at my sudden reaction. But I had stopped the Devil on instinct alone.
Because there was something that still needed to be done.
“Wait.”
I said simply. Sal opened his mouth and moved back to break away from me, but I spoke over him.
“I still need to talk to you about something, Dad.”
I held the Devil’s gaze. My eyes flickered, and tiny flakes of corruption wisped off me. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the end of the world in my eyes. The ruins of a once vast kingdom.
His kingdom.
And he knew what I was talking about.
“Ah… that.”
MelasD
You can now read up to 30 chapters ahead on my patreon and support the webcomic.
Join my discord or subreddit.
Follow me on twitter or instagram.
