The voice came abruptly and vanished just as quickly, like an illusion.
But immediately afterward, He Xi felt as though something had touched the depths of his soul.
The sensation was impossible to describe in words.
This time, there truly was an invisible hand that branded a mark deep within his soul.
His drowsiness vanished in an instant!
He jerked his eyes open. Everything in the room was as usual, save for the moonlight and snoring.
He looked at his status panel.
[Status: Mora's Blessing: You have received the blessing of the Stone Vein Speaker. Constitution permanently +4. This bonus ignores any curse or weakening effect. Spined Boar Meat's Bonus: Constitution +3. Remaining duration of this bonus: 12 minutes. Salamachis's Mark: You have attracted the attention of a powerful being. She can periodically sense your existence and attempt to invade your thoughts with seductive whispers. Charisma +1.]
"The meaning of this mark is..."
"Have I been targeted by that demon?"
He quickly calmed down and analyzed the situation.
The contract problem had been resolved, but a new problem had appeared.
He looked at the mark's description and recalled the whisper:
"Heh, what an interesting little fellow... I'll come find you to play when I have the time."
Play?
Judging from the description, this demon did not seem to harbor pure malice.
Perhaps she had merely found him interesting and casually branded him so she could toy with him whenever she remembered him later.
Because he knew very clearly that with his current strength, if she truly wanted to do anything to him, he would not even have room to resist.
It was more like the curiosity one felt toward an ant that had narrowly escaped one's claws.
The feeling that his life and freedom depended entirely on another