"Are you afraid?"
Feeling Dekan's body gradually begin to tremble, Olive asked in confusion.
Dekan's strange behavior made her wary, but also stirred a hint of curiosity.
She gently raised an index finger and lifted Dekan's chin, thinking about how to deal with this rare Little Succubus.
But just then, their eyes met again.
For a moment, she had the illusion that she was staring into an abyss ten thousand fathoms deep beneath a sheet of ice.
Dekan's gaze was so cold it sent a chill through her.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
Seeing Olive's astonished expression, Dekan suddenly burst out laughing, as if he had been teasing her all along.
"What are you laughing at?"
The trace of surprise from before still lingered on Olive's face.
"I'm laughing because you're just too cute. You're actually wary of me. It's got me so excited I can hardly stand it."
Dekan slowly raised his slightly trembling hand and clenched it into a fist.
"Do you suspect I was sent by the people upstairs to inspect you?"
His eyes were cold and dangerous, and his laughter held a hint of delight.
"Are you not?"
Olive frowned. She couldn't quite figure out what Dekan was.
Dekan paid no mind to the scorpion tail. He stepped closer and stared directly into Olive's eyes.
If Olive hadn't withdrawn her tail in time, Dekan would probably have been impaled through the stomach.
"If I'd come to inspect you, I wouldn't have wasted so much time talking. I'd have plenty of ways to tempt you into breaking the rules and then deal with you."
Dekan spoke with a faint, elusive smile.
"You have two choices now. Either treat me as your opponent and keep fighting shadows, or hear me out. Maybe you'll discover a pleasure you've never experienced before—one beyond all limits."
His lips barely curved, but his eyes held a complicated mix of enthrallment and teasing.
For some reason, looking at this little devil made Olive feel increasingly restless.
From the very beginning, this little devil had been constantly plucking at her heartstrings.
And now, she was extremely curious about what Dekan meant by "a pleasure beyond all limits."
If only he really wasn't sent by the headmaster or the people upstairs.
"Are you secretly hoping I'll prove who I am?"
Dekan asked in a soft, provocative voice, right by her ear.
Olive froze.
"But you can't prove it beyond doubt, so no matter what, I won't believe you."
Olive replied.
The demons sent by the people upstairs to inspect the place were all tough customers. No matter how tempting it was, she couldn't afford to lose herself in it.
Besides, Succubi were a race skilled at manipulating hearts, and their mouths were full of lies.
She didn't believe Dekan could prove what he really was.
"Well, if I manage to prove that I'm no threat to you, would you play a thrilling, exciting game with me?"
Dekan's voice was light, with the faintest hint of reproach.
"Heh. What if I say yes? Go ahead and prove it. If you really are harmless, I'd have wanted to play with you even without you asking."
Olive narrowed her eyes. She didn't deny it again, but she still watched Dekan warily.
"Isn't it possible that I'm not a demon at all?"
As he asked, Dekan equipped the Cursed Doll.
He reached out and held Olive's chin, gently prying open her little mouth with his thumb. Then he dragged the pad of his thumb across the tips of her teeth.
The sharp, sweet taste of blood flowed into Olive's mouth.
At the same time, a pain came from somewhere, making her body tremble.
"This... is the taste of a human?"
She asked in a daze.
Dekan's disguise might have been perfect, but there was no mistaking the taste of blood.
Olive knew that taste all too well.
She couldn't help staring at Dekan again, as if she had discovered a priceless treasure.
For an instant, her heart seemed ready to burst, and her blood boiled.
What a perfect, what a crazy guy!
He had a dangerous aura and the qualities of a Succubus.
And yet he was a weak human, one who could hardly pose a threat to her.
Most importantly, he had that strange ability to make her feel his pain!
That ability alone had convinced her to keep this human by her side forever, as the best plaything in the world.
[Task Objective 3: No more than 3 infiltrators whose human identities have been exposed. Currently, 4/6 disguises remain intact.]
"That's right. I'm no demon, just a human who harbors goodwill toward demons."
"I want to understand demons better. I want to do something interesting with a charming high-ranking demon like you."
"Even if I'm brought to the brink of death... the more thrilling it is, the harder it is to resist, isn't it?"
Dekan glanced at the task interface and smiled as he spoke.
"Ha ha ha ha! You really are an interesting lunatic! I like you!"
Olive laughed, almost delirious, her eyes already burning with excitement.
"Now, are you interested in playing a game with me? I promise, what you feel will be a hundred, a thousand times more intense than before."
Dekan said.
Just as he'd planned, he'd first calmed Olive, the chaotic demon, then gradually put her at ease and led her in. Now she was finally taking the bait.
"I like you more and more. Come on, what's the harm in playing a little? Tell me your idea."
Olive didn't like following rules, but Dekan's words were filled with an irresistible allure.
She even found herself looking forward to it.
"Wait a moment. I'll cover your eyes. You won't be able to guess or see what I'm going to do to you. There's a fifty percent chance I'll make you feel that ultimate pain again, and a fifty percent chance I'll give you another kind of bliss that'll send you soaring."
Dekan grinned, baring his pale teeth. "What do you think? Want to try?"
Olive's breathing quickened at the suggestion. She seemed almost unable to wait.
She wanted that thrill of anticipation mixed with nervousness.
Either outcome Dekan had described would be the ultimate pleasure for her.
And she didn't have to worry about the weak human Dekan threatening her life.
She rummaged through a cabinet, found a roll of bloodstained gauze, and handed it to Dekan.
"Hurry up."
"No problem. I'll make sure you're satisfied."
Dekan gently pressed on her shoulder, guiding her into a chair, then wrapped the gauze around Olive's eyes, layer by layer.
Before long,
Olive felt Dekan press his forehead against hers.
But all she could see was darkness.
She could only hear her own heartbeat.
She was eager to find out what unknown pleasure and excitement Dekan would bring her.
Dekan silently took out two cards.
The performance was finally over.
To trick Olive into obediently giving him this chance to get so close, he'd acted so convincingly that he'd given himself goosebumps, creating a persona that would draw her in.
But.
Heh heh heh.
Olive was done for.
One of the two cards in Dekan's hand was the Ruined Poet. The other was the last Spell Card he'd brought into this Shadow World without using: Mental Clash.
The instant he summoned the Ruined Poet, he activated the Spell Card.
[Mental Clash]
[Category: Spell Card]
[Rarity: Purple Rare]
[Rank: 1]
[Effect: Only effective when both parties are less than 1 meter apart; the closer they are, the stronger the effect. Triggers a clash of the two parties' mental strength. The stronger party inflicts a Mental Shock on the weaker party, accompanied by a powerful dizziness effect.]
[Note: A contest! A contest! And more contests!]
This Spell Card didn't originally inflict any actual damage.
The final Mental Shock would make the loser's head hurt terribly, but it wouldn't damage the brain.
Its main effect was to cause dizziness.
Of course, that was assuming a pain multiplier of one.
As for how much damage a Mental Shock could cause under a sixtyfold pain multiplier, Dekan had never tried it on anyone...
But today, Dekan would finally get the answer he'd been waiting for.
Before you continue