Stavago's Slumber

As time passed, the liquid poured over the magic array solidified completely. Just then, a roar burst from within the array!

Before, the enormous shadow had merely looked as though it were roaring. This time, the roar was real.

ROAR!!!

For a moment, the entire canyon—no, not just the canyon, but the surrounding land for who knew how far—fell utterly silent.

It was the roar of a superior being, but certain emotions seemed to run through it: a desperate hunger to possess something, coupled with extreme agitation. Never mind Dean—even Kana and the other two had no idea what the enormous figure was trying to express. It did not seem to belong to an intelligent race.

"It... it seems to be looking for something!" Yanxi said fearfully. She was not the only one; Kana, Dean, and Lamore were all trembling too, shaken by the enormous figure's roar.

"A vessel! This big fellow must be looking for a vessel!" Dean sucked in a cold breath. It seemed that, with the addition of that roar, all the necessary conditions had finally been met. More information streamed out of the Infinite Eye.

"Giant Spirit Summoning Array!" Dean pronounced each word distinctly.

Kana and the other two still looked puzzled. Just as they were about to ask what a Giant Spirit Summoning Array was, the Goblin Shaman below stepped forward.

Gagaga!!! Gagaga!!!

After a few cries none of the four could understand, the old Goblin Shaman prostrated himself at the edge of the magic array. Meanwhile, the rather handsome little Goblin carefully walked into its center, cradling something in his hands.

Opening his cupped hands, the little Goblin placed a tiny green bean at the very center of the array. A small circle drawn there was just large enough to hold that little green bean—the Soul Stone.

"So that's it. A Giant Spirit Summoning Array and a Soul Stone. He certainly lives up to his rank as a level-three Goblin Shaman mage. His intelligence probably surpasses even that of an ordinary human." Dean was already drenched in cold sweat.

Kana seemed to have understood something. She looked at Dean, urging him to continue, while Yanxi and Lamore wore utterly bewildered expressions. All they knew was that the big fellow below was powerful—and far from ordinarily powerful.

The Giant Spirit Summoning Array was one of the more difficult intermediate spells. However, if the being summoned was not particularly powerful, the spell became correspondingly easier.

That was not its most important feature. What mattered most was that this magic array allowed substitutions: various magical materials could replace the caster's own mana when inscribing it.

That was why the Goblin Shaman could complete this spell with mana barely stronger than a Level-One Magic Apprentice's. Of course, this was only the preliminary preparation, and it had already consumed enormous amounts of labor and resources.

The moment the little Goblin placed the Soul Stone in the magic array, the enormous shadow let out another roar, this time carrying a trace of excitement.

"That's right. This Soul Stone serves as a vessel for the summoned being's soul. The enormous summoned soul will reside inside it for a short time, stabilizing the summoned being's activity in this realm."

Dean did not know why information about the Giant Spirit Summoning Array kept streaming out, but he did not dwell on it, especially at such a critical moment. Only by obtaining more information would the four of them have a chance to escape alive.

Of course they had to escape. This nest of Goblins alone could finish the four of them off in minutes, let alone the incomparably powerful fellow about to be summoned. How could they possibly not run?

In the Demon Abyss World, an unknowable distance away, a water mirror floated before the demon Stavago. Within it, the general situation in the canyon could be dimly made out.

"Tch, this kid really knows how to find trouble. He's only just signed the contract, and he's merely a Level-One Magic Apprentice. How did he manage to provoke a level-four brute from the Giant Race?" Stavago said, somewhat disappointed.

It looked as though the odds were stacked heavily against him. After all, against a level-four opponent, even a hundred level-one Deans would be useless. And he had only a four-person party. Thus, Stavago transmitted all the information he had about the Giant Spirit Summoning Array.

"I hope you survive this calamity and become a delicious dinner by the time I wake up!" Stavago murmured to himself.

In truth, after forging the cross-world contract last time, Stavago had lost so much power that he needed to recover through slumber. A demon's sleep lasted decades, and even a century was not uncommon.

Countless red motes of light, large and small, floated in Stavago's bedroom. Among them, however, were only a few blue motes and a single white one.

"This trash can only replenish my soul, no matter how much I eat." Frowning, Stavago snatched up several hundred souls and swallowed them in one gulp. Their flavor, however, was nothing special—quite ordinary.

Gradually, Stavago's body seemed to become more substantial, and his previously weakened appearance returned closer to normal.

After consuming several hundred red motes—soul motes—Stavago carefully caught a blue one. He gazed at it in rapture for a while, then licked the corners of his mouth with his long, slender tongue.

"Fragrant! So fragrant." Stavago sniffed the soul fragments drifting off it. They were a sign that the soul had lost its protection and was withering away.

A close look at the blue mote would readily reveal the shape of an old man.

"Human souls are always so sweet and delicious. Unfortunately, I don't have much stock left. It seems I'll have to sign more contracts with humans from other worlds to replenish my supplies!" Stavago said, somewhat dissatisfied.

There was no suffering in this blue soul, only satisfaction, perhaps mingled with the faintest trace of regret. That regret belonged to the soul's original owner, something he had left unresolved in his own world.

As for being treated as a delicacy by the demon Stavago? He was essentially not unwilling at all. After all, before becoming food, he had gained enough knowledge to climb into another, loftier world he could never otherwise have reached.

Since his soul could not be brought back to life after death, what was wrong with being treated as food? Especially when that soul no longer had any consciousness!

Thus, every blue soul was a rare delicacy to Stavago. Unfortunately, he had few left now—fewer than five.

As for that white soul? It was an extremely, extremely, extremely precious soul, so precious that Stavago had barely managed to acquire it even after trading away almost all his wealth—a damaged angel's soul!

However, that damaged angel's soul was not something he could withstand at present. It was the treasure he intended to use to break through and become a Level-Ten Demon God.

Stavago focused his attention on the blue soul. He had taken every protective measure to its utmost limit, so he had no need to worry about being attacked during his slumber.

Gently, Stavago drew the blue soul into his own. In an instant, this great demon of the Abyss world fell asleep!

The demon Stavago dreamed a long, long dream, spanning the life of the blue soul he had consumed, from its birth to its death!

(End of chapter)