Opening his eyes, Olthagia stretched lazily.
'A new day begins, though the sky here never darkens.'
Moving unhurriedly to the edge of the cave, he gazed at the chaotic scenery below and casually yawned.
Though he didn't need sleep, he occasionally chose to rest—not for any particular reason, but simply because it felt comfortable.
His current location was in the free residential zone, a lawless territory.
It was a steep cliff riddled with countless caves, and the rule here was simple: anyone could claim a cave as their dwelling. If all were occupied, one only needed to kill the current resident and take their place.
The only catch was that failing in the attempt often meant becoming a free meal delivery service.
Aside from this area, there were slightly safer zones, but Olthagia couldn't be bothered to travel that far. Besides, those places operated like official hotels, and the fees were relatively steep.
Usually, only outsiders visiting the Abyss for business stayed there for safety. But for native Demonic Creatures, safety was a trivial concern. With their inherently chaotic worldview, nowhere was truly safe…
Casually tearing off the head of the cave's previous owner, Olthagia examined the horn on its skull and muttered, "Wand, wand, tell me where to wander today."
After reciting the words, he flicked his fingers.
A divination spell was cast upon the skull.
Slap!
A sharp strike sent the head spinning like a top across the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
When it finally stopped, Olthagia glanced at the direction the horn pointed and, without hesitation, leaped off the cliff, strolling leisurely forward.
———
After walking an indeterminable distance, Olthagia suddenly sensed a faint premonition.
He paused, scanning his surroundings.
After some consideration, he spotted a familiar figure—the young man from the group that had entered the city behind him.
He still remembered the youth's exclamation of awe.
But now, for some reason, the young man stood alone, his companions nowhere in sight. Not a single member of his group remained by his side.
Moreover, he looked utterly despondent, as if he had suffered a heavy blow.
With a pitying sigh, Olthagia approached him.
Though he didn't know the details, the traditions of the Bottomless Abyss allowed him to guess most of it: 'Ah, the young are so fragile. Their emotions are always written plainly on their faces—though I'm only two years old myself.'
Not long after,
Olthagia tossed aside the corpse and wiped the blood from his hands.
Through a friendly exchange—and the innate abilities of a Demon—he had learned the full story.
This unfortunate young man and his group hailed from a relatively prosperous plane.
There, cross-planar trade was a highly lucrative business.
And the Abyssal route they managed was the most profitable—and perilous—of them all.
Thus, they had prepared meticulously for every trip.
This time when they came to restock, everything had gone smoothly. Apart from dealing with over a dozen Low-Rank Demons, they hadn't clashed with any Mid-Rank Demons, so there were no casualties.
After arriving here and taking some time to rest, they had spent some effort yesterday locating the dwarf supplier they were familiar with. Both parties smoothly completed the transaction at a black market outside the city, as they had done many times before.
Everything was calm and uneventful—no double-crossing, no traps. Everyone was satisfied.
But the next second, an ear-splitting noise erupted in the sky.
Still inside the black market, he immediately saw the dwarf they had just traded with and his own team leader turn ashen-faced, as if their mothers had just died.
Before he could react, a blinding white light shattered the black market's defensive barrier and flooded his vision.
Excruciating pain wracked his entire body, knocking him unconscious on the spot.
When he woke up, he found himself lying in a pile of ruins, covered in wounds. Thanks to a defensive artifact given by his parents, he was the only one who had survived. Everyone else had died horribly—even the black market merchants had been roasted to a crisp.
After healing his injuries with a potion he carried, he inspected the area and realized the black market they had been in was right next to a crater dozens of kilometers in diameter. The crater must have been freshly made by some kind of attack, and the white light had likely been the aftermath of that strike.
His group had been like ants accidentally crushed underfoot during a fight—dying without any significance.
He had no idea what kind of being could unleash such an attack, but he knew it was far beyond his concern. So he gathered whatever usable goods and materials remained in the black market, hid them in a secluded spot, and returned alone to the city to wait for the merchant guild to notice something was wrong and send a search party.
And then, he encountered Olthagia. After that… well, there was no "after."
Recalling the location of those hidden goods, Olthagia remarked with a pitying yet satisfied expression, "How tragic. But this moving loot box is quite to my liking."
Since the man had at least earned him some profit, Olthagia casually spat a glob of flaming saliva onto his body, reducing him to ashes—sparing him the fate of becoming someone else's meal.
He paid no attention to the other creatures observing the scene nearby.
Just as Olthagia had said earlier, this human was truly naive.
In a place like the Bottomless Abyss, where the strong prey on the weak, looking like a beaten dog was practically an invitation for death.
It was like openly announcing, "Come kick me while I'm down!"
Even if he hadn't run into Olthagia, the surrounding predators would have taught him the meaning of cruelty.
Here, the moment you show the slightest weakness, a horde would descend upon you.
Fear and cowardice had no place here. Only the toughest and most ruthless could survive. Any creature lacking mental fortitude was prey—no matter how strong, they'd just be seen as a bigger piece of meat in the eyes of other hunters.
No matter how large or strong a bull may be, there will always be jackals attempting to take a bite, even if they clearly know the bull could easily trample them to death.
Grazing animals might intimidate carnivorous predators with their strength and size, but they can never suppress the greed that arises in the predator's heart.
One of the main reasons no one dared to provoke Olthagia in this godforsaken place was his aura—or rather, his presence. Anyone who laid eyes on him could instantly tell that Olthagia stood firmly on the side of the predators.
Just by standing there, he exuded an overwhelming scent of blood, his dangerous aura completely unrestrained.
At a glance, he was clearly a volatile threat, ready to strike at any moment!
This was also why, back when that group encountered him, the mere sight of Olthagia had them drawing their weapons in caution.
Even his gaze alone felt like a signal of attack to them.
The hunters lurking nearby, eager to pick on the weak, might have considered targeting that human.
Some might have even been secretly competing over who would make the first move!
But when facing Olthagia, even as he shamelessly snatched their prey right in front of them, none dared to step forward—because they knew full well this guy wouldn't hesitate to kill them on the spot.
Predators instinctively retreat before higher-tier predators. This was the law of nature, the survival of the fittest.
And in the Bottomless Abyss, it was an ironclad rule!
Watching Olthagia ignore them entirely and walk away without a second glance,
the hunters exchanged a few silent looks before dispersing as if nothing had happened, leaving behind only a scattering of fine dust carried off by the breeze...
———
Days later.
Inside a restaurant decorated in an indescribably bizarre fashion,
Olthagia casually tore off a piece of the roasted, unidentified meat before him and popped it into his mouth.
After chewing a few times, he nodded approvingly. "Mmm~ Not bad at all."
The woman leaning lightly against his shoulder followed suit, elegantly taking a small bite. After savoring it, her expression brightened with delight. "It really is delicious."
She was a stunningly beautiful female Naga clad in exquisite battle armor.
Her upper body resembled that of a human woman—voluptuous and graceful—covered in delicate emerald-green scales. Her lower half, however, was serpentine, slender and elongated, stretching about seven or eight meters in length, giving her a sleek, sinuous appearance.
Olthagia wasn't particularly bothered by such trivial details. With a hybrid aesthetic blending human and Demon sensibilities, he had no trouble accepting monster girls.
Besides, she was the one who had attached herself to him—he wasn't losing out.
Since she matched his tastes, he saw no reason to refuse.
After personally killing Trina, he had grown far more indifferent to such matters. If he didn't have a private ride, hopping on a public one wasn't so bad—no strings attached.
After spending a few days together, he hadn't even bothered to ask her name.
She was just an insignificant plaything, unworthy of concern—and thus, unworthy of knowing.
Naga savored the delicacy before her, a flicker of pain crossing her face as she recalled its exorbitant price. If not for this powerful Balor, a mere Low-Rank Demon like her could never afford such luxuries.
With that thought, her gestures grew increasingly ingratiating, adopting a delicate and submissive demeanor—even though, strictly speaking, her physique was slightly larger than Olthagia's.
After all, Demons like Olthagia—generous, handsome, and even-tempered—were a rare breed.
He was a prime target for clinging to!
Unconcerned with her thoughts, Olthagia had been living quite comfortably ever since inheriting that kind benefactor's assets. Eating well, drinking well, sleeping well—everything had been smooth sailing.
Bored, he mused: 'Still a bit dull… Time to head to another world soon.'