Game World 2: _ _ _ _ _ _   D E M _ _ _ : _ _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ (19)

Aectaeon wasn't attempting to be merciful.

Bacharoth was much too wounded for him to be able to command it to attack. Aectaeon knew that Bacharoth would be expending more of its energy and Health Points if it made another attack against its opponent.

But it would be more troubling for Aectaeon if the Meisters who were watching beat a hasty retreat in fear of his brutality. In the event that such a thing happened, he would have a difficult time accomplishing his mission.

He was truly apathetic towards what the woman felt.

The man looked Maria in the eye, urging her to heed his request that was more akin to a command.

"Five, four, three, two, o…"

"I'll do it! I'll do it so stay away from me!" The woman screamed on top of her lungs as she crawled in retreat.

She scampered to search for the surrender option on her device. Her shaky hands didn't help her in her assay. The device fell on the floor with a thud, one of its corners chipped off.

Aectaeon's portable device was of a different form than others. With enough Gold Coins, Meisters could modify the appearance of their devices. For Meisters who were promoted to Mentors, the Council would offer to modify their devices for free.

The basic appearance of the portable device was that of a rectangular, handheld smart gadget. The exterior only came in three colors: night blue, space gray, and chrome black. The device was as big as an adult human's hand, albeit virtually weightless. As such, it was quite an inconvenience for the Meisters to carry around.

The minimum cost of modifying a portable device was 30,000,000 Gold Coins. Aectaeon's device costed a little over 80,000,000 Gold Coins for the entire modification process. Withal, the persona, whom Aectaeon had taken over, paid not a single cent. Of course, the Council shouldered all the cost.

Still and all, there was a yearly maintenance fee that Aectaeon would have to pay if he stayed long enough.

{-{ Meister Maria Trevor Surrendered }-}

{-{ Meister Igor Vali Wins the Battle }-}

The moment he saw the message, Aectaeon got up on his feet and went back towards Bacharoth's side. He then navigated his device and gave what he promised to the Meister.

'1,000,000 Gold Coins, the initial 100,000 Gold Coins that I promised, and some potions.'

Once he saw his potions inventory, Aectaeon groaned. There wasn't enough to accommodate the healing of all the Demons that Bacharoth had almost killed.

'I only have 18 Recovery potions left.' He thought as drew a horizontal line in the air with his left index finger, 'I better buy the potions rather than giving her more coins. She might use it for something else.'

It was callous of Aectaeon to think that the female Meister would keep the money instead of buying potions to heal her Demons. He should've remarked on how distraught Maria had become upon witnessing her Demons' demise.

'Let's see, would 200 be enough? I'll buy 200 first. If she complains, then I'll buy more.'

After he was done with his purchase, Aectaeon gave a glance at Bacharoth. Noticing that the Demon was not bleeding anymore, he was relieved.

"Bacharoth, return to the portal for now. I'll summon you later to check on your condition. I'll send you some potions to make you recover in a day."

{-{ "I am grateful, Meister Igor. Well then, farewell for now." }-}

"Yes, I'll see you soon."

With that, Bacharoth disappeared into nothingness. Aectaeon proceeded to forward the agreed-upon Gold Coins and items to Maria. Soon enough, the female Meister recalled her Demons back to the portal.

Maria was still on the ground, unable to process everything that had happened. She was just interested in testing her skills against a Meister who she thought was strong. The woman could have never imagined that things would turn out as they had.

The Meisters surrounding Aectaeon were more afraid than in awe of the behavior he had just displayed. He could hear the mutterings of the other Meisters, making Aectaeon click his tongue out of frustration. His gaze went to the game panels subsequently.

{{ Time Limit: 00 D: 09 H ; 23 M ; 20 S }}

{{ Number of  Battles Won: 38 }}

The man put his hands inside his pockets and sighed. He then inhaled as much air as he could before making a declaration.

"For those of you who have qualms about battling me, you're all aware that this wouldn't have happened if my opponent fulfilled their end of the bargain. I only wished to have a time limit in effect. As long as you don't violate any of my conditions, I won't do anything out of the ordinary."

Having said what he wanted, Aectaeon looked at his clothes that were dirtied. He patted his shirt and trousers, dusting off whatever dirt he could.

'Should I buy a new set of clothes while I'm here? Once I'm back at the Obelisk, my clothes will return to these anyway.'

While he was preoccupied with his thoughts, a Meister finally took the spot opposite him. This time, it was a male Meister who gave the impression that he was a seasoned veteran.

"Excuse me, I'll take you up on the offer."

Aectaeon quickly raised his head and gazed at the Meister. He nodded his head and replied, "Yes, 100,000 Gold Coins. 10,000,000 Gold Coins if you manage to win."

"If it's alright with you, can I ask for an additional amount?"

"Additional amount?" Aectaeon tilted his head as he queried, "How much?"

"Around 100,000 Gold Coins?"

Aectaeon didn't mind indulging the man's request. He had enough money to last him his entire gameplay. Withal, he became curious about the reasoning so he pried.

"It won't be a problem for me, but can you tell me what it's for? Also, what can you offer me in return?"

The man averted Aectaeon's gaze, fiddling with his fingers as he answered, "Uhm, I just lost a battle against someone three days earlier. Half of my Demons are gravely wounded."