Rent

The girl with red eyes walked slowly toward the apartment building.

She could feel there was only one person living there, which wasn't really surprising considering the vibe of the place.

Even without the negative energy, this place looked like somewhere people get killed all the time, or maybe even a hideout for those who do questionable things.

In fact, in her perspective , only an idiot would choose to live in a place like this. Even homeless people or drug addicts wouldn't hang around somewhere it.

The negative energy here was so thick that it could suck away a person's entire luck if they lived here for a year. When a person's luck dried out, it meant sickness, accidents, and, in the worst case, death.

Fortunately, humans are able to detect this, albeit unconsciously, so they normally steer away after experiencing tiredness, frequent nightmares, a series of bad luck, being more emotional, easily getting angry, and more.

But this was not an issue for her. 

She walked towards the apartment. Being a demon, the heavy aura that unsettled others had no effect on her.

In her world, such energy were commonplace, so she was able to ignore the oppressive atmosphere with ease.

However — 

She suddenly stopped walking further after she sensed that something was off.

In the stairway to the second floor, she saw something that was neither human nor demon. It was something else and much rarer.

"What is a specter doing in this place?" she asked, her tone cutting through the air like ice. 

Her eyes were fixated on a woman with long, disheveled hair that obscured most of her face. Dressed in white, the woman might have seemed ordinary to some, but the girl, with her unique demon eye, recognized it's true form.

Spectres normally formed due to negative energy, but they typically don't appear in human settlements. It was very unusual for this entity to show up here—even more unusual than her, a demon, trying to blend in with society.

"500 credits per month," the specter said, lifting its ghostly arm to ask for payment.

The girl raised an eyebrow, her eyes narrowing after hearing such an audacious words.

"You think I'll pay rent? Do you know who I am? " Her voice carried confidence, challenging the audacity of the specter. 

The girl was no ordinary demon; she hailed from a royal bloodline. So, a specter acting arrogant in front of her felt like an insult. 

"What's your name?" the specter asked with her weak and nonchalant voice.

The girl straightened her posture, her eyes gleaming with a prideful glint. "Call me Lucy. As for my last name, you don't have the right to know it."

"You need to pay 500 credits every month, Lucy... One month advance , two months deposit" the specter insisted, not fazed by Lucy. 

"How dare you..." Lucy was momentarily surprised by the specter's demand and indifferent expression.

No one had ever ignored her like that. Her background was so important that if they knew her last name, it could cause chaos here. But, this specter treated her like any other tenant.

She paused for a moment, taking her time to think before resorting to violence.

While it was true that she could handle the specter, doing so would deplete a huge amount of her power, and she couldn't risk being detected by anyone at this point.

"It's just 1500 credits anyway," she replied and handed over the money.

After taking the money, the specter handed her a key.

"Your room is on the second floor. Please don't disturb your neighbors," the specter warned.

"Or what ?" Lucy asked with a piercing gaze.

"Or you'd be breaking our Landlord and Tenant agreement," the specter replied.

Then, like a phantom, it passed through the walls and disappeared.

'What an arrogant ghost,' Lucy bite her lips, clearly frustrated. Her plan to follow Asher had taken an unexpected turn, running into a specter with a high and mighty attitude.

"I knew it, that guy is not normal," she mused aloud, dragging her luggage up the creaking stairs to the second floor.

Though she was eager to meet Asher, she choose to bid her time and observe him first, letting the curiosity fuel her silent steps.