I’m a Demon
As for the use of Void Points?
Taegyun already had an idea.
They could be exchanged for items, skills, consumables, and probably much more from the mysterious Void Shop—a feature he had been notified about just the evening before.
He had yet to open it, however, since it required 1000 Void Points to unlock the function.
"Well… time to head home and get ready for the academy," he muttered, stretching his arms overhead with a yawn.
He turned on his heel and jogged toward the path leading out of the park.
The run back was short. Within minutes, he reached his house and pushed open the gate. After taking off his shoes, he headed straight for the bathroom and took a refreshing shower.
The cold water hit his skin like a blessing.
Fifteen minutes later, fully dressed in his neat Solis Horizon Academy uniform, he made his way down the stairs to the ground floor and walked into the dining hall.
His grandparents were already there.
His grandmother was standing by the counter, pouring tea into a cup. His grandfather sat at the table, still dressed in his sleep robe, eyes fixed on the large smartphone in his hand as he scrolled casually.
"Good morning, Grandma," Taegyun greeted first, flashing a small smile.
"Good morning, Grandpa."
Both turned to look at him and smiled in return.
"Morning, son," Grandma said sweetly.
"Mm. Morning," Grandpa replied, only half-looking up from his phone.
"Niri's still sleeping?"
"Yeah. He's such a sleeping beauty," Grandma chuckled fondly as she poured another cup.
Taegyun couldn't help but grin.
"Oh right, Taegyun," Grandpa suddenly said, looking up and lifting a small envelope from the table. "Your Awakened License arrived after you went to the park. Here—take it."
Taegyun walked over and took the license carefully from the old man's hand.
It was thinner than he expected—sleek and lightweight, more like a polished metal ID card than a heavy badge. The surface was smooth with a clean bronze finish. On the back, the Hunter Association insignia shimmered faintly beside a small embedded blue microchip.
He flipped it over and glanced at the front, where his ID photo was printed clearly along with his registration details.
-------------------------
[ANDROLIS HUNTER ASSOCIATION]
Name: Taegyun Park
Date of Awakening: 10/05/2142
Sovereign ID: 656XXXXXXX
Nationality: Androlis Sovereign Zone
Class Grade: E-Class (Newly Awakened)
Guild Affiliation: Unregistered
Combat Role: Unassigned
Class: Undecided (Classification Pending)
Current Status: —
Academy: Solis Horizon Academy
License Status: Under Review
-------------------------
"The design's nice," Taegyun muttered as he traced the edges of the metal. The small text was engraved in a fine, readable font, and the weight of the badge made it feel real—official.
He carefully slid it into his breast pocket and looked up at his grandfather. "Thanks, Grandpa."
"You're welcome," the old man replied with a light smile, already tapping back on his phone, eyes glued to some news article.
Taegyun quickly sat down, scarfed his breakfast, and packed his bag. Stepping outside, he casually signaled for a Lumo along the roadside—one of the standard ride services operating across the city.
Within minutes, a vehicle pulled up, and he hopped in, heading straight for the nearest train station. From there, he boarded the early morning line bound for the Hazel District, where his academy was located.
Roughly half an hour later, Taegyun stepped out onto the open campus grounds of Solis Horizon Academy, the familiar sight of its vast training fields and academy buildings stretching before him under the bright morning sun.
He stepped into the main hall of the academy building. High-arched ceilings loomed above, casting long morning shadows across the polished marble floors. The faint echo of footsteps and the distant hum of voices gave life to the otherwise quiet corridor.
But this time, Taegyun did not head toward the familiar entrance of the Non-Awakened Division.
Instead, his steps turned toward the Administrative Block.
Climbing the staircase to the second floor, he walked straight to a door labeled in sleek silver plating:
[Association Liaison Office – Hazel Branch]
He paused for a second, took a breath, and knocked three times.
A brief silence followed before a calm, mature female voice responded from inside.
"Come in."
He turned the handle and stepped in—only to freeze the moment his eyes met the woman sitting confidently behind the desk.
She was... a vision.
A breathtaking older woman in her mid-forties, oozing elegance and danger in equal measure. Her blazer, tight and sharply tailored, was provocatively unbuttoned, revealing the soft gleam of a satin lace bralette underneath that did nothing to hide the generous swell of her full breasts. They sat high, the subtle crease of mature curves pulling his gaze in without permission.
The pencil skirt she wore clung to her hips like a second skin, refined and flawless. But what caught his attention more was the slit—hidden, yet daring—cut high along the side, flashing just a teasing glimpse of the sheer black lace of garters beneath. Her stockings clung perfectly to her toned thighs, as if whispering secrets he was never meant to hear.
And her lips—painted a venomous red—matched her aura: seductive, dangerous, and completely in control.
Legs crossed with graceful poise, she looked up from her tablet and locked eyes with him. Her expression unreadable, but her gaze sharp.
"What may I help you with?" she asked smoothly.
Taegyun, who had spent the last five seconds falling down a pit of indecent thoughts, jerked slightly as he snapped out of his daze. "I-I'm here to register myself into the Awakened Division."
Her gaze narrowed slightly. "Oh? A newly Awakened, I assume?" She tilted her head ever so slightly, her eyes scanning him. "Have you registered with the Association yet?"
He blinked. "Y-Yes, I already received my license."
His tone came out unfocused, distracted. A strange sensation had started to crawl into his mind—subtle at first, almost like a warm fog. But the moment he tried to concentrate on it, it vanished, and he found himself, once again, thinking indecent thoughts about the woman in front of him.
Strange… something's not right here.
"Alright," she said, her tone businesslike. "Show me your license, and I'll hand you the application form to officially register you as a Hunter Trainee under the Awakened Division."
She slowly uncrossed her legs with elegant ease and shifted her posture, the motion drawing his eyes again, though he tried not to look.
Taegyun walked forward and stopped in front of her desk. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the license and handed it over.
She took it with slender fingers and examined the details.
Her perfectly arched brow rose. "You just Awakened yesterday… and already received your license?" Her tone held a note of suspicion as her eyes lifted to meet his.
But instead of a direct response, she found him staring—not at her face, but through her, as if lost again in thought or pulled by something deeper.
"…Taegyun Park?" she called sharply, her voice dipping cold to regain his attention.
"Ah—yes! Yes?" he stuttered, blinking rapidly.
She shifted slightly in her seat, lips curling into a thin, displeased line. "Don't you know it's rude to stare at a woman so intently?"
Taegyun's eyes widened in realization. "I—I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just… felt something strange here."
Her expression twitched—just slightly—and for the first time, there was a flicker of something else behind her eyes. Worry.
Without breaking eye contact, her right hand casually slid beneath the desk, fingers pulling open a drawer just an inch. Inside, a short dagger lay gleaming. She didn't draw it… but she touched it, her fingertips resting on the hilt.
"What do you mean… something strange?" she asked carefully, her voice calm but edged. "Did you… see something?"
Taegyun hesitated, the uneasy sensation still lingering in the back of his mind like a fog. But he shook his head.
"No… I didn't see anything. It's just… I felt something strange, that's all. Maybe I'm just tired?" he said, trying to dismiss the feeling.
The woman's shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. Beneath the desk, her hand released its grip on the dagger she had been clutching inside the drawer. Slowly, she withdrew it and rested both arms casually on the table.
"I see. Maybe you were just exhausted. Happens sometimes after a recent Awakening," she said with a faint, almost forced smile.
She sighed quietly to herself and opened another drawer, this one filled with documents. Pulling out a fresh application form, she slid it across the desk toward him.
"Here. Fill out everything and return it to me once you're done."
Taegyun nodded and stepped aside to fill in the form. He completed it quickly, his handwriting neat but rushed, then returned and handed it over.
The woman took the form, scanned it using a sleek, rectangular device, and began typing on her computer keyboard. After a moment, she retrieved his license and held it to a scanner. A soft blue light pulsed as it read the embedded chip. Then she handed the card back to him.
"Here you go. Your license has now been updated," she said, smiling politely. "Congratulations, Taegyun Park. You are officially a Hunter Trainee."
Taegyun reached out with a smile, his fingers brushing the edge of the card still held in her hand.
But the moment his skin made contact with it, the sensation struck—far stronger than before.
It was not a sound, but a scream—one that echoed inside his soul rather than his ears.
Truth. Truth. Truth.
He froze, his hand recoiling instinctively from the card.
His instincts roared, drowning everything else out.
Without hesitation, he activated his Light Manipulation, casting it directly onto himself.
And the moment the light veiled his vision, reality shifted.
The image before him warped and the illusion shattered.
Taegyun stumbled back, eyes wide in horror.
The woman was still there… and yet not. Her form had changed. Her figure remained alluring, her clothes unchanged—but now, curved black horns jutted downward from her head, sleek and demonic. Her beauty had only intensified, her presence more magnetic than ever—but it no longer felt human.
Taegyun's mouth fell open.
"M-Monster… Y-you're a monster…" he gasped, voice shaking with fear.
His heart thundered inside his chest.
He had never stepped foot inside a dungeon. He had never seen monsters in person—only in news broadcasts and media. But he recognized enough.
Horns.
There was no mistaking it.
The woman—no, the creature—sighed heavily and stood up from behind the desk.
She was tall. Statuesque. The way she moved was elegant, calculated, but there was a coldness to her now—a detachment.
"To think that a brat who just Awakened yesterday would be the one to expose me… Is this some kind of joke?" she muttered bitterly.
She stepped forward with quiet confidence, the dagger now clearly visible in her hand. Her heels clicked sharply against the floor as she approached.
Taegyun fell back onto the ground, crawling backward in instinctive fear.
"H-How… How can a monster like you talk?" he stammered. "And how the hell are you even outside? You should be in a dungeon! There haven't been any outbreaks in two decades!"
She tilted her head as if his question amused her.
"Monster?" she repeated, then smiled faintly. "No, kid. I'm not some low-level dungeon beast."
She bent slightly, her eyes narrowing. "I'm a Demon."
The word hit him like a slap.
"Humans haven't seen real demons before, have they? Makes sense. You've only read about us in myths and fantasy. Or watched those ridiculous TV dramas with glowing eyes and forked tongues," she smirked. "Well—surprise. I'm that kind of Demon."
Her voice dropped to a chilling whisper.
"And now you've seen me."
She raised the dagger, grip tightening as she leaned forward. Her face was calm, but her eyes burned with something ancient.
"I'm sorry, kid," she said coldly. "If you hadn't exposed my true form… I wouldn't have to kill you. It's been twenty years since I last killed a human."
She paused. "…Sigh. But I have to protect myself. And more importantly—my daughter."
Without hesitation, she lunged.
But Taegyun reacted just in time.
A rush of void-black flame burst from his palm as he activated Darkness Manipulation. The fire surged toward her, flickering like ink bleeding through reality.
The Demon woman flinched, immediately raising a magical barrier. The flame struck it—and sizzled into nothing. Her barrier remained intact, but her expression shifted into confusion.
"...."
"That's not mana…" she muttered, narrowing her eyes at him.
She turned her attention back to the boy, now scrambling to his feet and bolting for the door.
Before he could reach it—snap.
A finger snap echoed behind him.
The door vanished.
A solid wall replaced it.
Taegyun slammed into it hard. "Ah—fuck!"
Pain lanced through his shoulder as he staggered back, then froze. A cold shiver ran down his spine.
He turned slowly.
The Demon was standing right there, just a few meters away, her dagger lowered… and a strange smile playing on her lips.
"Well now," she purred. "Aren't you an interesting kid?"