The Author's POV

The internal structure of the underground cavern was massive. Ryan couldn't count the handful of times he had taken the wrong path and headed toward a dead end.

It was starting to get to him.

"Not this one either."

Staring at probably what seemed to be like the tenth dead end, Ryan sighed in frustration and glanced at his phone.

There was a single red dot displayed on the screen, and that was where Ryan was currently headed to.

That was where Leopold was being held, and while he knew the exact direction of where he was, finding him was starting to prove to be a more difficult task than he had anticipated.

In a maze, just knowing where someone was, wasn't enough.

'If only he was somewhere more open.'

The fact that he was inside a massive underground network made it hard for Ryan to find the correct path, but he wasn't completely hopeless.

When he reached a new one, his phone would trace his steps so that he could see exactly where he was going and the places he had been in the past. Although he did run into a lot of dead ends, this helped him stay on track and stopped him from going to the same places twice.

He was steadily making progress, but still...

"Ugh."

Ryan groaned out loud.

'This is so frustrating.'

Time was of the essence, and he was wasting a lot of time finding the right path.

When he looked at his body, the demonic energy that had been encircling him had practically disappeared, and he no longer felt like a demon.

If he were to meet a demon, he'd instantly be found out.

'How annoying.'

The situation was anything but pleasant.

Despite that, Ryan could only grit his teeth and take out another demon core. This one belonged to the second demon he killed.

Crack!

Crushing it in the palm of his hand, he repeated the process from before and once again trekked on.

'No point in complaining… If I don't hurry up, things might turn for the worst. I need to hurry up.'

*

'Bingo.'

Ryan didn't know for how long he had walked, but after a couple more dead ends, he finally found the correct route, and he was shortly exposed to a large opening that was filled with thousands of metallic doors.

He was still quite a distance away from it, but he was able to see everything properly with the aid of a certain device.

'Well… shit…'

the moment

different demons patrolling the area. They all emitted intimidating auras,

to be caught

could only shudder

fine… It's fine… I can do

his eyes paused on a certain door in the distance, and taking a

time was ripe yet and remained

the conversations that were taking place and to assimilate all of the information that he was

as he started to get a better idea of how the system over here worked, and what exactly was going

were gathering prisoners, he knew that none of them were going to be kept there for long as he'd see demons routinely

useless, but that didn't

to make

energy covering

energy that surrounded his body was still

He was ready.

Tap.

into the area, he felt countless eyes fall

to move toward where Leopold was

to be

there for a

When he turned his head, he almost fell to his knees. Towering over him was a large demon with a bulky build and a

presence was overwhelming, and Ryan had a hard time keeping

at that moment that he wasn't dealing with just any regular demon

"Y,yes?"

his

you

Ryan already had an

need to meet

terminologies that Ryan picked up while listening in on the demons for

he knew that the term

"Which one?"

could only lower his head and

recall, that's where a

head, Ryan cautiously nodded his head,

that's exactly where

"Hmm, okay then."

was quick to

When you go there, you can just tell them the reason why you're visiting, and they'll let you in. I

"Thank you."

Things would've

Thankfully, he didn't.

'Okay, this is good.'

over the door where Leopold resided,

moved, he touched his wrist

***

on him; don't make a

The commander said expressionlessly.

fixed on a 'demon'

moment that he appeared, he knew that he didn't belong in

wouldn't show up in such a location, the fact that the demonic energy that covered its body was rather faint was a great indicator that whoever

reason the commander hadn't stopped the demon right then and there was because he wanted to see what he

Their goal.