"Madam, please leave such trivial matters to me!""And you, Young Miss—are you unhappy about that brat on TV? I, Tobi-sama, will gladly sneak into his house tonight and scare him half to death!"
Ren couldn't help laughing as he watched the brick-shaped yokai shamelessly fawn over his mother and sister.
Ever since learning that Ren was a half-demon, Tobi had been like this—bending over backward trying to prove his worth.
After discovering Ren's "half-demon" nature, Tobi's imagination had apparently exploded into overdrive.
A half-demon who could completely conceal his yokai aura…?Who possessed natural human scent mixed with supernatural presence…?Who even had a skill like Demonic Presence Concealment?
In Tobi's mind, that wasn't coincidence.That was strategy.
To Tobi, Ren was now a brilliant youth concealing his true nature while infiltrating human society—specifically, infiltrating the upper ranks of the elite Exorcist Divisions.
A half-demon with terrifying talent, acting low-key, earning trust, and creating influence among the humans?
That wasn't just cunning.That was the mark of an ambitious mastermind demon destined for greatness.
The more Tobi thought about it, the more excited he became.
Especially after Ren assigned him the important mission of protecting his mother and sister, Tobi could not stop showing off—bowing, flattering, presenting himself as the ideal underling.
He wanted Ren to remember one thing very clearly:When Master rises to power, I must be the first at his side.
Ren, however, had no time to care about Tobi's delusions of grandeur.
He was holding a tiny blood-red stone in his hand, his expression dark with contemplation.
The little crimson stone was a "gift" from Tobi—given ceremonially the night before, after Ren accepted him as a subordinate.
Ren hadn't thought much of it… until the system instantly flooded his vision with information.
Special Item: Sesshōseki Fragment (S-Rank)
Description:A thousand years ago, a great demon slain by Abe no Seimei transformed into the Sesshōseki—the Killing Stone. Due to various events, the stone later shattered.
The Sesshōseki contains the condensed lifelong demonic energy of that great demon.Using its power greatly amplifies the user's yokai force…—but also inflicts the demon's accumulated grudge and killing intent upon the wielder.
Note: This is one fragment of the shattered Sesshōseki.Collecting all fragments may allow the resurrection of the great demon whose resentment created the stone.
Ren stared at the description in utter disbelief.
This was a fragment of the legendary Sesshōseki?!
And even a fragment was ranked S-…If someone gathered all of them, what would the completed Sesshōseki be?
S-level?SS-level?SSS-level?
He'd absolutely heard the legend before.Tamamo-no-Mae—the fox spirit tied to the Killing Stone—was one of Japan's Three Great Yokai.
But with his current strength, Ren didn't dare use it.
After all… Tamamo-no-Mae's greatest talent was bewitching minds.In every version of the legend, she had seduced and corrupted emperors and nobles.
Ren suddenly understood why that Nurikabe he fought hadn't just reached C-rank power, but had even gained illusion abilities its species normally could never develop.
It had found a Sesshōseki fragment.
That fragment had broken its racial limits, turning a harmless wall-spirit into a dangerous threat.
Ren still wasn't sure how the Nurikabe used the Sesshōseki without falling victim to its side effects—but that didn't matter.
He was absolutely not going to try it.
So now he was just sitting there, holding an S-rank artifact with an expression that screamed "I want this, but I'm not suicidal."
Power that could exponentially boost his yokai abilities……with side effects even more dangerous than his Half-Demon Transformation.
Ren had always believed that true power is power you can control.Anything beyond your control is just a disaster waiting to happen.
Even so… gazing at the Sesshōseki fragment, he couldn't help feeling a little regretful.
"This is the strongest item I've seen since getting the system…If only it didn't have that damned curse attached. As it is, it's nothing but a paperweight.Well… maybe if I'm ever backed into a corner and need to gamble my life."
He stored the fragment away.
Immediately afterward, another system notification flashed before his eyes.
And this one was even more outrageous.
Ding!
The host has obtained their first S-Rank item and meets the minimum strength requirement.Activating Dimensional Travel Ability.
As one who seeks to become the Demon Lord, the host is still far too weak.Therefore, you must undergo training in alternate dimensions.
Time flow in other worlds operates at a 100:1 ratio relative to this world.Please devote yourself to becoming stronger.
Note: The selection of the training world and the activation timing are both fully random.The host has no right to refuse.
All system actions are solely for the host's benefit—to help you become the supreme Demon Lord who rules all yokai!
Ren's mind exploded.
What.The.HELL.
He wasn't allowed to refuse?!
Even the most garbage, dime-store web-novel systems had two options:[Yes] and [No].
His system only offered:[Deal with it].
"What's the point of a system like this?! When did I ever say I wanted to become some Demon Lord?!"
This world was already dangerous enough.And now he was being forcibly launched into other worlds?
Sure, if he landed in some weak world, he'd be fine.He could stroll around, show off, flirt, enjoy life.
But what if it was a world with insane power levels?
Yes, Ren had grown stronger recently…But the truth was, this world alone already housed monsters way above his tier.Other dimensions could easily be worse.
But no matter how loudly Ren raged, the system ignored him entirely.
It simply informed him—emotionlessly—that the dimensional transfer would occur tonight.
Just as it said:He had no right to refuse.This was not a request.It was a courtesy notification.
When the system finally went silent, Ren seriously considered the classic protagonist move:"What if… I kill the system?"
He even raised his sword.
Then froze.
Because… how the hell was he supposed to kill something that lived inside his mind?
Cut his own head off?