Finally, I Got Transmigrated Into Another World!

Eloria's shoulders trembled as she thought to herself, "Why? Why did I act like that? I wanted to befriend him… to thank him for saving me. But why did I let my pride get in the way?"

Rowen, unsure of what to do, hesitated before asking softly, "Your Highness… would you like to be friends with Tristan?"

Her tear-filled eyes met his, and she gave a small nod.

Rowen smiled gently. "It's simple, then. Tristan doesn't respect people who look down on others because of their status. If you want to be friends with him, you'll have to set that aside. If you can't do that right away, try starting with an apology. I'm sure he'll forgive you. After all, when he heard someone screaming earlier, he didn't hesitate for even a second to run to your aid."

Eloria wiped her tears and looked at Rowen. "Really? Is that true, Sir Knight?"

Rowen smiled warmly. "Of course, Your Highness. Tristan is a good person. He just has no tolerance for injustice." He tried to reassure her, though inwardly, he mused, "What am I even saying? I've only had one proper conversation with Tristan today… ah, well. What's done is done."

He extended his hand to the princess. "Come, let me help you up there, Your Highness."

Eloria nodded and took his hand. With swift ease, Rowen lifted her onto his back and leapt up to the cliff. Once there, he gently set her down.

Rowen looked around, scanning the area for Tristan, but the boy was nowhere to be found. Then, his eyes caught a neatly cut branch on a tree, with a small piece of paper pinned to it.

Unfolding the note, Rowen read:

"Uncle, wait at the carriage for one to two hours. I need to investigate something based on the information I got from that demon. Sorry for leaving you with the girl."

Rowen sighed heavily and muttered, "Hah… do as you like, Tristan."

He turned to Eloria and said, "Come, Your Highness. Let me escort you to our carriage so you can rest."

"Alright, Sir Knight," Eloria replied, though her eyes darted left and right, still searching for Tristan.

Together, Rowen and Eloria began walking back toward the carriage.

***

Meanwhile, Tristan sprinted through the forest, his mana pulsing outward to scan his surroundings. He had reached the area the demon had indicated earlier.

Running in wide arcs, Tristan continued until he sensed a dense concentration of mana fluctuations. He skidded to a stop, narrowing his eyes. "Finally, I found it."

Slowing his pace, Tristan walked toward the source of the mana. Extending his hand, he felt it brush against an invisible barrier. "This is it," he muttered.

Using his skill, he analyzed the details of the barrier. "Alright, no alarm spells or traps embedded in the magic, just like before."

With precision, Tristan manipulated the barrier, modifying its properties to allow only himself to pass through while blocking everyone else.

Tristan entered through the barrier and discovered an artificial cave, eerily similar to the place where he first met Sheyla. He proceeded cautiously toward the mouth of the cave. Just as he reached the entrance, two ogres emerged, chatting with each other. Tristan quickly pressed himself against the wall near the cave entrance, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Master Kernel is really kind, giving us free rein to roam around and slaughter any humans we come across," said one ogre.

"You're right. Master Kernel isn't arrogant like most demons," replied the other ogre.

"Of course, he's a middle-class demon, unlike those low-class arrogant fools," the first ogre added.

"Speaking of which, why is Master Reyes taking so long to catch that little girl?"

Hearing the name Reyes, Tristan confirmed that he was in the right place. Without hesitation, he beheaded one ogre and severed the other's legs in a swift motion. Standing over the fallen ogre, Tristan glared at it and spoke coldly.

"If you scream, you die. Just answer my questions."

The ogre froze, terror etched on its face.

"Is the middle-class demon inside?" Tristan asked.

"Y-yes, he's inside," stammered the ogre.

"How many of you are there in total?"

"F-fifty."

Without another word, Tristan decapitated the second ogre.

"Alright, fifty ogres. How do I take out fifty of them and keep the demon alive?" he murmured, thinking aloud. "Poison would be a good idea, but I don't have any. Hmm… what if I remove all the oxygen from the cave? Is that even possible? Well, let's give it a try."

Tristan entered the cave, descending a staircase that led to a long corridor. He crept forward and peeked through to the end of the passage.

"Well, the ogre wasn't lying," he muttered. "All I see are ogres, and that tent must belong to the middle-class demon. Hmm, the tent is far from the ogres. I could use fire magic like before, but this time I'll keep it smaller to minimize the collateral damage. Alright, let's do this."

Tristan crouched and raised his hand, forming fireballs about five times the size of a basketball. He hurled them into the camp with a gust of wind magic to increase their velocity.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The fireballs exploded on impact, sending shockwaves through the cave. After a few moments, the explosions subsided, leaving smoke and a single figure standing amidst the destruction.

"Who? Who dares attack me, Kernel, the middle-class demon?" roared Kernel, his body covered in burn marks.

Tristan stepped forward, observing him with an unimpressed look. "Wow, you're pretty sturdy, aren't you?"

He moved closer, analyzing the demon's status through his focused gaze.

Name: Kernel

Level: 75***

Class: Middle-Class Demon

"So, he really is a mid-class demon," Tristan muttered under his breath.

Skills:

Berserk (Level 20*)

Martial Arts (Level 15)

Half-Demonification

Aura User (Level 15)

"Half-Demonification, huh? Is that different from the Unflawless Demonification that previous demon had? Who knows," Tristan thought.

Attributes:

Strength: A

Vitality: B

Agility: B

Luck: D

Overall Score: A

"Well, his skills and attributes are quite great," Tristan mused. "If I hadn't weakened him first, this might have been a hard fight."

The demon noticed Tristan's shadow and growled, "Who's there? Who are you? Are you the one who attacked me?" His voice brimmed with anger.

"I heard you were a calm and reasonable demon," Tristan taunted with a smirk. "Guess you can get angry after all."

"You… just a child? There's no way you attacked me. Are you just a distraction?" the demon sneered, glancing left and right as if searching for another enemy.

Seeing the demon distracted, Tristan silently drew his sword from its storage space on his back. He infused mana into both the blade and his body, dashing forward in an instant.

As he closed the distance, Tristan raised his sword high, aiming to decapitate the demon. The demon, noticing the attack at the last moment, reflexively raised his left arm to block while stepping back. However, he underestimated Tristan's strength, his left arm was severed cleanly.

"AAARRRGGGHHHH!" the demon howled in agony, clutching the bleeding stump of his arm.

Not letting the opportunity slip, Tristan charged again, this time targeting the demon's neck.

Sensing the imminent threat, the demon activated his Half-Demonification skill, unleashing a burst of mana from his body. The resulting explosion sent Tristan flying backward, landing with a crouch.

"So, that's Half-Demonification?" Tristan muttered, brushing off the dust. "Let's take a look at your status now."

Using his skill, Tristan analyzed the demon again.

"Hmm, no changes to the skill list," Tristan observed. "But all his attributes have increased by one rank. This just got dangerous. I need to prepare myself."

He returned his current sword to storage and replaced it with another weapon a sword with an ornate 'C' emblem on the hilt. Focusing his mana, Tristan conjured a triple-layered barrier around himself.

"Finally, a chance to test the technique I've been training for," he said with a grin, excitement flickering in his eyes.

The demon, now fully transformed into his half-demon form, pointed at Tristan and snarled, "You little brat… your end is here!"

With a sudden burst of speed, the demon closed the gap between them, aiming a powerful punch at Tristan's abdomen. Tristan narrowly dodged the strike with a quick backward roll, swiftly retaliating with a strike toward the demon's neck.

The demon blocked Tristan's strike by punching the flat of the blade with the back of his arm. Using the momentum, Tristan spun several times and launched another attack toward the demon's neck. This time, the demon evaded the blow, but the edge of the sword grazed his chin, drawing a thin line of blood.

"You're no ordinary child, are you?" the demon said, his eyes narrowing.

Tristan smirked. "Of course I am. Just a normal kid."

Without missing a beat, Tristan charged forward again, aiming once more for the demon's neck. The demon sidestepped, increasing the distance between them and studying Tristan carefully.

"This brat keeps going for my neck," the demon thought, amused. "He must be trying to end this quickly. Haha, you're too predictable, kid."

The demon lunged at Tristan, unleashing a flurry of attacks. Tristan dodged each one with precision, reading the demon's movements like an open book. As the demon's assault began to slow, Tristan seized the opportunity, dashing forward with another apparent strike at the neck.

The demon smirked, confident he had finally figured Tristan out. But instead of slashing, Tristan thrust his sword upward.