Spark pulled out the Demon Contract Grimoire. It was a thick book bound in gnarly dull-black leather. A grey horned skull symbol was etched into its cover.
He had created this grimoire years ago. A contingency. A tool for situations where conventional force or money wouldn't work. Or where the task was too dangerous to handle personally.
He had tested it precisely once. Just once. With a low level demon. To ensure it was functioned. And that he wasn't opening a permanent, uncontrolled portal to Hell.
The test had been brief, controlled, and successful. If unsettling. He hadn't touched it since. The risks associated with dealing with demons were immense. Even through a supposedly controlled contract.
High-level demons were cunning and powerful. They were fundamentally alien entities whose goals rarely aligned with mortals. Attempting to contract one without absolute, ironclad countermeasures was suicidal.
Lower-level demons, on the other hand, were safer. But they were usually too weak or too stupid. Or too specialized to be of any general use.
Many thing they could do, he could do it without summoning them. They were, for the most part, useless.
Until now. He needed something precisely to do just one thing. He needed something small. Immune to heat. And capable of a simple, deadly errand.
A low-level Hell Imp fit the description perfectly. They were native to infernal realms. Places far hotter than this volcano.
He opened the Demon Contract Grimoire. The pages were black in color. The writing in the first page was glowing faintly in infernal red. He flipped to a blank page.
The air around him growing heavy. Charged with a different kind of magical aura. Compared to the natural elemental fury of the volcano. Or the life-binding law of the Slave Grimoire. This was raw, transactional power.
He needed a sacrifice. A toll to open the door. However briefly. The grimoire required a specific kind of object. Tied to life force, power, and value.
A common coin wouldn't do. A life sacrifice was possible. But it attracted dangerous entities. A powerful artifact would be an overkill. He wasn't that wasteful.
He needed something potent enough to draw attention from the lower tiers of the demonic hierarchy. But not so valuable that the Grimoire or the summoned entity would demand more than he was willing to give.
He reached into his spatial belt again. His fingers sorted through various things. Materials. Artifacts. Emergency supplies.
He quickly found what he was looking for. A Blood Ruby. A gem rare and valuable not just for its size and color. But also for the condensed life energy it contained.
It was useless for him like this. It would only be useful as alchemical materials. Or in poison creations. It would be very valuable for low level demonic creature though.
The crimson ruby sparkled faintly in his hand. Mirroring the heat around him. But with a deeper, vital warmth. This would suffice. Its value was high enough to entice a low-tier demon. But not so exorbitant that he'd regret losing it.
Spark held the Blood Ruby over the open page of the Grimoire. He focused his will.
The Ice Coating flickered. Under the strain of maintaining two complex magical operations simultaneously. Resisting the environmental heat. And channeling infernal energy from the grimoire.
Sweat beaded on his brow. He spoke. His voice was rough. Amplified slightly by the Grimoire's power.
The words weren't standard incantations. But a direct offer. A contract proposal stated clearly. Bluntly. The Grimoire would automatically translate, transcribe, and project it to the Hell Realm.
"I offer this Blood Ruby..." He said. Holding the gem a little higher. "... as payment."
He dropped the ruby onto the page. It didn't just land. It seemed to sink into the blackness. Accompanied by a faint whisper from the Grimoire itself.
The ruby vanished. The page glowed intensely red for a moment. Strange script in infernal red glow appeared on it.
"I offered the Blood Ruby..." Spark continued. His voice was firm and authoritative. "... for any Hell Imp willing to acquire a treasure for me. From the Blazing Lava Pool. Over there."
He pointed his heavy finger towards the glowing crevice. The energy from the Grimoire surged outwards. Amplified by the sacrificial energy of the Blood Ruby.
It was a summon casted into the Hell Realm. An odd job posting.
Silence stretched for a beat. Broken only by the roar of the heat. And the crackle of the Ice Coating. Spark waited. Patience was key. He had sent out the offer. He had to wait for a taker.
Then, a flicker appeared in the air above the lava pool. Not a heat shimmer. A tear. A small, jagged rip in the fabric of reality. Glowing with malevolent energy. It widened just enough for something small to squeeze through.
It was small. No bigger than a toddler. Hunched and wiry. Its skin was rough. Scaled. With the color of dried blood and ash. Its pointed ears twitched. It had stunted horns. And a thin, whip-like tail. A Hell Imp. Exactly what he needed.
Its small, beady eyes, darted around. Just like chips of black marbles. Fixing on Spark. And the open Grimoire in his hand.
It didn't speak. It just hovered there for a moment. Assessing the situation. Its eyes flicked from Spark to the lava. Then back to the Grimoire. A silent acknowledgement of the contract. The payment received.
Then, with surprising speed, it darted downwards. Straight into the Blazing Lava pool.
There was no scream. No sign of distress. The Imp seemed completely unfazed by the impossible heat.
It plunged into the glowing liquid. Its shape momentarily obscured by the intense heat haze. And the churning flow.
Spark watched. Tense inward. But outwardly, he looked calm enough. The Ice Coating groaned. Threatening to collapse under the sheer increase of thermal load. He reinforced it, pouring more mana into the coating.
Trust issues meant he didn't trust the Imp at all. He wouldn't allow it to just do the job without supervision. Relying solely on the contract.
He had to watch. Ensure it performed the task. And only the task. He didn't mind attacking the Hell Imp. Once it showed even just a little deviance to the contract.
A few moments later, the Imp surfaced. It scrambled onto a small outcropping of rock. Just visible above the lava's surface.
It was surprisingly quick despite its immersion. Clutched in one of its clawed hands was something glowing orange in color.
It hopped from the rock. Flying awkwardly back towards Spark. It held the object out. Presenting it. A simple transaction. The job was done. The payment had been received.
Spark extended his hand. Careful not to touch the creature. The Imp dropped the object into his palm.
It was an orb. Roughly spherical. A bit larger than a golf ball. It wasn't just orange in color. It glowed with an internal light. The color of concentrated sunset. It was crystal clear. Radiating a unique kind of energy that felt... invigorating.
The moment Spark took the orb, the Imp's form began to waver. The tear in reality above the lava pool reopened slightly. With a faint pop, like a bubble bursting, the Hell Imp dissolved into a wisp of black smoke.
It was gone. Contract fulfilled. The temporary summons ended. It was somehow... efficient.
Spark looked at the orb in his hand. The Ice Coating was momentarily weakened during the retrieval. It now pulsed back to full strength as he refocused.
The orb itself felt cool to the touch. Unnervingly so given where it came from. And its surface was smooth. Transparent. Flawless.
He recognized it instantly. The specific energy signature. The visual appearance. He had only ever seen illustrations and description about it before.
These weren't just rare. They were practically mythical. It was told that they were found in places of immense natural power. Where elemental energies converged. And condensed over millennia into physical form.
A slow grin spread across Spark's face. It stretched his lips. A genuine expression of satisfaction that rarely reached his eyes. Unless significant profit or power was involved.
This was no mere treasure. This was a Glory Orb.
The name itself was almost an understatement. These were objects of immense power. Consumable, unfortunately. In easy terms, they were like 'level-up' items from Earth games.
Consuming one was said to increase one's growth incrementally. Bringing the consumer potential to the limit of the current level. Ready to step into the next level.
It elevated one's tier to practically the next level. Potentially skipping years or even decades of arduous training or cultivation. They were catalysts for ascension.
And he had one. Plucked from a pool of deadly, potent lava. By a temporary, disposable demon. All for the price of one Blood Ruby and a little bit of mana strain.
He weighed the orb in his hand. Its value was incalculable. More than any amount of gold. More than any artifact he'd stolen or acquired. This was pure potential, ready to be absorbed.
Of course it would be much more beneficial if he consumed it later. When he reached higher tier. When improvement were even slower than a snail's movement.
Or, being traded for the protection of high level people. Like the King.
But he wouldn't do that. He didn't trust anyone other than himself. When he gained a chance for acquiring power, he would use it for himself.
And he would use it right away. As soon as he could. He urgently needed to increase his power after all. Comparing himself to other powerful beings during the Eagledome's chaos pressured him to do so.
He wouldn't use it here. Obviously. Not on a precarious rock ledge over a lava pit. With the heat threatening to melt him down. And the Ice Coating straining.
He needed a secure location. A private location. Somewhere he could process this without interruption. Without prying eyes. Using a Glory Orb was a momentous event. It couldn't be rushed or compromised.
He carefully placed the Glory Orb into his spatial belt. Storing it safely away from the heat and the elements.
This journey was already proving more fruitful than anticipated. The potent Blazing Lava for Princess Kissara was one thing. A necessary component. But the Glory Orb... that was pure bonus. A massive, life-altering bonus.
He checked the Ice Coating. It was holding. He looked around the small rock platform. It was time to leave.