Chapter 1 Admission Notice According to the contract, her soul has already…

As the first rays of morning light streamed into the waiting room, Xia Ying realized what a strange, busy, and terrifying night she had just endured.

In any case, a new day dawned. The pale yellow wallpaper, paintings, and green plants on all four sides of the waiting room made her feel like she had returned to the human world, while the sofa and carpet looked even softer and more lovely.

So, when Liu Ze walked into the waiting room carrying two bags of breakfast, Xia Ying had already fallen asleep on the small sofa.

Liu Ze glanced at her and saw the girl wrapped tightly in a Snoopy-patterned blanket, curled up and sleeping with her face to the inside of the sofa. Her long, black hair slipped down her thin shoulders and back, scattered around the edge of the sofa, like a little crow resting with its feathers covering its wings.

Liu Ze thought for a moment, gently placed the two bags of breakfast on the table, and then prepared to turn around and leave. But a slight rustling sound was heard, and Xia Ying had already climbed up from the sofa and slowly raised her eyes to look at Liu Ze.

The two looked at each other for a long while before Xia Ying finally spoke her first words:

"Ah, McDonald's breakfast."

The stagnant air in the waiting room was suddenly broken. Liu Ze couldn't help but laugh, walked to the meeting table, pulled out a chair and sat down: "Yes, I bought breakfast on my way here, a little bit of everything. Choose what you like."

Xia Ying dragged the blanket over her shoulder, climbed from the sofa onto another chair, and sat opposite Liu Ze across the table. She then tore open the paper bag.

While waiting for the other person to finish breakfast, Liu Ze quietly observed them.

Xia Ying, a native of Binhai City, was exceptionally admitted to Binhai University at the age of sixteen, but is currently on leave of absence and has very few social connections...

On the way here, Liu Ze had already memorized all the background information. At this moment, Xia Ying, sitting opposite Liu Ze, had slightly disheveled hair and was intently chewing on a pork and egg McMuffin. She was much warmer and more relatable than those cold words.

No matter how you look at it, she seems to be just an ordinary girl who is delicate and cute.

"I've finished eating, thank you for bringing me breakfast." Xia Ying, now fully awake with a full stomach, looked up and finally had the time to take a closer look at who was sitting in front of her.

Xia Ying first noticed that the other person was wearing a name tag on his chest, which read: .

Her gaze then moved up to the other person's face.

Mr. Yanagisawa was an outgoing and lively young man with brown eyes and a handsome face. His light-colored eyes and slightly narrow pupils added a touch of mysterious exoticism to his appearance.

"Hello, my name is Liu Ze, and I belong to the Special Incident Response Department." Although he had already noticed Xia Ying's gaze on his name tag, Liu Ze still formally introduced himself to her. "Before we get to the main topic, I have a few questions for you. Would you mind answering them?"

Xia Ying nodded, and Liu Ze took out paper and pen and began to ask questions.

What is your name?

"Xia Ying".

"Profession?"

“I am a student at Binhai University, but I took a leave of absence a few months ago.”

Could you tell me about your family situation?

Xia Ying paused slightly when asked this question.

“I used to live with my mother, but she passed away unexpectedly when I was ten years old,” she said. “Later, my aunt adopted me, but I moved back to the house my mother left me not long after… I have no other relatives besides my aunt’s family.”

Liu Ze continued, "Why don't you live with your aunt's family? Aren't they good to you?"

“No, my aunt is very good to me, it’s just that I’m not suited to stay there.” Xia Ying said calmly. “I don’t really want to answer these questions, it’s a personal matter.”

Liu Ze looked apologetic: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

He seemed to have finished asking his questions, and Xia Ying saw him put away his pen and paper.

But the next second, Liu Ze took out a pair of handcuffs and snapped them onto Xia Ying's wrists.

"So, Miss Xia Ying, you have been arrested for violating several provisions of the 'Demon Realm and Abyss Creature Contact Management Law'."

Xia Ying looked at the other person, her expression filled with confusion and disapproval.

"Are you doubting my identity? The Special Incident Response Department is a legally established secret department, specializing in handling cases related to other worlds and otherworldly creatures. This is my law enforcement credentials..."

No, I have no doubt about you.

"So you think the grounds for arrest are insufficient? This is our investigation record, surveillance footage, on-site detection report of magic fluctuations, and other evidence, which can fully prove that you violated information confidentiality, unauthorized access, and..."

"Currently, only a small number of people are affected, but this situation may not last long."

Liu Ze replied.

“I fully understand your job, but I’m afraid I still can’t be arrested by you,” Xia Ying said, “because I’m about to report to the academy.”

Just as Liu Ze was about to press further, Xia Ying moved her hand, which was restrained by handcuffs, and laboriously pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket, pushing it in front of Liu Ze.

"You'll understand once you see it."

Liu Ze picked up the piece of paper, and the moment he unfolded it, the paper burst forth with a strong magical energy fluctuation. Its disguise was removed, and it revealed its true form, transforming from a piece of paper into a roll of parchment tied with a golden ribbon.

The appearance of this strange object suddenly stirred up a gust of wind in the closed waiting room, nearly snapping the green plants, rustling the leaves, and causing the paintings on the wall to sway and thud against the wall.

As an investigator, Yanagisawa was well aware of the dangers of carelessly handling demonic artifacts. He immediately tried to close the parchment again, but the demonic script continued to transmit its contents into his mind:

【Dear Ms. Xia Ying, we are pleased to inform you that you have been admitted to Cocytus College.】

Located in a narrow crevice of the Demon Realm, the students of Cocytus Academy are all creatures of the abyss. The Academy Laws, established by its owners, are the sole and supreme rules of Cocytus Academy. Unless they conflict with the Academy Laws, Cocytus Academy does not prohibit evil deeds including deception, plunder, and murder.

Please board the Charon train promptly at dusk the following day. If there are no objections, please sign your name enclosed. This agreement will take effect upon signature...

Upon reading this, Liu Ze finally activated his mental barrier. He used his arms to block the strong wind while shouting to the blurry figure sitting still in the storm of magical energy:

"This is a contract with the Abyss Demon!! Xia Ying! Whatever you do, don't sign it!"

A pair of handcuffed hands passed through the wind wall, picked up the roll of parchment, and tied it back up with a gold ribbon.

The storm vanished in that instant, and the girl's figure reappeared clearly before Liu Ze.

"Thank you for reminding me, but unfortunately, I've already signed my name on the admission notice." Xia Ying turned her head slightly, as if trying to catch some subtle sound. "Besides, it seems he'll be here soon."

Who is he? Who's coming?

Liu Ze did not ask that question.

Because he truly sensed the terrifying approach of something.

The first alarm to be triggered was the Level 1 alarm, whose piercing sound immediately filled the waiting room.

Subsequently, the twelve layers of magic element protective barrier were activated one after another, only to be easily punctured layer by layer like soap bubbles.

Next, the interior furnishings were destroyed. The green plants withered rapidly at a visible speed, and the paintings shattered one after another. An unknown black liquid flowed down from the ceiling, swallowing the exorcism runes behind the wallpaper.

Finally, something arrived.

There was no sound; the room remained sluggish and gelatinous. The visitor's figure was not visible to the two, yet its approach was palpable.

Four steps.

Three steps.

Two steps.

Liu Ze silently counted down until, on the other side of the table, next to Xia Ying, an empty chair suddenly moved backward, making a slight sound.

The unseen guests took their seats.

The black water flowing from the ceiling accelerated its penetration into the waiting room, bubbling and churning as it climbed up the table legs, leaving a line of magically powerful writing on the tabletop.

According to the contract, her soul already has a master.

Liu Ze's mental barrier shattered the moment he witnessed the demon's whispers. He lost consciousness, swayed, and fell from his seat.

"Can you please not kill him?"

Xia Ying watched the investigator gradually sink into the black water, then turned to look at the empty chair next to her.

"Mr. Tartarus?"

Before his figure was fully revealed, his six pitch-black wings, which blotted out the sky, suddenly unfolded, and light flowed quietly on his solemn and magnificent feathers, so holy that it took one's breath away.

This great being with six wings possessed incomparably radiant platinum hair. All descriptions of beauty were devoted to his appearance. When those diamond-shaped, molten gold eyes cast their gaze upon him, this aggressive beauty even exceeded the limits that the human soul could contain, transforming into a kind of horror that could tear apart reason.

Even the grandest cathedral could not have sculpted an angel image more striking than this. But angels do not possess pure black wings, nor can they evoke such a chaotic and terrifying aura.

The noble, beautiful, and evil primordial demon smiled, snapped his fingers, and pulled the unconscious Liu Ze from the water, throwing him onto the sofa.

At the same time, the admission notice obediently unfolded itself and flew into Xia Ying's hand.

On the right side of the parchment, Xia Ying clearly saw her own signature, while another name that established the contract was listed in the upper left of her handwriting.

Xia Ying, holding the parchment roll, asked, "May I ask a question?"

The Lord of Demons graciously granted her permission to ask her question.

“As far as I know, signing a contract with the devil means selling your soul to the devil,” Xia Ying said. “But this is an admission notice, isn’t it?”

“Besides being consumed, souls have other uses. Just like, in addition to being the Lord of Demons, I am also the owner of the Cocytus Academy.”

Tartarus twitched his fingers slightly, and the handcuffs on Xia Ying's wrists immediately fell off. But when he leaned down, his gently fluttering six wings resembled another sturdy and magnificent black cage.

"However, the misfortunes that may befall you in Cocytus may make you wish that I would devour your soul today."

"I have no other choice." Xia Ying smiled slightly, massaging her wrist while looking down at the rising black water. "Thank you, but how am I supposed to leave here now?"

After she asked the question, ripples appeared in the black water, and a pair of spotless white shoes were lifted to the surface by a small whirlpool.

The six-winged demon knelt on one knee and helped Xia Ying put on the shoes.

“This is the magical artifact [Persephone's Spring], which I am giving you as a gift for your enrollment,” Tartarus said to her. “It will grant you the ability to walk on the River Styx. Now you can go wherever you want, and I will come to pick you up at dusk.”

Xia Ying carefully placed one foot on the water's surface. After confirming that she was not sinking, she stood up steadily and took a few steps forward.

Suddenly, she heard the rustling of wings behind her. Xia Ying turned around, but the six-winged demon's figure had already disappeared. Apart from her own reflection, there was nothing on the River Styx.

Xia Ying withdrew her gaze and continued walking forward, her figure quickly disappearing into the depths of the River Styx.

The shadow cast by the Demon Lord gradually receded, and the black river began to flow out of this space. The water level continued to drop until it finally disappeared completely from the waiting room.

Liu Ze, a second-level action investigator in the Special Incident Response Department, was jolted awake and suddenly opened his eyes.

"That was close, I almost died." Liu Ze sat up with lingering fear, pulled out several shattered protective magical artifacts from his pocket, and then found a communicator. "They didn't say beforehand that the abyssal creatures coming would be of this level!"

The communication was established, and Liu Ze reported to the other end: "Mission complete. Contact has been made with the target Xia Ying, and the placement of the magical artifact [Abyssal Dangerous Creature Encyclopedia] went smoothly."

After completing the mission progress report, he paused, but couldn't help asking, "But are we just going to let that girl be taken to the Demon Realm like this?"

The voice on the other end of the communication channel sounded coldly. As Liu Ze recalled the horrific scene he had investigated the previous night, his pupils involuntarily narrowed, and his eyes became even lighter in color.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the emotional turmoil within them had been smoothed out.

Before ending the communication, he replied, "I understand, everything will proceed as instructed."

#####

Xia Ying walked alone on the River Styx. After an unknown amount of time, she saw a door standing abruptly on the water ahead.

From the worn paint and fine scratches, Xia Ying easily recognized that it belonged to Room 1008 of Building C, leading to the small house her mother had left her called "home".

She walked to the door, tentatively inserted the key into the lock, and the bolt popped open gently. Xia Ying pushed open the door, and what came into view was a familiar scene she had seen countless times before.

She really went home.

As Xia Ying stepped inside, the River Styx behind her vanished in an instant. Before she could even feel grateful for her survival, the light in her surroundings was abruptly pulled away, plunging the world into darkness and silence, and a shadow gradually enveloped her body.

Xia Ying looked up and noticed a huge canine-shaped magical beast slowly approaching.

The giant beast's back almost touched the ceiling, its fur was blacker than the night, and its eyes were like burning crimson flames. When it bent down, it was as if a mountain was collapsing towards Xia Ying, stirring up a wind with the smell of rust and burnt ash.

Just as she was about to be swallowed by the rocks and scorching heat, Xia Ying opened her arms. The moment she touched her, the enormous shadow suddenly transformed into an embrace, forcefully enveloping her entire body.

The giant beast vanished, and a black-haired, red-eyed man fell into her arms.

"It was a long and terrible night, wasn't it?"

Xia Ying whispered in his ear, gently patting his tense and slightly trembling back as if soothing an uneasy little animal.

"Ker, I'm back."

A note from the author:

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Let's begin!

Cocytus is the name of the Styx River in Greek mythology.