Traveling through the game world, starting out as a third-rate villain

Dr. Carter, a leading researcher in her field, was immersed in a late night of work in the lab.

Buzz!

The hum of machines, the soft glow of computer screens, and the smell of chemicals filled the air as she focused on her research. Time passed unnoticed, and Dr. Carter's passion drove her to keep exploring.

"Yawn... I'm so tired..." A few hours passed and the clock approached midnight, and Dr. Carter reluctantly decided to call it a day.

"I think I should go," she said to herself.

The corridors of the research facility were empty as I walked toward the exit, and my footsteps echoed in the silence. At this late hour, the silence of the building seemed particularly eerie.

This was not the first time she had felt this loneliness. As a scholar who had devoted herself to research since childhood, she gave up the hunter profession in order to focus on her career, and therefore, she worked harder than her peers.

After all, her boss and the bigwigs in the field have no trust in her.

Howl!

"It's so cold." She walked out the door, and the cold night air hit her face. She stretched and yawned.

"Um?"

However, her brief relaxation was interrupted by an unusual sight, a thin wisp of smoke rising into the night sky.

Her curiosity piqued, she squinted, trying to identify the source of the smoke.

"Isn't that place abandoned?"

The smoke came from an abandoned building nearby. As far as she knew, the building had been vacant for many years and was hardly used anymore.

"I should go check it out."

Normally she wouldn't have recommended going to a place like this at night, but since she was in one of the "safest" places in the world, she wasn't worried.

Also, if something happened, like a mechanical failure, it could affect her research. The possibility of a fire or other unexpected incidents started to worry her.

Without hesitation, Dr. Carter quickened his pace and headed towards the abandoned building.

“What does it feel like?”

As she approached, the air was filled with the smell of burning, but at the same time, a suffocating feeling came over her, making her feel terrified.

It was as if her body was rejecting something, and she instantly realized what it was.

'Demonic energy.'

As a former hunter and researcher specializing in demonic energy detection capabilities, Dr. Carter was no stranger to this energy. But the amount she was feeling now was far greater than she had ever experienced before.

"A half-demon... no, at least two."

Panic and adrenaline quickly coursed through her veins, and she quickly pulled out her phone and dialed the college's emergency services.

This was not a situation she could handle alone.

......

"There really is a devil contractor here."

A man walks toward the smoking building with his hands in his coat pockets.

“I didn’t expect they were right under our noses.”

He is a member of the 'Guardians' department, a special division responsible for investigating supernatural events within the academy.

As they approached the burning building, strange energies filled the air, the acrid smell of burning demonic energy.

Detective Michael Harris, a seasoned detective and now a member of the Guardians, surveys the horrific scene before him. The abandoned buildings are covered in traces of fierce battles, and demonic energies hang in the air.

In the ruins, three young bodies lay, their faces difficult to identify.

The upper half of one of the bodies appeared to be missing, possibly from an explosion, and the other two bodies were not in much better condition, their skin slowly rotting away.

Detective Harris looked serious and signaled his partner, Detective Emma Rodriguez, to begin the investigation.

"Tsk...disgusting..."

The two men carefully made their way through the ruins, their sharp eyes scanning their surroundings for any clues.

"It looks like they were unable to release their demonic forms." Detective Rodriguez said as he observed the demonic remnants on the wall. "They don't appear to be high-level demon contractors."

He muttered to himself in a low voice. Usually, when a demon contractor reveals his true identity, a huge change will occur in his body, and it takes a lot of time and resources to restore it to its original state. Therefore, most demon contractors will not easily reveal their true identity.

“This is more than just a simple confrontation,” he continued.

The traces of demonic energy left in the air hinted at something unusual. From the residual mana, the detective could clearly tell that two demonic energies had clashed violently here.

Detective Harris nodded in agreement. "Looks like a conflict between demonic pacts, but why are they here?"

"I'm guessing they've been here for some time. These signs of repeated use of demonic energy, as well as the presence of some surveillance devices, indicate that this was not a one-time event. They chose this place on purpose."

"So, this means..."

"That's right... there is a traitor here."

As they continued their discussion, another detective was behaving differently. He looked around and did not engage with his colleagues.

"These traces?"

He is a newly hired detective by the Guardians, and since he is new, his presence in the Guardians department is not strong.

"bullet?"

He looked at the marks on the ground, full of doubts. He knew that he couldn't touch these marks casually, because it might destroy the crime scene, but he could still feel that these marks did look like those left by bullets.

At this time, Detective Harris and Detective Rodriguez came over.

"Hey, new guy, did you find anything?"

They looked at Jim with sarcastic smiles. They felt threatened by his overexcitement and active participation in the investigation.

Jim nodded, confirming his suspicion that the marks looked like bullets. "Yes, they look like bullet marks."

Detectives Harris and Rodriguez exchanged amused looks, and their sneers turned into outright laughter. "Bullet marks? Come on, Jim, this isn't an action movie scene," Harris scoffed.

Detective Rodriguez interjected, "You've watched too many detective shows, kid. Look around. Do you see any bullet casings? If someone was stupid enough to use bullets in a demon conflict, there would be evidence left behind. Besides, do you think bullets could hurt the skin of a demon contractor?"

Jim felt embarrassed and blushed. He knew he was off base, but his intuition told him that his guess was right.

“I know it sounds strange, but these traces are too strange for a battle between demons. We should ensure any possibility.”

The two senior detectives continued to smile disdainfully.

"Yeah, yeah..." Detective Rodriguez repeated mockingly, his tone full of contempt. "Listen, kid, this isn't a rookie case. We've been doing this longer than you've been in school. You'll learn a lot more if you keep your eyes and ears open and talk less theory."

Detective Harris added: "We have seen countless strange things in our careers. There are always some internal fights between demons or they fight for artifacts. But there have never been bullets and guns. This incident is completely a typical demon incident. When you have more experience, you will understand."

Jim sighed inwardly, realizing that it would not be easy to convince these senior colleagues.

'What do you old fogies know?'

As he looked at the marks, a determined gleam appeared in his eyes.

He refused to give up on his instincts, despite their skepticism. He knew the investigation had only just begun, and he was determined to explore every possibility, no matter how unconventional it might seem.

He began to walk around the scene, ignoring the conversation between the two old guys, looking for clues that might support his theory.

"Um?"

As he continued walking, he noticed some unusual marks on the ground that they had overlooked.

"These are arrow marks. Explosive arrows?" he whispered to himself.

While the other two see this as a fight between demons, Jim sees it very differently.

'No bows and arrows here?'

The Devil Contractor does not seem to have used a bow and arrow.

'And what is this power?'

The mana looked like it was in an ionic state. Even the residual demonic energy was not enough to create such a mark.

'This is definitely not demonic energy.'

Demonic energy is usually unstable and difficult to control, and it has the effect of affecting the user's mind, rather than plasma effects like this.

'There's someone else or something else here. Maybe a third party.'

Jim theorizes that there might be a third party.

Someone or something was involved in this conflict, using unconventional weapons and unique energies.

"The air around here doesn't feel like ordinary demonic energy..."

He took a deep breath and seemed to be able to smell a different substance.

'I need to wait for the results of the autopsy and the chemical department's analysis.'

Jim noted his observations and flagged clues that might indicate third-party involvement.

'I need further examination.'

As his investigation progresses, Jim begins to consider the capabilities of this unknown attacker.

'First, he or they must have the ability to turn invisible.'

Considering that the demonic pact had failed to detect his or their presence, invisibility was clearly a key factor.

'Moreover, he or she is also good at ranged combat.'

He recorded this in his notebook, ticking off each key word.

'bullet(?)'

The use of explosive arrows and possibly bullets suggests that the unknown attacker was highly skilled in ranged combat. But even so, one thing remains unsolved.

'What is his or their goal?'

This is the biggest question in Jim's mind, what is the goal of this possible third party?

As the cold night progressed, Jim was left with more and more unanswered questions and a lot of thoughts.