Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation

Chapter 185 – One Stone, Two Dead Imps

”...You know,” Lux murmured, voice low, ”the only thrill that ever really stuck for me was triggering a financial apocalypse.”

Corvus flinched. ”Right... But you can’t do that,” He reminded him, dragging both hands down his face. ”Right? You have those agreements and stuff.”

”Right,” Lux said, huffing. ”That.”

Corvus groaned. ”For Hell’s sake.”

But Lux’s eyes had that look again.

That glint.

That quiet heat curling in the corner of his grin—the one Corvus hadn’t seen in a while.

Then Lux said, almost too casually, ”...Or I could start hunting.”

Corvus blinked. ”Hunting?”

Lux turned his head slowly, red eyes gleaming with something sharp. ”Mmhmm.”

”You mean... like leveling up hunting?”

A slow smile spread across Lux’s face.

”No,” he said, pausing dramatically. ”I mean yes. But that’s just the bonus.”

Corvus narrowed his eyes. ”Okay. So what do you actually mean?”

Lux leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, coffee cup dangling lazily from his fingers.

”They put a bounty on my head, right?”

”...Yeah.”

”I want to reverse the roles.”

A beat.

Corvus blinked. ”You mean—”

”I want to hunt them.”

Silence.

Lux’s grin widened like a shark sensing the first blood drop in the water.

”Let’s stop waiting. Stop hiding. Stop pretending I’m prey. We go active. Full search. Target lock. Anyone spreading my name with a price tag attached—we find them. We don’t wait for attacks. We burn them out.”

Corvus’s mouth fell slightly open. ”You’re talking about open war.”

Lux raised his mug.

”Open efficiency.”

Corvus stood slowly, his face transitioning from confusion to realization to something bordering on manic glee.

”You want to hunt the bounty hunters.”

”Crush them.”

”You want to flip the market on your own life.”

”One stone.”

Corvus leaned in.

”Two imps.”

”Dead.”

Silence again. Then—

”Damn,” Corvus said, laughing darkly. ”I like this idea.”

Lux stood too, finishing the last of his coffee. The bitter aftertaste hit his tongue like a warning bell—and he welcomed it.

”No more waiting around hoping people stop noticing me,” he said. ”We make them notice something else. We make them scared to search.”

Corvus grinned, shadows curling around his limbs already, power beginning to shimmer off his form like corrupted static. ”You know what to do, huh?”

Lux gave him a slow nod.

Corvus stepped back, arms out, letting the shadows pull at him like a puppet being reeled into darkness.

”I’ll find them,” he said, voice already half-warped. ”Every last one of them. I’ll rule their networks, rip their trailings apart, bury fake bounties, and leak Hell-certified misinformation just to watch them turn on each other.”

”Spoken like a true little demon.”

”It’s my speciality.” Lux let out a twisted grin. ”I want to burn them... Or turn them into my Soul Credits.”

”Fine. I will help you out. I know what to do.” With a final flutter of feathers and a burst of black light, Corvus snapped back into his raven form.

The glow in his eyes shimmered once.

Then he dove—silent and precise—into Lux’s shadow like water swallowing a knife.

Gone.

Lux stood there for a moment longer, the echo of Corvus’s grin still hanging in the air like caffeine steam and bloodlust.

He turned toward the window.

Sovereign Grand’s skyline stretched out in all its shiny, capitalist glory. Tall. Glittering. Fragile.

So easy to crack.

He lifted his empty mug one last time, lips twitching upward.

”I guess being a prey’s not really my thing, huh?”

And he downed the last drop.

Lux straightened slowly, rolled his shoulders, and cracked his neck once like he was shaking off the last bit of mercy in his spine.

He looked toward the city skyline—wealth stacked like trophies, people scurrying like debt rats, and somewhere under all of that, a list of names with his head at the top of their price tag.

His lips formed a wicked smile.

”My real vacation...” he whispered, smoothing out his shirt, ”...has finally begun.”

[Do you require additional monologuing time, sir?]

Lux blinked. Smile faded. ”...Seriously?”

[It’s just that you’ve been staring out the window for seventeen seconds while whispering threats to no one in particular.]

”I’m trying to act cool. Can you not?”

[Of course. However—]

The system paused.

[—I have detected a high-level demon entering the mortal realm via incursion vector 07-C. It appears to be moving directly toward your location.]

Lux turned sharply, expression flattening. ”Of course they are.”

[If you wish to continue narrating, please do so efficiently.]

He huffed, shaking his head. ”Right. Since I have a guest, I should prepare myself.”

He flicked his fingers open, summoning his dimensional inventory with a familiar hum—like velvet being sliced by a razor. The air shimmered, and the icons appeared before him like glowing tarot cards.

There.

Two glittering objects hovered in the center, still pulsing faintly with yesterday’s conquest.

[Widow’s Thorn : Upon absorption, grants 1 random Offensive Skill of Epic quality.]

[Condensed Soul Remnant: Upon absorption, grants 1 random Passive Skill of Epic quality.]

Lux grinned.

”Consume.”

The two artifacts shimmered, liquified, and spiraled into him like shadows being inhaled. One crackled down his spine like lightning dipped in oil, the other settled into his chest like something had melted and made room.

[Skill Acquired: Abyssal Grasp (Epic) – Summons shadow tendrils from the lower void. Tendrils pierce, ensnare, and crush enemies within a wide radius. May inflict Terror status.]

[Skill Acquired: Dreadborne Renewal (Epic Passive) – Increases all regeneration-type skills and effects by +35%. Further amplified while under stress, pain, or while in low health.]

Lux tilted his head. The feedback still thrummed in his bones—like someone had installed a second heartbeat.

He flexed his fingers once. The shadows around his feet rippled like they were trying to please him.

”...Not bad,” he said.

He turned, grabbed the black suit draped over the chair. Tailored silk. Soft as sin, sharp as insult.

He slid into it like a second skin. Brushed his hair back. Sprayed his signature cologne—void musk with a hint of stolen sandalwood. Then added one final touch. A silver tie pin shaped like a dagger through a coin.

[Appearance: 9.8. Threat aura: 7.4. Sex appeal: Error. Value exceeds measurable scale.]

”Better,” he muttered.

And with one last glance in the mirror, Lux stepped out of the suite, letting the door close behind him with a soft click—like a loaded chamber.