The landscape blurred past at impossible speeds.

Jack gripped Fluffy's fur tighter as the Cerberus flew across Floor 24's crimson terrain, each stride covering dozens of meters.

The heat radiating from the hellhound's body had become oddly comfortable, like sitting near a well-maintained fireplace.

"So," Jack called over the rushing wind, "how long is this trip supposed to take?"

S, seated beside him with the casual posture of someone enjoying a leisurely carriage ride, glanced over. "At Fluffy's current pace? Approximately four hundred and twenty days. Give or take a week depending on the terrain."

Jack's stomach dropped. "Four hundred and twenty days? That's better than the 500 days it was supposed to take."

"Indeed." S pulled another tangerine from seemingly nowhere and began peeling it. "Floor 24 is rather large."

"I'm human," Jack said flatly. "We'll have to stop for food, water, and bathroom breaks. I can't just ride a hellhound for over a year straight."

S paused mid-peel, his expression shifting to one of mild distaste. "How incredibly dull."

"Dull?"

"Yes, dull." S popped a tangerine segment into his mouth. "The constant need for sustenance, the biological imperatives, the sheer inefficiency of mortal bodies. It's all terribly tedious."

He gestured vaguely at Jack. "No offense, of course. You can't help being born with such limiting physiology."

Jack opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. What exactly was he supposed to say to a creature who considered eating and sleeping to be character flaws?

"We'll stop when necessary," S continued, his tone suggesting he found the entire topic beneath him.

"Though I do hope you're efficient about it. Watching someone chew food for twenty minutes at a time is not how I wish to spend my existence."

"I'll try not to inconvenience you with my basic needs," Jack muttered.

S smiled, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm. "Excellent. I appreciate your consideration."

Corvin made a sound that might have been a laugh.

They rode in silence for several minutes, the crimson sky stretching endlessly overhead.

The landscape was harsh but varied, rivers of lava cutting through obsidian plains, black ice cutting from the earth, and the occasional pillars of dark stone that reached toward the sky like grasping fingers.

"You mentioned obstacles," Jack said eventually. "What should I be worried about on this floor?"

"Oh, the usual." S waved his hand dismissively. "Lesser demons, environmental hazards, the occasional territorial dispute between monster clans."

He paused, his expression growing more serious. "Though there is one significant obstacle you'll need to overcome."

Jack waited a monet for S to speak.

"Pho's castle," S said.

The name sent a chill down Jack's spine despite Fluffy's warmth. "Pho. As in..."

"Cho's older brother, yes." S's red eyes gleamed with interest. "A Disaster-class Deathfrost Demon. Quite powerful. Considerably more so than his younger sibling, whom you..." S made a casual eating gesture, "...consumed."

"Disaster-class," Jack repeated, his mind immediately going to his fight with Spiralus. He remembered the last time he had to fight a disaster class monster.

Jack only won because he chanted Draven's Blessing.

"His castle sits near the floor's exit," S continued, biting into another tangerine segment. "You'll need to pass through his territory to reach Floor 25. And given that you killed his brother and ate his heart, I suspect Pho will be less than welcoming."

Jack's jaw tightened. "Will you help me fight him?"

"No."

The answer was shocking. It startled Jack.

"You're my guardian deity," Jack said, frustration creeping into his voice. "Isn't protection part of the deal?"

"Protection, yes. Fighting all your battles for you, no." S turned to face him fully, his expression taking on a mentoring quality. "You need to figure this out yourself, Jack. I can offer advice, provide resources, and ensure you don't die from something stupid. But if I simply solve every problem you encounter, how will you grow?"

Jack wanted to argue, but he couldn't. S was right, even if the truth was inconvenient.

"How strong is Pho compared to me?" Jack asked.

S considered the question, tilting his head. "Currently? He could kill you in approximately thirty seconds if you fought him directly. Perhaps forty-five if you used everything you have and fought intelligently." He smiled pleasantly. "So I'd recommend not fighting him directly."

"Fantastic," Jack muttered. "Any other encouraging news?"

"Well, you have over a year to prepare," S pointed out. "That's quite generous, really. Most people would simply be dead already."

Jack decided to change the subject before S could elaborate on exactly how dead he would be.

"The demon hearts," Jack said. "What's actually happening to me? Will I change if I keep eating demon hearts?"

S's ears perked up and a small grin could be seen in his face.

He finished his tangerine and tossed the peel over Fluffy's side, where it vanished into the blur of passing terrain.

"Ah, the hearts. A fascinating topic." S clasped his hands together. "Truth be told, I'm not entirely certain what will happen to you. This situation is... unprecedented."

"That's not reassuring."

"Few worthwhile things are." S leaned back, settling into what looked like a lazy teacher about to give a speech.

"Let me explain demon physiology. The stronger a demon becomes, the more hearts they develop. Low grades like ones you fought have 2."

Jack blinked. "So Pho probably has at least 3 hearts then?"

"Indeed. It's part of what makes us so difficult to kill." S tapped his chest. "Destroy one heart, and the others compensate. If you want to kill him you'll need to rip out all his hearts or destroy them."

"And the hearts affect regeneration?"

"Precisely. More hearts mean faster healing, greater stamina, superior resilience. It's also tied to skeletal structure, demon bones are significantly denser than human bones. Stronger. More resistant to breaking."

S paused, studying Jack. "Which brings us to your situation."

"I'm eating demon hearts," Jack said slowly. "Absorbing their essence. Does that mean I'm developing demon physiology?"

"Possibly." S's tone was thoughtful rather than concerned. "The demonic essence is clearly affecting you. The question is whether it's replacing your human physiology or simply augmenting it."

Jack's hand unconsciously went to his chest, as if he could feel whether his heart was multiplying. "How would I know?"

"Physical changes would be the most obvious indicator." S gestured vaguely. "Horns, tail, altered skin pigmentation, bone protrusions. If you start growing a tail or sprouting horns from your skull, then yes, you're transforming into a demon."

"And if I don't?"

"Then your body is either adapting the essence differently, or the transformation is occurring more subtly." S shrugged. "As I said, this is unprecedented. Humans don't typically consume demon hearts in large quantities because, well, they die."

"Because of the corruption?"

"Because their bodies can't handle the essence. It tears them apart from the inside." S's smile was almost proud. "But you are the Soul Warden, which apparently provides some resistance. And your system seems to be regulating the process. So you're not dying, which is encouraging."

"Encouraging," Jack repeated dryly.

"Very much so." S leaned forward conspiratorially. "Between you and me, I find the whole situation fascinating. A human gaining demonic power without losing their humanity? It's the sort of thing legends are made of."

Jack wasn't sure if that was supposed to be comforting or terrifying.

"So your advice is...?"

"Continue as you have been," S said simply. "Monitor yourself for physical changes. If you start growing a tail, perhaps reconsider your heart consumption strategy. But until then?" He gestured broadly. "You're becoming something unique. Something powerful. Why would you stop?"

'Because I don't want to become a monster,' Jack thought. But he didn't say it aloud. S probably wouldn't understand, or worse, he'd understand perfectly and find it amusing.

"Besides," S continued, "demon hearts are an excellent source of power. I myself am quite the connoisseur." He said it with the air of someone discussing fine wine rather than organs torn from Demonic creatures.

"You eat demon hearts?" Jack asked.

"Of course. It's a way of life around here. Only from demons of sufficient quality, of course. I have standards." S's expression took on something approaching disdain. "Lesser demons taste terrible, all rage and no substance. But a well-aged heart? Exquisite."

Jack stared at him. "Well-aged?"

"From demons who've lived for centuries. Their essence becomes more refined, more concentrated." S waved his hand dismissively. "It's a matter of etiquette, really. One doesn't simply devour every demon one encounters. That would be barbaric."

"But I do that," Jack pointed out.

"You're learning," S said generously. "And you're human, so lower standards are expected."

Jack decided not to pursue that line of conversation.

They rode in silence for another few minutes. Fluffy's pace never wavered.

Occasionally, lesser demons would spot them and flee immediately, apparently, a Disaster-class hellhound was a sufficient deterrent for most creatures.

Jack's mind turned over everything S had told him.

Four hundred and twenty days of travel. A Disaster-class demon is standing between him and his destination. The slowly increasing demonic essence was changing his body in ways he couldn't predict.

He should be terrified. Part of him was. But another part, the part that had survived everything the tower had thrown at him so far, was already planning.

Strategizing. Figuring out how to overcome obstacles that should be impossible.

"You're thinking," S observed. "I can practically hear the gears turning."

"Just planning," Jack said. "Trying to figure out how to survive the next year."

"Survival is overrated," S said pleasantly. "Growth is what matters. And you're going to grow considerably during this journey, whether you want to or not."

Before Jack could respond, S reached into his coat, which shouldn't have had pockets large enough to hold anything substantial, and withdrew something that gleamed in the crimson light.

A crystal.

Not like the demon cores Jack was used to. This was different, clear, about the size of his fist. It pulsed with power that Jack could feel even from several feet away.

S tossed it casually toward Jack.

"Catch."

Jack's hand shot out automatically, grabbing the crystal mid-air.

The moment his fingers closed around it, warmth flooded through his palm.

[DING!]

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