My Girlfriend’s a Demon Incarnate!

Elen and William looked into the eyes of their new daughter, the Goblin Princess, and tried to reconcile the reality of their situation with their expectations. The mine was theirs, but at what price? Their journey to this point had been fraught with difficulties, their relationship evolving with every step they took in Terra Morte.

"We can't just leave the mine," William said, his eyes scanning the area. "We have to claim this place, build defenses. It's a strategic location, and we need to be ready for anyone who tries to harm us."

"Daddy, we already claimed this place," Nell scoffed.

Elen raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"As long as I'm alive, this dungeon belongs to you, and it's not going to disappear for lack of a Dungeon Master." Nell said cheerfully, "But I know little of what I'm supposed to do other than go out and threaten humanity with monsters I can't yet create or summon."

Elen felt a cold shiver run down her spine. "That's... interesting. But let's focus on the present. We need to set up a base here, make this place livable."

"We can start by going back to the Goblin King's throne and finding out what it does besides producing Nell," William suggested as he entered the mine. "Besides, we'll need that pickaxe. The creature had to expand the mine to make a home." Elen agreed as she followed him with Nell as they began their work in the mines.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. In the heart of Terra Morte, where the sun painted the sky with the fading strokes of twilight, a young goblin girl named Nell picked her way through the rocky terrain. Her eyes, a piercing shade of brown, darted from side to side, taking in the jagged cliffs and the eerie silence that surrounded her. The dust from the ground was kicked up by her small boots, creating small clouds that danced around her ankles. Her teal hair remained tied back in a loose ponytail that fluttered in the breeze, and she held a makeshift staff carved from a piece of driftwood she'd found along the way. The girl's skin was a strange mixture of human pallor and goblin green, a testament to her mixed heritage. Her pointed ears peeked out from under her hair, hinting at her true nature.

She had gotten her boots from her parents, who sold items they took from adventurers who willingly hunted her and her parents. The world system's announcement of her parents' deeds in the mine had made them targets for explorers in the area, so when they went out to hunt for food, they were always ready to fight. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but replacing a known dungeon ruler with an unknown demon was a bigger deal than expected they learned. Bird's Eye was especially cautious because they had heard that a demon had been in the city previously but had escaped. The people there could put two and two together and probably knew that her mother and this demon were the same being, as her father explained.

Nell sighed. "Okay, I understand. I'll get some materials." She turned and skipped away, her spirits undimmed by the grim reality of their situation.

She promised to do so, but found nothing of value outside. Nele went back and sat down at the entrance of their cave. Will, her father, stepped out with the pickaxe Wall Breaker that the former Goblin King had used. There, under his shirt, his muscles bulged from a month of mining and the use of a new skill he had needed to lift the giant tool. The skill was Iron Muscles, and though it was more of a warrior skill, and  the system rarely gave out skills from other professions, it decided to make the world a little more surprising.

This skill gave Will a daily 300% increase in Strength, while allowing him to mine iron ore in the cave, carry it to town, sell it in disguise, and return. It was hard work, but they now had 1000 gold coins for expenses. They also survived by processing meat, which Elen cooked with her Fire Mastery.

The air was thick with the smell of earth and metal, the taste of dust lingering on their tongues. Elen watched as William went back to work, swinging the massive pickaxe with surprising ease, each blow sending shards of stone flying. "You've really got the hang of it," she murmured, admiration in her voice.

"Daddy's been practicing with that pickaxe for a month, Mommy," Nell said, leaning her back against a rock wall. "But what have you been doing?"

Elen looked at her daughter with a wry smile. "Well, I've been learning the art of enchantment in between cooking," she replied, pointing to a small pile of glowing crystals beside her. "These are from the monsters we've defeated, and I'm figuring out how to infuse weapons and armor with their essence. It's difficult, but it's a skill that will help us protect ourselves and those we care about."

"You mean the monsters outside our cave home?" Nell asked as she hurried over and stared excitedly at the crystals.

Elen nodded. "Exactly. We'll use them to enchant our tools and weapons so we'll be ready for whatever comes our way." She picked up a crystal and held it up to the fading light. It glowed a faint blue, casting a cool hue on her face. "Each crystal holds a piece of the monster's power. It's up to me to channel it and make it useful for us."

"This Enchantment skill is your level 5 skill, right? It allows you to give an item its magical properties, right? It's normally a mage skill, though." Will said between his rock-breaking swings.

"Yes, it is, and it does," Elen replied, her eyes never leaving the crystal. "But it requires a delicate touch. If I do it wrong, I could destroy the item, or worse, the crystal. I might even hurt myself."

"Well, that last part would be a shame, since you've finally lost the weight from your pregnancy. You look golden." Will said as he turned to Elen and took in her curvaceous new waist.

Elen rolled her eyes and playfully threw a pebble at him. "Thanks, I guess. Now, let's focus."

"He's focused...on you." Nell cut in, elbowing into Elen's shin.

William stopped his work and put down his pickaxe. Then, wiping the sweat from his brow, he scolded Nell, "Nell, this is no time to make fun of our romance," he chuckled. "We have to raise you in a world that fears us and wants to kill us. We must prepare."

A strange, rhythmic sound echoing through the cave interrupted their conversation. It grew louder, a mixture of clanking armor and heavy boots. Elen's smile faded and she stood up, her hand going to her dagger. "Someone's coming," she whispered, her eyes narrowing. "I think they're back at the entrance. I'll kill them or send them away."

William nodded grimly, his hand tightening around the handle of the Wall Breaker. "Be careful," he said in a low voice.

"Mommy, if you kill some people, I want to eat them with my Blood Eater skill." Nell demanded as she followed. In this world, each level gained gave a person a skill. Some were completely replaced by new ones, but with monsters like Nell, they could gain an extra effect. This boost came in the form of dead corpses consumed by her version of the Blood Eater power, which allowed her to take half of the once-living person's total experience as if she had killed them. It erased the corpse and made Nell stronger, much faster. Ever since she ate the former goblin king, Will and Elen only fed her normal food.

"Nell, we're not going to do that," Elen said firmly, her eyes fixed on the entrance to the mine. "We can't have you becoming a threat to humanity too quickly, so let mommy figure out how to do the deplorable stuff."

The footsteps grew closer, and a group of armored figures appeared, their torches flickering against the cave walls. William, following in the rear, stepped in front of Elen and Nell, brandishing his pickaxe. "Who goes there?" he shouted, his voice echoing through the tunnel.

The leader, a knight with a shining sword, raised his hand in a peaceful gesture, his open visor displaying his face. "We come in peace," they shouted back. "We seek the new lords of this dungeon. The ones who defeated the Goblin King."

"My wife would be the one, but you are beneath her, so I will speak." Will announced, resting the pickaxe on his shoulder.

The knight took a step closer, his eyes scanning William and his tight shirt and pants before settling on the pickaxe. "Your reputation precedes you, William the Dungeon Conqueror," the knight said, a hint of awe in his voice. "We seek your help, not to challenge you."

"Huh? I know most people are here to hunt my wife." Will replied. "Besides, I wouldn't call myself a conqueror for a dungeon this small."

The knight chuckled. "No, William, it's because of your fairness and strength in battle. Word has spread that you treat the people of Terra Morte with respect, and that is rare among humans. We are from the nearby village of Stonehaven. We need your help with a problem we can't solve on our own.

"Fairness and respect? Is that how they see it? Let's see, we fled a city called Bird's Eye because they didn't like that I harbored a demon wife, and burned down part of a forest near there, then climbed a mountain before hiding out here. None of that sounds fair or strong to me." Will insisted, stepping forward to puff out his chest.

"Well, from their point of view, you claimed a dungeon without causing too much trouble, and you're not just a typical dungeon raider. That's a good thing in their book," Elen said calmly, putting a hand on his arm.

"Honey, don't defend these people," Will growled as he glared at her, "and act more like a demon around here."

Elen gave a forced smile, her hand still on William's arm. "It's all right, darling. At least we can hear them out. Then I can kill them if I have to."

The knight, seemingly unfazed by William's aggression, took a few steps closer. "The village of Stonehaven is threatened by a monster that has taken up residence in an old ruin nearby. We've tried to fight it off ourselves, but it's too powerful for us. We've heard stories of your bravery and your... unique family situation. We believe you can help us where others have failed."

Elen stepped forward, her eyes flashing with interest. "What kind of monster?" she asked, her voice low and measured.

The knight swallowed nervously. "A chimera," they replied. "It is a creature of myth, a fusion of beasts-a lion, a goat, and a serpent. It's been attacking our livestock and frightening our people. We're desperate for help."

"This is far too much trouble," William asserted. "I want no part of it."

Elen, however, saw opportunity in the knight's desperation. "We'll consider it," she said, her eyes gleaming. "But we need to know what's in it for us. Besides the satisfaction of saving your village, what do you offer?"

The knight hesitated before speaking. "We offer gold, supplies and information. We know the lands around here better than anyone else, and we can provide you with maps and knowledge that could be valuable to you and your... daughter."

"Well, that's all well and good, but since our former working environment was in Bird's Eye, we were able to gather information before. A town can't possibly have more than a city in that regard." William explained, grinding his foot into the ground.

"But, Daddy, if we help them, won't they like us more? Maybe they'll tell their friends and we'll receive support," Nell suggested with a hopeful smile.

"You just want followers and people to bully," William scolded his daughter.

"No, Daddy, I want friends," Nell corrected with a pout. "Besides, if we're going to live here, we have to make sure everyone is safe, right?"

"You really want friends? Last month you wanted to take over Bird's Eye." William said as he looked at them.

"Well, I changed my mind," Nell said with a shrug. "I want to be a good goblin princess for a while."

The knight looked at the strange family before them, a mixture of human, demon, and goblin. They were an unexpected sight, but the story of William's bravery in the mine, told by explorers who learned they occupied the mine, portrayed them as honorable yet powerful, and the knight hoped for this trustworthy attitude.

"We'll take the job," William announced as he held out his hand to the knight, "but I'd like a little more for this reward. If we help you, I want you to send some young men and women to help me with my mine expansion project."

The knight nodded eagerly. "Agreed. We'll send some of our strongest and most skilled villagers to help you."

"They must also be beautiful. I may want to make some maids or take a concubine." Will said, gripping the knight's hand tighter.

The knight's smile faltered at the mention of concubines, but they quickly regained their composure. "Understood. We will send our most capable people. They will swear to keep your true identity secret and serve you with their lives."

"You would really do this for us?" Elen's eyes grew wide as they burned with the heat of her flames.

"We need allies and reliable labor. If we can get them to do both, it's a win-win," William said with a shrug.

Elen nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "Very well. We'll help you with your chimera problem, and in return you send us your strongest and most beautiful villagers. We'll keep our identities hidden, but we expect full cooperation from Stonehaven in the future, or else you may suffer."