Self-Summon [Demon Summoning/Evolution litRPG] Chapter 22: [1.22] Toxic Traits (Part 3)

Read chapter 22 of Self-Summon [Demon Summoning/Evolution litRPG] by Drim on NovelPedia.

[Order Resistance Lv.3] [Obstinance increased] As soon as Angelica got that message, the toll of Order Obligation waned, allowing a momentary relief. Then it quickly ramped up again. The agony she felt from her active disobedience didn’t grow at a steady pace. It was exponential, making her skin crawl, her blood boil, the pressure of her existence feeling like it was going to pop at any moment. [Obstinance increased] [Obstinance has improved from Pushover to Meek] Well, that was unexpected, but welcome. It provided a significant decrease in oppression. Sadly, not enough. Gelic had been hoping to hold out until Lv.4, but the tearing at her soul just became too much, and she rolled back into the study, flopping on her back as she groaned and tried to steady her breathing. Once she was well-enough to stand again, out of curiosity, she stepped out of the room once more. Immediately, she was hit with almost the same level of potency that she’d just escaped from. It had tapered slightly, but not by much. So much for the hope that the punishment would instantly reset after she started following the Order again. It would obviously wain the longer she obeyed, but the last run had been so taxing that she probably wouldn’t try it again for a while, if it all, at least with this Summoner. When resisting her own Orders, she had never received such a level of intensity. Garvin’s Contract had pressured her with a bit of a firmer hand as well, but that hadn’t been nearly as bad as this. At first, she’d thought it was due to the complexity of the order and the timeframe given. While that could still be a factor, Gelic now had to guess it was primarily due to Lustre’s Summoner Rank. The more powerful the master, the more difficult they would be to disobey. Made sense. When Angelica finally started feeling well enough to actually address the Order she’d been given, her mighty master returned with several housekeeping supplies. She was given a dusting wand, broom, dustpan, mop, and bucket. They were all, of course, scaled to human proportions, far too big for Gelic’s tiny figure, but she’d make due, happy to have anything at all. “I’ll be in the next room, working,” Lustre informed her. “Try not to make too much noise so I can focus.” Angelica watched the older woman go and sit down at another desk in the adjacent room. It could also be called a study, but a more modern one, filled with computers. And her master’s so-called “work” was to slouch in her chair and watch a video of clearly no importance. Was Angelica looking at her own future in ten years if she also became a powerful Summoner? Conjuring Demons to take care of menial tasks so that she could lounge about all day. It honestly sounded pretty nice. As a Demon herself, the idea of making her kin perform simple tasks that she could do on her own irked her a bit, especially because she could also just give herself Orders, but she supposed that the concept boiled down to employment in general. Humans employed other humans. The bigger caveat is she’d need Essence to pay them, and since she couldn’t make it herself, she’d have to find a steady source. It was nothing to worry about now, but possibly something to consider in the future, when her time became more valuable than her money. Currently, it had almost no value, or else she wouldn’t be performing unknown tasks for a stranger to get Essence scraps. At least she had to assume it wasn’t a big payout. Plenty for her as she was, but a higher-Ranking demon would probably balk at the amount. And speaking of her task, it was time to get to work. Order Obligation was once more starting to flare, chastising her for taking so long. She began with the highest shelves on the bookcases, having learned long ago that it was best to work from top to bottom when cleaning. If she swept the floor but then knocked down a bunch of dust, she’d just have to sweep it again. Yet she quickly grew tired of what should be a simple act. Gelic would need to bounce a