“Haa… haa…”
When I arrived at the training grounds, I glanced around.
Of course, just casually walking around here wouldn’t reveal anything unusual.
Even so, no matter the warnings, any relatively weaker points or vulnerabilities would still exist. So, a perceptive magician might notice something amiss while passing through here.
In fact, when a hero in the game accidentally broke through the demon’s barrier, it wasn’t solely because they were a hero—it was more about accidentally finding the weaker part of the barrier and breaking through it.
I know exactly where to go to break it now.
But…
‘There’s no need to do that.’
Simply spreading my divine power strongly around me should be enough—if these creatures react like they’re on fire when they sense divine power, then they’ll surely show themselves.
It seems they’re waiting for the right moment while avoiding detection, thinking I haven’t noticed them yet. How preposterous.
I cast a confident smile as I glanced down at the pendant hanging from my neck—an Ancient Ruby of Sunlight.
As the name suggests, it’s one of the lost ancient relics originally made in Valkran long ago.
I’ve spent thousands of hours gaming, and I might as well say I’ve mapped out every detail about where the top-tier items are hidden in the game.
The reason I came to this realm was entirely because of this artifact.
‘The amplification of divine power used to purify the demons shoots out like sunlight, hence the Ancient Ruby of Sunlight.’
With this, even an upper-level demon wouldn’t be a problem.
But…
‘That would be too boring.’
If I have to fight an upper-level demon, defeating them immediately because of an item wouldn’t be fun at all.
I’ve trained my divine power for two years and with my current abilities, I think I’d manage well enough without relying on items.
Besides…
‘It’ll probably hurt, but…’For the sake of a happy hobby in the future, I can handle anything.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter if someone sees me. If I let the demon hit me and strengthen my walls while waiting for the perfect moment, I can then just announce, “Die!” and use this necklace. That’ll be enough.
‘Perfect…’
This plan is utterly flawless.
Now, all that’s left is to summon the demon lurking nearby.
I gathered and dispersed my divine power around me.
Contrary to my expectation, there was no immediate reaction.
Even though a higher-level demon would get annoyed after a while for being ignored, it seems otherwise.
Before long, the space distorted with a pungent smell of decay, and a dark-skinned demon that looked human emerged.
“So, you’ve come knowing I’m here…”From the start, they must have thought an ambush would be meaningless and are now attempting to engage me in a conversation.
But you never know.
‘In the game, they were quite cunning.’They might pretend to negotiate while surprising and attacking, or seal off the barriers beforehand so there’s no chance for help.
Thus, even if they don’t appear hostile on the surface, we can’t be sure what they’re hiding.
This is real life now, not a game.
There’s a significant possibility they could do something in real life they wouldn’t in the game.
And I’ve come to realize this through painful experiences in this realm.
‘There was that time they claimed to study the characteristics of the monsters and then killed some people, for example…’Fortunately, I managed to save most of them, but at the beginning, I felt a lot of guilt.
The people there assured me it wasn’t my fault, but it still wasn’t a pleasant experience feeling responsible when someone dies because of my over-confidence.
Especially when it happens due to outdated game information.
‘But now it doesn’t matter…’
There’s no one around to get hurt. After all, I am the only one who came to stop the demons.
And if I hadn’t been here, no one would have even noticed that an attack was being prepared.
If all goes well, Evan, the designated hero, would naturally arrive here and everything would take its course, but I’ve arranged things to keep Evan out of harm’s way this time.
For this first event, it won’t matter if Evan misses it—he’ll still grow into the hero capable of slaying the Demon King.
Because I’ll ensure it happens.
So…
‘Don’t I deserve some reward after all the hard work?’I should let them play with me for a while.
Anyway, the Ancient Ruby of Sunlight won’t get removed easily once it selects its owner. Even if I get hurt, it’s practically impossible for the necklace to fall off.
It’s categorized as a soul-bound item in the game, so there’s no worry about losing it.
I carefully scrutinized the demon in front of me.
Indeed, exactly like the one I’d seen in the game.
Even their cocky demeanor—remaining arrogantly relaxed in front of the saint me, confident in their invincibility because they sense my weak divine power—fits perfectly.
In the game, they acted exactly like this.
‘And I’ve got all the time in the world.’I possess the highest-level talent in divine power in recorded history.
Plus, having rolled for years in this realm, I have little concern about my life except in extreme cases such as against high-ranking officers.
And…
‘Ah… I’m so excited…’Just thinking about what this demon has in store for me sends shivers down my spine.
He probably showed up with the intention of playing with me for a while—after all, what’s better than a worthy challenge and a perfect banquet?
My mouth waters at the thought.
But…
‘It’s meaningless to show how excited I am.’I need to demonstrate the steadfast endurance of a saint, driven purely by a sense of duty and universal love, even while in immense pain. Only then will our actor put in their best performance, right?
With a stiff expression, I questioned the demon in front of me.
“What exactly were you planning to do here?”“Ho, bold indeed. I did hear my subordinates mention this generation’s saint should proceed with caution, but…”The demon leisurely scanned my entire body and then said with apparent lack of interest, “You’re still green.”
Right as he finished speaking, the demon had somehow closed the distance and was standing right before me.
“[…?!”]
“Just…”As if discovering something intriguing, he extended his large hand roughly, grabbing my fragile neck.
“Urgg… ghk…”In reaction to the choking, I instinctively grabbed his hand with both my hands, trying to break free. But weak as I was, further weakened by my demerits, I couldn’t possibly shake him off.
‘B, breath…’A normal person would have felt excruciating pain from being choked, but I was the complete opposite.
‘Ah…♡’The focus blurring due to lack of oxygen mixed with divine energy felt blissfully intoxicating; my body gradually shutting down was vividly felt.
Instead of immense pain, it felt euphoric—like being in paradise.
Eventually…
Crack!
My vision momentarily went black as consciousness slipped away.
“Phew…!!”When I regained consciousness, I was sprawled on the floor. With trembling hands, I touched my neck.‘Didn’t I just… die?’I was undoubtedly strangled to death.
“This resilience… Not even a regular demon could match this! Regenerating even after death to such an extent…”The demon, watching me shivering from the aftereffects of death, smirked.“Perhaps you’ll prove useful.”‘Ah…’Blissful… I wanted to ask for more, but I know how to be patient for even greater pleasures.The euphoria didn’t allow any delay.
With legs shaking, I pulled myself up and gathered my divine power with restraint.
That instant—
“Uh…?!”As if swatting away vermin, he casually flicked his tail towards me.I was sent flying into the wall of the training ground, bouncing off harshly.
‘Haaaa…’The euphoric sensations coursing through me made my body tremble.
“Of course, your body recovers from impacts, too. So…”Puuuuff!‘Ah…’The shock… it’s lingering still.My head’s spinning.“Uuuh, waaaagh…”As I glanced down amidst trembling, blood was gushing from my throat like a faucet.
His tail had pierced the area around my heart.
While I was overwhelmed by the extreme pleasure, the demon, seemingly uninspired, commented in a flat tone,“Your wounds regenerate this quickly as well?”An exceedingly detached tone.“Hmm, now I’m curious.”The demon, who had been expressionless while attacking me, showed a gleam of excitement on his face.“What if I infuse you with demonic energy?”‘Wow…’An idea that’s completely new to me.You’re the best…!!
I involuntarily admired the demon with a look signifying how impressed I was, but the demon mistook it for one of fear, smiling gleefully.As always, there was no time for me to prepare.Demonic energy began flowing through his tail into my heart.The instant the demonic energy reached my divine-filled heart, an intense reaction ensued, overwhelming me with excruciating pain.
“Kkkkkkhhhhh…!!”Meeetch…“Khh…”However, the demon stiffened his expression and swung his tail again, flinging me far away.With a combination of euphoric pain from the tail tearing out of my body and the added pleasure of scraping along the floor, I landed limply.
The blood from my heart had painted the ground red.“Seems the saint is a saint after all… That was close.”
…Almost got caught there…I further suppressed the divine power coursing through me and inhaled deeply through my newly regenerated heart.Maybe due to the injected demonic energy, the regeneration was much slower.Seeing the wounds left by the scrape still present, the demonic energy clearly acted as a major hurdle to regeneration.
However,
‘Time to attack now, maybe?’Even with me playing the role of a victim, I can’t just keep taking the hits.Trembling, I forced my body upright.With legs threatening to give at any moment, I touched the still tender area around my heart, took deep breaths, and unleashed a powerful glare at the demon.“I won’t let you have it your way so easily!”And then readied to fire off a lower-level purification spell.A normal demon would freeze in terror at the mere sight of a purification spell being prepared.However,“…”The demon smiled.With a grin sharp enough to pierce the air, the demon’s crimson eyes lit up as he spoke,“To withstand painful deaths multiple times by this hand yet show no breaking in will… especially with what appears to be some sort of disability but still to confront me alone, that’s remarkable.”The demon even applauded, seemingly offering pure praise.“Very satisfying.”Upon muttering this, he announced with certainty,“Show me then.”And then confidently extended his arms, exposing his upper body.For some reason, I barely managed to suppress an impulse to laugh—it was too cute for words.Even now, I need to stay in character.Laughing would make it look suspicious.What matters right now is…
“You’ll regret this…”That’s the right line.Then, after saying that to the demon, I gathered divine power and cast the lower-level purification spell prepared earlier, launching it at him.A burst of white lights surrounded the demon.“Repent!”After a while, as the light spread and consumed the demon, a faint relief might have been felt, had I not known better.But, I know.He won’t go down with just this.
As the bright lights slowly dimmed, revealing a dark figure standing there, I had anticipated this.I trembled as I muttered,“Ah… no way…”The despair of watching my all-out purification spell have no effect.“Just… this much?”The overwhelming frustration of everything I’ve experienced so far being rendered useless.Yes! Go with that!That’s how it should go.“Now, it’s my turn, isn’t it?”That way, this play can reach its climax.
Privately, I allowed myself a moment of euphoria.
Just then.
The demon, who’d been grinning at me with animosity, stiffened his face and turned his head.“Looks like there’s an unwelcome guest arriving.”With a tone of irritation, the demon clicked his tongue.I froze upon hearing that.
An uninvited guest? Impossible.I’ve gone through so much trouble to ensure they don’t come.What if…?I began sweating cold as I concentrated divine power toward the direction the demon was looking.And that’s when I realized.
‘What… how did they…?!”There stood Evan and Stella.Even worse,‘You’ve got to be kidding me…’They weren’t there separately but together, as if they were already a team.Damn.
