Chapter 5: Demon

Seven Great Demon Lords

Main Quest (Updated)

The Seven Great Demon Lords, Sephiron and Yuriel, demand greater qualifications from you, who remain by the Demon King’s side.

Become one of the Seven Great Demon Lords of the Demon Realm.

Time Limit: 100 days

Reward: Ciel Stone * 15

Failure Penalty: Death

While searching for a way out of the Demon King’s castle.

Sephiron’s sudden quest had been newly updated.

The first thing that caught my eye was the significantly increased reward.

“15?”

It was an enormous amount.

When my life was threatened by a top-tier assassin, the reward was only 3 Ciel Stones.

However, the content of the updated quest was even more immense.

‘The Seven Great Demon Lords.’

It was the highest rank among demons, excluding the Demon King.

It couldn’t even be compared to high-ranking demons.

That’s not just some random name, and how long has it been since I was possessed for a quest like this to appear?

Just looking at the Ciel Stone reward, it was five times what I got during the Legideon incident.

It was an indirect indicator of just how ridiculously difficult this quest was.

And this time, too, the failure penalty was death.

There was no choice.

But upon closer inspection, the quest content had subtly changed.

Yuriel’s name had been added to Sephiron’s solo quest.

It was right after I had met them.

The quest had been updated in that short time.

In that case, it was highly likely that the Seven Great Demon Lords quest was an additional suggestion from Yuriel.

And knowing Yuriel’s personality, she probably…

I quickly checked my mana.

But only a little over half had recovered by then.

At that moment.

“Wait a minute!”

Yuriel’s voice was heard from behind.

Why do ominous predictions never miss their mark?

Yuriel was running towards me as if flying, holding a greatsword.

Her speed was incredible.

Even though she was quite far away, the distance closed in an instant.

And Sephiron was following closely behind her.

Why was she running at me like that?

The quest content was simple.

Become a Seven Great Demon Lord.

Looking only at the method, it was simpler than becoming a high-ranking demon.

Either kill one of the existing Seven Great Demon Lords or make them declare defeat.

It was a fiery method, befitting a race where the strong prey on the weak.

But the fact that she was running at me with a greatsword right now meant.

‘She wants to duke it out.’

It was highly probable that she wanted me to defeat her and become a Seven Great Demon Lord.

Yuriel had reached me in the blink of an eye.

She lightly rested her colossal greatsword on her shoulder and walked towards me.

I had to think.

Of a way to get past this dog-awful situation.

However, there was virtually only one way.

I immediately activated my only skill, ‘Aura of Dominance’.

An intricate sensation enveloped my entire body.

At that moment, an intangible aura explosively radiated from within my body.

The world seemed to stop.

Both Yuriel, standing right in front of me, and Sephiron, behind her.

As if time had stopped, all living creatures ceased their movements.

Except for me.

Yuriel’s eyes trembled slightly.

Seeing that, I could be certain.

That I was the only one who could move freely in this space right now.

In the blink of an eye, 20% of my remaining mana vanished.

The remaining duration of Aura of Dominance was, at most, a few seconds.

During that time, I had to bluff as much as possible to Yuriel, who was a bundle of variables.

I walked towards Yuriel.

The greatsword resting on her shoulder and the thick demonic energy enveloping it.

Seeing them, I felt inexplicably intimidated.

If that were to be swung.

But I had the [Mental Fortitude] correction.

The silent corridor.

Only the click-clack of my footsteps echoed there.

Even at this moment, my mana was decreasing at an insane rate.

However, I acted with an air of composure, without a single hint of disturbance.

And the moment I finally reached Yuriel.

“You two.”

My low voice filled the corridor.

“Do you take me lightly?”

I shifted my gaze to Sephiron.

His expression was contorted as if displeased.

However, ‘Aura of Dominance’ was still effective, as he showed no movement.

“I’m sure I let it slide earlier.”

Now, only 10% of my mana remained.

“Tell me why.”

I looked down into Yuriel’s eyes.

With an expression that everything was bothersome and tiresome.

“The reason I should become a Seven Great Demon Lord.”

At that moment, Yuriel’s pupils greatly dilated.

The Aura of Dominance broke at the same time.

“…!”

My head was spinning.

It seemed to be a side effect of using up mana recklessly.

Even in the game, a mana all-in penalty existed.

But I couldn’t collapse here.

Gritting my teeth, I maintained a poker face with the help of my mental fortitude.

As if I could deal with them at any time.

As if I was holding back.

“Wow…”

Yuriel, who had been silently watching me even after Aura of Dominance was dispelled, opened her mouth.

“I had my doubts, but it was real, wasn’t it?”

One corner of Yuriel’s mouth curled up chillingly high.

Then she started laughing loudly, cackling.

“Yes, you need to be at least this strong to be worthy of staying by the Demon King’s side.”

Yuriel lifted her heels.

Her head shot up.

“What kind of power was that? It didn’t seem like demonic energy. And I just thought of the Seven Great Demon Lords thing, how did you know about that?”

A barrage of questions poured out.

Her voice made my head buzz, but it was fortunate.

Because the catastrophe of her swinging her greatsword hadn’t happened immediately.

At that moment, Sephiron approached with a sigh.

Then he pushed Yuriel, who was cackling and asking questions, away.

“That wasn’t my intention.”

Sephiron spoke with a stern face.

I just stared blankly at him.

“As you know, many are displeased with your current position.”

It was natural.

Who would like a mere demon sticking close to the Demon King?

“Who would be most displeased by that?”

“The Seven…”

I corrected myself.

“The high-ranking demons, I presume.”

The Seven Great Demon Lords don’t hold back when they have complaints.

Like Yuriel just now, they’d come directly and try to beat me up.

Those who can’t directly express their dissatisfaction but still possess considerable power.

It would be the high-ranking demons who have the most complaints.

As if my prediction was accurate, Sephiron nodded his head.

“I’ll be honest. I don’t like you.”

“…”

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s because your origin and identity are unclear. However, I do acknowledge your abilities.”

“Is that so.”

“It’s a clear fact that the demon race has caught its breath thanks to your information. That’s why I haven’t touched you until now.”

I quietly listened to his words.

“You’ve proven a lot. So, I thought there would be no objections from high-ranking demons. But the others don’t think that way.”

“Why?”

“Because you are weak.”

“Weak, you say.”

Sephiron quickly added a remark.

“I’m talking about demonic energy. Most of our strength is determined by the amount of demonic energy we possess.”

It was natural.

Because I hadn’t put a single point into combat-related stats.

“Of course, I knew. That you possess sufficient power even without relying on demonic energy.”

As he said that, he looked at Yuriel with a pathetic expression.

“And I could confirm it with my own eyes just now, thanks to that one.”

“Thanks to me, huh?”

Yuriel scratched her head shamelessly and giggled.

That smile, like an innocent girl.

I shouldn’t fall for that.

Because Yuriel was clearly a strong individual who had proudly secured a spot among the Seven Great Demon Lords.

Those who had flirted with her, thinking she was cute, had all died long ago.

Sephiron furrowed his brow, as if disgusted by Yuriel.

“Even if one is brilliant in strategy, or quick-witted, such things are not important to demons.”

“…”

“To this battle-crazed race, the most important thing is power. It’s likely because most of us couldn’t overcome that cursed instinct that we’ve been cornered to this extent.”

I generally understood.

So, defeat one of the Seven Great Demon Lords and take their place.

Then my power would be proven, and the others wouldn’t dare to speak up, or so he implied.

It was a remarkably clean method.

Except for the major problem that I had to defeat one of the Seven Great Demon Lords.

“Four days from now, Sein will arrive. As you may already know.”

I didn’t know.

At that moment, the quest window updated again.

[Sudden Quest (Updated)]

The Seven Great Demon Lords, Sephiron and Yuriel, demand greater qualifications from you, who remain by the Demon King’s side.

They wish for you to depose the traitor Sein and become a new Seven Great Demon Lord.

Time Limit: 10 days

Reward: Ciel Stone * 20

Failure Penalty: Death

The content was different again from before.

It seemed my recent actions had an additional influence on their decision.

Even the Ciel Stones had increased further.

Considering the items in the shop, this alone was an immense gain.

But simply accepting their request right away would look a bit strange.

I planned to feign hesitation for a bit before accepting.

But then.

“If you need our help, we will assist you. Though I don’t know if you’ll need such a thing.”

“…!”

It was a condition beyond imagination.

The Seven Great Demon Lords were independent beings.

They rarely helped each other.

But now I had the right to use them.

And it was a right that included Sephiron, who was considered the strongest among the Seven Great Demon Lords.

With their help, most problems could be easily resolved.

‘This is a total windfall…’

But the poker face had to be maintained.

“I shall do so.”

I nodded, maintaining an expressionless face.

At that moment, the Demon King’s quest flashed through my mind.

“If I become a Seven Great Demon Lord, do I also gain the qualifications of a high-ranking demon?”

“Naturally.”

That’s a relief.

This way, the Demon King’s quest would be completed automatically.

I gained an unexpected bonus.

Speaking of Sein.

Something felt off.

Her, a traitor?

She definitely wasn’t that kind of character.

‘Hmm.’

I think I might have an idea.

“I’ll be going.”

I turned my back first.

In four days, I would have to face Sein, one of the Seven Great Demon Lords.

It seemed a lot of preparation would be needed.