episode_0049

XLV.

A red desert that appears often and seems familiar now.

Under the black sun, people with an unusual presence gathered for the ever-larger Manma Battle.

However, those who gathered at Manmajeon today were not the only seven people who had been giving off a huge and ominous presence.

Although they were very weak compared to them, there were many beings that would plunge the continent into a nightmare if they fell into the human world at any moment.

The largest hall in Manmajeon.

There were seven seats arranged in a circle facing each other, and the owners were all sitting in their seats.

And the people standing at attention behind them were those called devil kings or top-level devils in the devil world.

“Abaddon… Is it true that this happened?”

The master of arrogance. Lucifer’s voice was full of disbelief.

“Okay.”

The person who answered in a serious tone was Mammon, the master of greed who usually bickered with Levidon. There is also a feeling of disbelief in his voice.

“Abaddon suffered? Considering the state of those weak and scum-like people, even if he is a Grand Master, if Abaddon decides to attack him secretly, it will be difficult to kill him. Besides, Abaddon didn’t fight alone, but with six mid-level demons, right?”

“Okay.”

“But I was attacked by a candidate who had only recently awakened, and not by any superhumans who had made their name known on the continent? Is the candidate’s inaction we identified wrong?”

This time, Lucifer spoke as if he was talking to himself, but in fact, he was asking Mammon.

A dimension where mortals live, excluding the divine world and the demon world. It was a war that took up that dimension, and the game continued for quite a long time, and the Demon World was defeated every time.

However, there were many things to be gained from defeat. One of those lessons was not to neglect spying on the planes where mortals live and gathering information.

Mamon, the ruler of greed.

Mammon was always in charge of gathering information using the emotion called ‘greed’ that all humans have. It was the same this time as well, and they were informed that the inaction against the candidates was not something they should be concerned about.

“But he was killed by the candidate? A high-level demon aiming for the highest level?”

The reason why Lucifer asks so insistently is not because Abaddon is a demon under his command. For Lucifer and the other six remnants, the demons are nothing more than tools to make their work easier.

“If this is the case, shouldn’t we have to recalculate the candidates?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

The mouth of Satan, who had been silently lost in thought without even expressing his presence, opened.

“Is there any basis for thinking that way?”

“Because I can’t do that.”

“Yes?”

“As we all know, they give oracles and awaken hidden potential in the name of descendants or candidates of heroes, but they consume ‘points’. There is a point reward determined by the cause and effect of each game, and points are paid according to wins and losses. You know, right?”

“That’s right… ? But why is that?”

“They have never been defeated. We always lost.”

An uncomfortable silence falls in the hall. Everyone knows this and it is an absolute fact, but it is also true that it is even more unpleasant.

“Nevertheless, the difference between us and them and our unique advantage are clear. The continued defeat clearly shows the difference in power, but the reason for not giving up. What do you think that is?”

Satan’s words were no longer directed only to Lucifer. I was asking all of the top-level demons and the six remnants gathered here.

“Attack and defense. They won every time, but they won’t have enough points. These are the faces that make me want to ask why. You probably didn’t know because we always attack. That’s what defense is all about. There are a lot of things to prepare for just in case. Of course it will cost a lot of points. But what about us? So far, we haven’t used the points much. Why?”

“That’s… … .”

“Okay. Because we are remnants. Lucifer, you are arrogant, Mammon is greedy, Levidon is jealous of the other remnants, Belphegor is lazy, Beelzebub is busy eating, and Asmodeus only seeks women. I just try not to get angry.”

“Haam… . Like humans or gods, we also have a sense of camaraderie? Are you saying you need something like that?”

Belphegor, who was sleeping loosely, yawned and asked. Satan shakes his head from side to side and opens his mouth.

“No. That’s probably fine. However, because we play according to our own whims, we end up with too many extra points. So, we were able to send even high-level demons just in case. But not them. Not only was it not enough to awaken 32 mortals, but make them all strong enough to take on Abaddon? Is that possible?”

A moment ago, the silence was due to an uncomfortable truth, but this time, each person fell into silence automatically as they were lost in their own thoughts.

“I can assure you that I cannot afford it. They are.”

“Then who is the candidate this time?”

“You’re called the last candidate, right? This is just my guess, but I think they paid a little more attention at the end. A little stronger than the other candidates. In fact, weren’t the other candidates far short of dealing with the ‘Devil King’? So much so that at first we thought the information might have been disturbed.”

“So, the candidate who dealt with Abaddon this time is special?”

“Okay. They must have noticed something strange when they saw the candidates’ awakened state. In fact, even if only half of the information Mamon has been researching is true, aren’t the candidates not capable of handling even the highest level demons, let alone the demon king?”

The crowd shakes their heads in nods, as if they clearly believe that what Satan said is correct.

“Also, worst case. The other candidates may be dummies and only the last candidate may be the real candidate.”

“Then? Who is that candidate?”

“But at best, they are high-level demons. I heard you got your arm cut off while fighting Abaddon, right? Am I right? Mamon?”

“That’s right. That’s what I heard.”

“Humans cannot become stronger by transmitting power or absorbing opponents like us, so their level will end there anyway. Moreover, the devil we have prepared this time is not just one.”

“I see. Definitely.”

Only then did I feel like the heavy air weighing down my shoulders became a little lighter.

As he watched the other remnants, the Demon King, and the top demons laughing, an uneasy thought suddenly occurred to Satan.

‘What if his talent is real? Still can’t reach it. As for talent. This time we are investing with all our might. ‘What if God himself helped me?’

◈ ◈ ◈

Candidate competency evaluation.

The so-called evaluation match ended with a surprising twist.

The first twist is the mass elimination of candidates.

Out of a total of thirty-two (32) candidates, nearly three-quarters were eliminated.

Candidates who passed the evaluation

6th candidate, ‘Commander’, Olivia de Prime Alfonso;

9th Candidate, Light Wizard, Tiano de Slinger,

25th Candidate, Sword Mage, Phoebe Noah,

26th Candidate, Divine Fighter, Ella Stone;

28th candidate, Special Mage, Summer Holic,

29th Candidate, Shrine, Katniss Everdeen,

31st Candidate, Sorceress of Destruction, Lina Inverse,

32nd candidate, Sibal Gray,

There were only eight people mentioned above.

And an additional candidate, Gawin, a fourth-year academy student who received Benjamin’s gift.

The number of candidates was reduced from thirty-two to nine.

The second twist was that it was revealed that the candidates’ inaction was lower than expected.

The candidates who were eliminated were so weak that one wondered if they could even catch a demon beast, let alone a demon race.

The third and final twist is that, contrary to the above twist, the candidates’ inaction was much higher than expected.

The power of the Sorceress of Destruction, Lina Inverse, and Gray far exceeded the inaction assumed by the nobles.

In particular, what surprised the nobles, king, and emperor the most was the inaction of the women guarding Gray.

Even if their level is not up to par, the heads of countries who have at least one semi-superhuman brought in as bodyguards are said to have evaluated their bodyguards as ‘unbearable’ and put a strain on the hearts of their respective masters.

In addition, as if to make the final point, it was revealed that Gray himself was also a master of force. In less than a month after becoming a candidate.

Naturally, there were many people who wanted to meet Gray.

The emperors of both empires conveyed their intention to meet with Gray again, and some royals attempted to meet Gray in person.

However, the place known as Gray’s dormitory is actually located in a dormitory inside Evergreen Academy.

If there were Evergreen Academy graduates among the royal family, there would be no problem visiting Gray’s lodgings, but unfortunately, if graduates were common, the status of Evergreen Academy would not be the same as it is now.

In the end, Evergreen Academy graduates from all over the world gathered at the entrance of the academy dormitory to meet Gray. The problem is that the academy dormitory is not a space where graduates can come and go as they please.

Even if they had entered the dormitory, there was a chance, even a chance, that they would not have met Gray. Because Gray is not in the dormitory right now.

“I sat there doing stupid things.”

This was Dean Hu’s impression while looking at them like that.

But the irony is that these high-ranking nobles are unable to leave Evergreen thanks to their failure to meet Gray.

At the very least, if I had met Gray and been rejected, I would have gone back angry, saying I had been insulted.

Dean Hu likes this situation, which Gray did not intend.

“The Evergreen Festival will be a success. Just as I want.”

The Green Crown Battle, the final event of the Evergreen Festival, which I had specifically asked Gray to attend yesterday.

But Gray refused to attend. Because the reason was reasonable, Dean Hu could not use raw flocks, including snails.

I said so.

I never thought things would turn out like this.

The lives of nobles are always boring and boring. Will they calmly wait until they meet Gray?

This sounds like a no-brainer.

It may be nothing more than a banquet for those bored people, but what if a festival held by Evergreen Academy students that attracts attention on the continent is held?

Moreover, there is even a dance competition held on the last day?

It would be like discovering a chess board and pieces on a deserted island with nothing to play with.

So where is Gray, the protagonist who happened to make the Evergreen Festival a success?

“Are you doing well with your training?”

He is in the space that was later used as a laboratory by the Dean and has now been converted into a training center exclusively for Gray.

However, the reason why Dean Hu is curious about whether Gray is good at training is,

“Bad guy. No matter how often I visited, there was no need to lock the door! I almost got caught in a gap in space!”

This is because the training center was no longer the kind of space created by Dean Hu.

Dean Hu thought and grumbled again that the woman next to Gray, a woman called a ‘witch’, had probably touched it.

“It was quite fun to sneak away and watch the training and then surprise it. Tsk.”