Chapter 167
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: Demon's Trial and Duel for the Fairest
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-Murmur murmur-
In the vast training grounds, thousands of young men and women had gathered, buzzing with excitement.
The grueling training regimen imposed by the Heavenly Demon Cult until they came of age was finally over. They were told to enjoy today.
And starting tomorrow, anyone who wished could undergo the "Demon's Trial."
The Demon's Trial involved injecting some bizarre drug into the body... It was excruciatingly painful, and children who attempted it often died easily, so it was only permitted upon reaching adulthood.
It was essentially a top-secret, proprietary procedure unique to the Heavenly Demon Cult, akin to a drug injection experiment.
Survivors grew stronger, but the success rate was around 20%.
In the game's lore, the healthier your body and the higher your martial arts attainment, the better your odds of survival.
'The Demon's Trial. If the Martial King Heavenly Demon game had come out in modern times, this system would've been slammed as random gacha...'
From a gameplay perspective, the "Demon's Trial" was essentially a monetization feature.
You might ask what kind of monetization an arcade game could have... but this one did anyway.
They'd inject you with some drug, giving you a 20% chance to survive and grow stronger—or die on failure. A pure random gamble system.
Died on failure? Just pump in more money to revive. Revival counted as survival.
I had no idea why they'd include such a gambling mechanic. But powering up through it made the game a breeze.
Especially since I'd played the PC version with infinite coins as a kid—I'd succeed the Demon's Trial at least ten times before starting the game proper.
That made the protagonist overpowered as hell.
Later, I learned from the detailed lore that even a total dullard could reach first-rate martial artist level after decades of training with just one successful trial.
It turned someone doomed to lifelong third-rate status into a first-rate expert eventually.
That was for dullards; the talented got even stronger.
Anyway, two successes for peak-level, three for super-peak... expanding one's potential and breaking its limits.
Four got you to Flower Realm, five to Mystic Realm...
Announce five successes, and you'd instantly claim the Little Heavenly Demon rank.
Successor to the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon Cult followed the law of the jungle, not bloodlines for the supreme Heavenly Demon seat. So they'd appoint someone whose potential exploded from five trials as the Little Heavenly Demon successor.
But as a player, grinding the trial hundreds or thousands of times for power-ups was inefficient, time-wasting, and boring.
The settings noted diminishing returns after five... so as a kid, I'd cap at exactly ten before diving into the fun.
"Take the alcohol and enjoy today. We've prepared hundreds of massive kegs, so there won't be any shortage. Plenty of snacks too—eat, drink, and make merry, all of you."
"""Yes, sir! Training Chief Instructor!"""
The prospective Heavenly Demon Cult warriors, buzzing moments ago, lit up at the sight and aroma of snacks and booze. They grinned, hauling food and drink with eager hands.
Meat, fritters, fried rice—every kind of savory snack and meal wafted mouthwatering scents. The alcohol smelled of ripe fruit, far from cheap swill.
"Ooh... delicious."
"First time trying something like this..."
"Lemme try... Ooh!"
"So good. *Gasp*, really delicious...!"
"Haaah... tasty. Glad we held out this long..."
'Ooh... found something tasty-looking for me too.'
While the thousands of young Heavenly Demon Cult trainees lost themselves in food and fragrant liquor like possessed souls, I zeroed in on the pretty girls.
Pretty girls who were out where it counted, and in where it mattered.
'Roughly 2,500 guys and 1,500 girls? About 150 of the girls are real lookers. 10% rate... nice, tenpro territory.'
I scanned for the absolute prettiest among the tenpros.
They were drinking too—perfect for a hookup.
In the original game lore, the cult prized strength above all—no pretentious gender norms, just free-spirited living on whims.
So casual dating, free sex, and fun should feel totally natural, right...? Probably...?
'Hmm... that one's the hottest. Then her, her, that one, her...'
I approached the prettiest girl, demurely seated, savoring her snacks and booze with a lovely face.
Pretty face, big tits, fat ass... my ideal pregnancy-optimized body type.
"Ahem. Mind if I squeeze in here and drink with you?"
"...Huh? Oh... sure, of course. Plenty of snacks and booze to go around."
"Jeez, so many empty spots, why here of all places..."
"Yeah, why not somewhere else?"
The pretty girl politely offered the seat beside her, but the pepper-dicked dudes next to her started bitching at me.
'These guys want the same thing I do.'
Even without Intuition, I'd know they were rivals.
Including me, four guys here were angling to fuck the hottest girl in this vibe.
'Tch, thought it'd be all awkward virgins raised as killers, but with 2,500 guys, bound to be some horndogs like me. Now how to shake these punks... Can't just slaughter them in front of everyone...'
As I pondered this...
One dude downed a bowl of booze in one go, steeling himself before addressing my target.
"Hey, 892. Straight up—I'm into you. Let's share some pillow talk... make love."
"...Huh? ...W-what? ...Say what?!"
The pretty girl's face flushed crimson—big tits, perfect pregnancy body and all.
"I like you. Been watching you forever. Remember when I saved you in the poison swamp trial? So, with me..."
"Shut it, asshole! I saved her that time!"
"Bull! You barely helped!"
The guys near me grabbed each other's collars, bickering away.
Before long, ignoring the girl entirely, they'd decided to settle it by the law of the jungle.
"Anyone who wants 892, get over here. Life-or-death duel."
"Life-or-death? Is that even allowed without instructor permission...?"
"Instructors! Life-or-death duel okay?!!"
"Approved. You've got one day left, but you're official Heavenly Demon Cult warriors now. No more trainee status."
"Sweet! Bring it—all of you! Life-or-death!"
It started as a spur-of-the-moment thing, but the instructors shrugged like it was routine.
Some even seemed thrilled, saying it spiced up the day.
With food and booze but no entertainment, nothing drew a crowd like a deathmatch duel.
Over thirty guys joined the life-or-death fray for 892's virginity, with thousands of youths watching.
Started with just four rivals including me, but word spread—"duel to fuck 892"—adding ten more guys. Then ten fight-lovers piled on for fun.
Finally, rumors she was a virgin lured a few extras.
"Kuhuhu, happens every year... Righteous—might makes right for beauties. I'll referee. Lucky 32 this year—perfect bracket, no byes for max fun."
One instructor volunteered as judge.
"Prettiest in this batch 892? Heh, hey Jin Instructor, who you betting on? I'm on 1154 over there."
"Hm, 2682 for me. ...Speaking of, why hasn't Jang Instructor come down from the peak yet?"
"Why? Probably slacking off napping somewhere like always. Or draining his balls in the village. Training's done for this batch—whatever he's up to, I'd let it slide."
"...Draining in the village? When he could just pick from trainees? Gold ban's lifted today."
"Who knows. Anyway, you're on 2682?"
"Yeah. Think he'll squeak it out."