Chapter 84
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Scamming a Demon
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Truthfully, Simon had no obligation to save Christian.
He had only followed along this time on a whim.
He was loyal only to Nordian; he had no duty to help anyone from the Dark Magic Houses.
However.
'But if Young Lord Christian dies like this, things will get boring.'
Simon licked his lips.
After leaving the Blood Sword House, he had lived a dry, twisted life.
Was it because his soul was already dead? A tedious life where nothing held his interest.
The only thing that had recently piqued Simon's interest was Christian.
And Simon wasn't the only one who found Christian so fascinating.
Christian had managed to captivate even Merian, who was cold to everyone in the family, and even the Old Lord himself.
'The Old Lord speaks coldly, but he secretly cares deeply for Young Lord Christian.'
After some deliberation, Simon made his decision.
“Let's go. Let's just hope our dear Young Lord Christian hasn't run into the boss of the 17th floor.”
Simon said with a faint smile.
“Because if he's facing the 17th-floor boss, the Spider Queen Tarantula, we'll all be as good as dead.”
* * *
Meanwhile, Chris.
Unaware of the foolish decision those left on the floor below had made for his sake, he was catching his breath.
'As expected of a demon's spiritual pressure. The oppression is no joke.'
However.
Chris's eyes glinted.
'Fortunately, it's bearable. Just as I predicted.'
It was an unbelievable feat.
Spiritual pressure was entirely different from ordinary intimidation.
It was a pressure stemming from the difference in the very class of one's soul.
No mortal could ever be free from this pressure.
But Chris was different.
'Because I'm no ordinary mortal.'
Just then, the 'demon' remarked on that very fact.
[What a curious being. An incomplete mortal possessing the class of a 'Half-Demon.']
Chris had absorbed the Sacred Black to its fullest, elevating the class of his soul.
That was why he could withstand the pressure emanating from the demon's soul.
'I have to play this perfectly from now on.'
Chris took a sharp breath inwardly.
It was, of course, impossible for him to face that demon with his own power.
Especially since that demon was a seat of the 4th Realm.
For reference, demons are divided into a hierarchy based on their class.
The archdemons of the 1st and 2nd Realms were more like concepts or laws that constituted the world than actual beings, so in effect, this creature was one of the highest-ranking demons in existence.
A great being capable of wielding power equivalent to a 9-Star Demon King, even with most of its abilities sealed.
Therefore, to get what he wanted from it, he had to use a 'stratagem'.
To be precise.
'I have to run a scam. To make it give up the item.'
Scamming a demon!
It was preposterous.
The slightest misstep, and his soul would be shattered into pieces, annihilated in excruciating agony.
'But there's a chance. Because I know its weakness.'
Chris's expression hardened.
Thump, his heart pounded with tension, but he ignored it and spoke in a strong voice.
“How foolish. To not recognize my identity.”
[…What?]
“I am an incarnation of a seat from the 4th Realm of Gehenna, same as you. To fail to recognize a being of the same class... Has being sealed away blinded you as well?”
[!!]
The creature growled with fierce intensity.
[How dare you. Do you truly think I would believe such an absurd claim?]
“Then what? Do you believe it possible for a mortal vessel like this to attain the class of a Half-Demon without some great power at play?”
An outrageous scam!
But Chris was confident that it wouldn't see through his lie.
'Its perception is completely sealed right now.'
To use a human analogy, not only were its five senses completely sealed, but its spiritual sixth sense, magical senses, and more were all blocked.
It absolutely could not see through to his true nature.
Chris said something to confuse it even further.
“To fall for the schemes of ‘The Player’ and end up in such a miserable state, you’ve even lost all your insight.”
[!!]
“For the one who once made the three realms tremble in fear, ‘The Star-Slayer,’ to have fallen this far. How pitiful.”
The Player.
The Star-Slayer.
These were epithets that no one could possibly know unless they were a demon or a Celestial who knew its past.
'Of course, I am the exception.'
After the Hero's party defeated it, the creature had let out a mournful cry.
- I, ‘The Star-Slayer,’ who made the three realms tremble, have been reduced to this! Oh, ‘The Player,’ who crafted this wicked scheme to bring me to this state! One day, I will cast you into the abyss!
It was a fact he had learned thanks to that, but there was no way the creature could know Chris's circumstances.
[Impossible… A being of the 4th Realm would never deign to inhabit the insignificant flesh of a mortal!]
Though it denied it vehemently, Chris could tell it was already swayed by his words to some extent.
“It was unavoidable, to escape the notice of those wretched Celestials. And there is a more important reason I have taken this insignificant form.”
[…What is it?]
“To lower myself to your level.”
Chris smirked, one corner of his mouth lifting.
“To mock a pathetic wretch like you, sealed away in this state between life and death, even this paltry body is more than enough, is it not?”
[!!]
The creature was enraged.
The entire space wavered as if it were about to collapse.
To display such power merely from anger, even while sealed.
Chris's body instinctively tried to tremble.
An involuntary, reflexive reaction of his body.
Chris hurriedly used a secret technique from the Divine Doctor's Noble Family to control his body's reaction, then spoke words to provoke it further.
“To call that a display of power. How petty and pathetic.”
[!!]
“If my true form were to descend, crushing your soul would be as simple as lifting a single foot. How dare you make such a pathetic show of strength? This is your final warning. Do not test my mercy.”
Did it work?
The creature withdrew its power.
It still seemed enraged, but it couldn't show it outwardly as before.
[If you are truly a seat of the 4th Realm, why have you come? State your exact business.]
“For amusement.”
[…What?]
“During the tedious eons, I was searching for a toy to relieve my boredom and recalled your existence.”
It was a surprisingly plausible excuse.
Boredom was, after all, the greatest source of a demon's motivations.
Demons didn't reap human souls or cause bloodbaths in the world for any grand reason. It was simply because it was 'fun'.
“I will propose a wager. If you make a bet with me and win, I shall endeavor to release your seal.”
[!!]
The creature was shaken.
[What is the meaning of this…? Are you saying you will defy the will of the 3rd Realm of Dark Heaven?]
From those words, Chris realized something.
Dark Heaven.
A term referring to both Gehenna and the Celestial Realm.
It meant this underground garden was a joint creation of Celestials and demons. And by an extremely high-level being from the 3rd Realm or above, at that.
“Is that not why I said I would endeavor to? I cannot give you a firm promise. However, I will swear it on my name.”
[…Kukuk. You seek to mock me. With something impossible, no less.]
“If you don't like it, then don't. It's no loss to me, after all.”
Just as the creature said, it was impossible.
How could Chris possibly release its seal?
Even the guarantee he offered was a fraud.
'Swearing on my 'name' as a mortal holds no real meaning.'
Nevertheless, Chris was certain that it would not be able to refuse his proposal.
Because it was the first and only glimmer of hope to appear in an eternity of countless eons.
Even if it was a lie, the creature wouldn't be able to easily cast it aside.
Indeed.
[…And what must I do if you win?]
“Simple. You will self-destruct.”
[!!]
“You resurrect soon after being annihilated anyway, do you not? There should be no loss for you.”
That's right.
Surprisingly, the monsters in this underground garden reset after a certain amount of time.
That was why the bosses of each floor would reappear soon after visitors annihilated them.
For visitors who came to train, it was convenient and welcome, but for the monsters trapped in this underground garden, it was a terrible hell from which not even death offered escape.
[…Why propose such a wager? There is nothing for you to gain from this.]
“Did I not tell you?”
He absolutely could not reveal that his goal was to clear the 27th floor and obtain the first-clear reward item.
Instead, Chris gave an answer befitting a demon.
“Because it's fun.”
[!!]
“I wish to watch you, who once made the three realms weep, struggle and suffer in this miserable state between life and death. The wretched sight of a demon of the same class as myself would be sweeter than any amusement.”
Thump. Thump.
His heart pounded.
The die was cast.
Now, it was a matter of whether the creature would accept or not.
'If it refuses and uses its power, it's over. I have to bolt immediately.'
He had prepared an escape plan.
The Spatial Scissors.
As mentioned before, it was normally impossible to attempt an escape with the Spatial Scissors. There was a high probability of becoming lost in the void and dying.
But now, it was possible.
'It hasn't been long since the 'transition,' so the variables of the subspace should still be calm.'
The chances of a successful spatial transfer were high.
'Though the probability is still less than 50%.'
Chris hid his anxious heart and awaited the creature's decision.
[…Very well. I accept your proposal.]
'Yes!' A bitter tone flowed from the creature's mouth.
[Even if you are merely trying to mock me, I suppose I have no other choice.]
Perhaps.
The creature might have sensed that Chris was lying.
But even so, it seemed to have resigned itself to this as part of its miserable fate.
[Then, what shall the wager be? Surely you don't propose we decide on an event and compete like insignificant humans?]
“Of course not. Let's keep it simple.”
Chris raised a corner of his lip in a smirk.
“Tell me my ‘true name.’”
[!!]
“I will give you as many chances as you need. If you can reveal my true name, you win.”
The creature fell silent for a moment.
[An incomprehensible wager. If you are indeed a seat of the 4th Realm, you cannot be someone I do not know. And yet you ask me to guess your true name?]
The 4th Realm was one of the higher realms in Gehenna.
The number of demons there was not large.
If the creature mentioned the true name of every demon it knew, the wager would be over.
It would be revealed that Chris was not a demon of the 4th Realm, and the bet would be void.
However.
'There's a reason I proposed this wager.'
It was the highlight of Chris's stratagem… no, his scam.
“You will never guess my true name.”
[Kukuk. I do not know what you are plotting. Very well. Let us begin.]
The creature began to state, one by one, the true names of the seats of the 4th Realm that it knew.
Each time, Chris shook his head.
Before long.
The creature had spoken the true names of all the 4th Realm demons, and Chris shook his head one last time.