The One Who Is EX-Rank (1)
The guild divides strength into five ranks! D, C, B, A, S, EX.
D-rank is for apprentice adventurers. Yeah, that’s you lot! C-rank is where most beginner adventurers cluster. B and A are for veteran adventurers who’ve earned themselves a nickname or two. S-rank is the realm of heroes. And finally, EX-rank… if you ever meet one, just buy a lottery ticket right then and there. Got it? Because across the entire Empire and every other nation combined, there are only six of them.
I’ll only explain this once, so listen carefully! The Demon King, the Hero Party, and the Nameless One! Almost nothing is known about the Nameless One, only rumors that they’re some kind of heretical inquisitor… So work hard and raise your ranks, you greenhorns! Understood?!!
—Excerpt from a lecture for apprentice adventurers at the guild.
Special conditions have been satisfied.
1. Turn an apostle into a member of the Hero Party.
2. The Hero must possess a certain level of combat strength.
3. The perfect horizontal balance between good and evil must be achieved.
You have acquired the special skill: Humanization.
Because only your mind has been materialized, you may transform into a human for as long as your mental strength permits.
…What the hell is this?
Does this mean I can become human? A real human? Homo sapiens? Oh Goddess, thank you! I believed in you!
The third condition feels a bit off, but… since the balance is currently perfect, good and evil shouldn’t clash for now. The moment that equilibrium breaks, evil will invade.
Huh? What did I just say? Did I always have knowledge like this? I think I had a similar experience last time too…
{Sealed}
Ah, right. I was thinking about Humanization. Let’s try using it first.
“Humanization.”
The angel race has used Humanization.
Since angels are spiritual entities, the duration of Humanization has increased to infinity.
You may now freely control Humanization.
Hmm… My appearance is exactly the same as when I was in the Hero Party. The scar on my face is still there too.
It’s been so long since I’ve had a real body…
A grin spread across my lips.
Haa… This rich, savory smell… The smell of delicious food…
Goddess, I will become your most devout servant. Angel’s best outfit!!
The moment Raphael humanized, she immediately tested out her existing skills.
“Movement speed increase, maximum health increase, maximum mana increase, attack power increase, cooldown reduction…”
“Mmm… All four hundred and forty-four buffs I possess are working perfectly.”
“But aren’t I an angel? Besides Humanization, isn’t there something like Angelization?”
Special conditions have been satisfied.
1. Must be an angel who has learned Humanization.
2. Must realize one’s origin.
You have acquired Angelization.
The angel is the origin of all things. No matter what you become, you shall remember your origin.
The angel is the antithesis of demons and the origin of demons.
The sealed demons sense the birth of an angel.
They have not yet been released from their seals. Angelization’s effect has been reduced by 50% and angel-specific skills remain sealed.
“Wow…”
“In short, even though I’m a sealed angel, I can still become human?”
“…First of all, do I have to attend this academy too?”
Raphael muttered while watching students pass by.
“No, the enrollment period has already passed anyway.”
“What should I do… what should I do…”
As Raphael stood there worrying about her future, a single sheet of paper fluttered past her.
“You too can do it. Academy professor…? Free dormitory, meals, and library access…?”
“This is it. Yeah. Wouldn’t it be easier if I just became a professor and taught everyone myself?”
“But what should I teach?”
“Divine studies professor, martial arts professor, health professor, assassination specialist professor, poison specialist professor…? Why the hell are there professors for all this?”
‘There’s even a torture specialist teacher? There wasn’t one in the game…’
“Ugh, fuck… This is insane. What the hell is a demon-hunting specialist professor? Are they kidding me…? Is this academy even running properly…?”
‘Weren’t the demon hunters supposed to be a secret organization? This is basically advertising “please kill me” in broad daylight.’
“This is exactly why there’s so much malicious bullshit going around. It’s not like I became a supporter for no reason. If I tried to be the hero again I’d die instantly.”
A sudden thought occurred to her.
If the Demon King has already revived, then the Four Heavenly Kings must have revived too, right? And that would mean the demons and demonkin under them have also come back.
Hey, if I take Ian and form a party, wouldn’t we be able to kill both the Demon King and the Fiend? If I add two party members who learn all my skills and never fall to corruption, plus one strong mage… I can just stay in the supporter role…
The Hero Party can only consist of the Hero, the Saintess, the Divine Archer, and the Archmage.
…Since when has this notification window started reading my thoughts? And it feels a lot more unrestricted than before. Have the restrictions been lifted?
Hmmm… That’s not important right now.
Alright. Let’s make a plan.
1. Become a professor.
2. Raise Ian.
3. Occasionally go on dates with demons (who will get wrecked).
4. Go on dates with demonkin (who will also get wrecked).
5. Feed the Demon King a sword sandwich.
6. Feed that motherless psychotic trash Fiend a sword sandwich too.
“Whoa… Am I a genius?”
“Heh… I really am smart.”
Students passing by the statue looked at Raphael—who was muttering to herself in front of it—with pity.
“Poor thing… She looks fully grown, but her mind must be gone…”
“Tsk… Don’t get too close.”
“Hmph… Just another pitiful commoner. Tch…”
Many students felt sorry for her, but Raphael was so deep in her delusions that she couldn’t hear a word they said.
“Ah. First I should go take the professor exam.”
“What kind of teacher should I become…?”
“Honestly, I’d love to be the demon-hunting specialist professor… It’d be convenient to just kill all those demon bastards…”
“But first I need to remake my identity.”
“Wait. Does my old ID still work…? It’s been about twenty years…”
“Guess I should stop by any guild for now.”
To hide her face, Raphael put on a white mask and the old heretical inquisitor outfit she used to wear all the time. Then she headed toward the guild called “Fate of Hypocrisy” located in the market far from the plaza.
Every resident she passed on the way froze the moment they saw her. Some even screamed as if they had witnessed something they should never have seen.
‘What the…? Why is everyone freaking out when they look at me? Do people not wear clothes like this anymore? Is it too bizarre…?’
‘That can’t be right… When you work as a heretical inquisitor, it’s normal for your clothes to have bloodstains and smell like blood.’
‘Would they really be shocked by something like that?’
‘……!’
‘Wait, is it because I’m too beautiful??’
‘I’m about 180cm tall with D-cup breasts. Isn’t that insanely pretty?’
‘…I’m wearing a mask. People don’t even know what I look like.’
‘Raphael, get a grip!! Did becoming human fry your brain or something??’
‘I keep falling into delusions…’
Raphael snapped out of her fantasies again. It seemed having a human body made her prone to daydreaming. Living as a spiritual entity had been much more comfortable…
Creak—
She opened the old door and stepped inside. Everyone in the room froze the moment they saw her. Even the receptionist collapsed on the spot.
What the hell is going on…? Why are all the guild members drawing their weapons…? Their hands are shaking in fear. Do I look like I’m going to eat them or something?
Just then—
“Stop. You’ll die if you keep that up. Everyone, calm down.”
A very polite voice came from the second floor. It was probably the guild master.
“Hoo… From the looks of it, you’re someone so powerful that formless energy is leaking out. May I ask what brings you to our guild?”
Even the guild master addressing her was trembling slightly as he looked at her.
Formless energy? I didn’t do anything…
…Ah. Is it because of the four hundred and forty-four buffs I cast on myself earlier? But it was fine at the academy… Was it because of the academy’s barrier? Ah, you crazy bitch! Raphael, you idiot!! No wonder everyone freaks out the second they see me! Cancel it right now!
“…Cancel.”
Whoosh—
A gust of wind blew outward from Raphael. When it died down, she stood there with no detectable energy at all.
—Just before Raphael canceled her energy—
Guild Master Arthur felt a horrifying, bone-chilling aura heading straight for his guild. It felt like stepping into the jaws of a beast. Just what kind of ‘thing’ was coming?
I must protect the guild…!
“Everyone, attention!! Switch the guild to maximum defensive posture immediately! Something is approaching the ‘Fate of Hypocrisy’ guild!”
The sudden command left everyone confused, but seeing Arthur’s deadly serious expression, they immediately moved into defensive formation.
“Whatever is coming is extremely horrifying and terrifying, so mages—cast mental reinforcement magic on every single person in the guild! Apply every possible buff to all combat-capable guild members!”
“Activate all defensive magic, perception-obstructing magic, and sealing magic inside the guild!”
Ten seconds from now! It’ll arrive in ten seconds. Ten… seven… three… Now!
Creeeaaak—
The combat guild members and mages inside tried to launch skills at the masked woman, but Raphael’s aura completely seized every person in the guild. Every magic formation installed inside the building disintegrated the instant it touched her energy.
No one could move. They could only helplessly watch the masked woman walking toward them. They felt a primal terror, as if an enormous snake had opened its maw to swallow them whole. One by one, the guild members fainted.
“Huuuuurk…!”
Thud—
“………!!!”
…Even Ezio, the strongest fighter in the guild, passed out just from looking at her?
This is bad. If that thing enters, everyone in the guild will die. I… I must protect them!
“Hoo… From the looks of it, you’re someone so powerful that formless energy is leaking out. May I ask what brings you to our guild?”
This monster… don’t look at me… The killing intent is even stronger than when I fought the Four Heavenly Kings… I’m going to die. I’m going to die…!
The aura of death slowly closed in on his neck. Then he heard a single phrase.
“…Cancel.”
…?
I’m not dead…? I survived…? I lived! I lived!!
Thud—
Everyone in the guild collapsed to the floor. The masked woman then walked over to the receptionist and asked,
“…Can I still use this ID?”
The receptionist, who had barely regained consciousness, took one look at the masked woman and fainted again.
Arthur, the guild master who had been watching the entire scene, hid his trembling hands and approached to check the ID.
“EX-rank. Heretical Inquisitor—Raphael…?”
“Wha… wha… what…?”
The instant everyone in the guild heard Guild Master Arthur’s words, they froze solid.
EX-rank. A being beyond all standards. A rank granted only to those powerful enough to single-handedly defeat an entire nation. Twenty years ago, even the Demon King had been judged to be EX-rank.
Even now, twenty years later, EX-rank was a title given exclusively to the Hero Party—excluding the Demon King. It served as a kind of warning. A warning that said: never, under any circumstances, touch them.