Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: It's Too Easy to Make Money
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"Madness, today you must go and demand proper payment."
I lightly patted the shoulder of Madness, who was dressed neatly in one of her few outfits suitable for going out.
"Your Abyss Majesty, trust in me and leave it to me."
Madness stepped out the front door with a face full of resolve, and I stared after her intently.
"How can humans be so wicked?"
If you've assigned work to someone, you ought to pay them accordingly.
Why do they keep delaying the payment?
It was utterly incomprehensible by the common sense of the Demon Realm.
"......I want to return to the Demon Realm."
I let out a deep sigh.
I missed the grand castle that was my original abode, not this filthy, cramped room that reeked of stale odors.
I missed the feasts prepared by the finest chefs, not meals of sugar water or moldy rice sprinkled with salt.
"How did this body fall so low...."
No rage boiled up, nor did I feel despair.
Everything was just empty.
Clicking my tongue, I turned, pressed the power button on the computer, and sat down in the desk chair.
My legs dangled off the floor, and the chair creaked unpleasantly.
I stretched, and with a crackle—my pathetic body's bones groaned.
About twenty seconds after turning on the computer, the monitor finally lit up, and I waited another forty seconds or so before connecting to the internet.
Then I began writing a post on the community I'd recently discovered.
"Such insolent creatures as ever...."
The replies to my post were uniformly unkind, but I had no desire to quibble over it.
Those ignorant fools didn't know my true identity.
I wasn't so brutish as to blame them for their ignorance, and besides, in my current state, they made for amusing conversation partners.
"You've got about nine hours until Madness returns—entertain me."
In this bizarre land where my magic power was exceedingly faint, miracles were happening without even using magic.
The miracle called the internet seemed just the right toy for me to play with.
Boomer......
I recalled the term I'd recently learned.
"A boomer is a derogatory term for those of advanced age...."
Indeed, to these short-lived humans whose average lifespan didn't even reach a hundred years, my age must seem exceedingly great.
I posted the reply and waited a moment, but no response came.
My post was pushed down by new ones, and I knew they'd all flocked to the fresh content.
Knowing it was only natural, I returned to the community main page to check what topics were trending.
To draw their attention, I had to post on what interested them most, so I always paid close attention to their discussions.
I skimmed the rapidly appearing post titles and identified the main keywords.
"...Games, is it."
Well, this was a gaming community, after all, so it wasn't strange,
but what was happening now was a bit special.
"A tournament?"
They were hosting a game tournament in the community, with prizes for up to third place.
"Oh ho...."
The prizes were quite impressive.
Third place got a burger set, second a chicken set.
And the grand first place: fifty thousand won.
"Fifty thousand won for first place......"
A most tempting offer.
No matter how far I'd fallen,
There was no way this sovereign who unified the endless strife-torn Demon Realm could lose to a mere human.
With a light heart, I posted my declaration of participation, and quite a few replies followed.
"Quite the fierce reactions."
But I understood.
A tournament was underway.
And by declaring my participation, I had become their rival.
How many are kind to their competitors?
As the sovereign of the Demon Realm, where infinite competition, strife, and struggle raged, I knew this better than anyone and could forgive it generously.
"So, when does the tournament begin...."
Having applied based only on the details and prizes, I needed to reread the post for specifics.
I perused the content carefully again, stroking my lips.
"......Entry fee."
In my haste to post without reading properly, a minor issue arose.
It wasn't exactly an entry fee, but something similar.
The game costs.
"They're all paid games......"
Every game on the tournament list was paid.
None exceeded ten thousand won individually, but to me, it was a significant sum.
Madness's settlements had been delayed for weeks, and even when paid, the amounts were ridiculously less than owed—could we even afford this?
First place was a sure thing if I could just enter, but entry itself was the problem.
"Madness needs to get proper payment today."
To join this tournament, Madness had to bring back money today.
I furrowed my brow.
These humans were far more cunning and wicked than imagined; I worried if Madness could handle it properly.
The situation grated on me immensely.
What was the reason for entering this petty human tournament in the first place?
For Madness, who endured outrageous humiliation working under humans just to support me—
To win first prize and hand it to her triumphantly.
To prove that I too could do my part.
Against the foolish humans who assumed I couldn't contribute because of my young body and gave me no work.
Madness was shouldering even my share, a humiliation too heavy for a sovereign like me to bear.
Yet to enter the tournament, I'd have to beg Madness for money—what nonsense was this?
"Haa...."
A sigh escaped me.
I hadn't just idled at home while Madness worked.
I'd looked into many jobs, but this body was the issue.
No one would hire me.
I bit my lip.
During the invasion, this world's absurdly faint magic shattered my true self.
For us Demon Realm beings, whose bodies required vast magic just to exist, this world was pure poison in itself.
To survive after my great true self—which unified the Demon Realm—collapsed, and as this world tried to erase my very existence, I possessed a nearby lifeform.
I survived that way, but the problem lay with the possessed body.
By delving into its brain, I learned this world's common sense, making me acutely aware of the body's issues.
By human standards, its appearance was quite cute,
and even as Demon Realm sovereign, it was passably attractive.
That was certainly a plus.
I'd learned from the Demon Realm's lustful demons that a fine appearance could be a fine weapon.
But there was a major flaw.
It was young—extremely small even compared to peers.
Already young, but tiny too, making it seem even younger and frailer.
"They say I'm accepted on paper, but shake their heads once they see me in person."
That was why I couldn't work and stayed home, while Madness—in a far better body—shouldered my share too.
It was unavoidable—or so I could excuse it.
But,
"This can't go on!"
I scolded myself.
A sovereign's pride wouldn't allow blaming the body,
and I would prove my worth somehow, taking back the burden from Madness's shoulders.
This wasn't just a mere game tournament—it was a matter of my pride, my self-respect, stakes far too great to borrow Madness's hand.
This, I had to accomplish alone.
After a moment's thought, I gravely composed a new post.
I wasn't foolish; I knew well my greatest weapon.
I hastily found some scrap paper, wrote my nickname on it, and bit it in my mouth.
Then, with this junky old phone, I took a photo of myself.
A sloppy shot, but since the original was pretty, it turned out charming enough.
I posted the photo to the community along with my proposal.
The reaction was hotter than expected.
I got a fourteen-day ban from the moderators, and a total of forty-eight thousand won deposited into the account I provided.
...Forty-eight thousand won.
A number endlessly close to the fifty thousand I should have won with first place.
I pressed my lips tight.
An indescribably foul emotion welled up.
"......Isn't making money too easy...?"
Not seeking a reply, my mutter dispersed into the air,
but the foul emotion etched deep into my chest,
and soon I grasped its nature.
If before it had been humiliation and helplessness, what I felt now was surely self-loathing.