READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 18
Chapter 18: I am a Demon (1)
Time flew by, and the day of the “I am a Demon” competition arrived.
“Okay, everyone, open to page 92.”
However, unlike the emergency duel, participation was voluntary, so it was held after class ended.
“Who should read this…?”
The instructor looked at the demons, contemplating whom to choose.
“Number 1, would you please stand up and read?”
After much deliberation, the instructor called on Jung Minwoo.
“Understood.”
Perhaps due to his good reputation among the instructors, Jung Minwoo was always chosen for presentations like this.
‘I guess the elite image has solidified by now.’
Just as he was about to rise from his seat…
Caw, caw, caw.
The bell signaling the end of class rang through the speakers.
“Oh my, time has flown by. We will continue with page 92 in the next class.”
The instructor closed the book and walked out of the classroom.
As other demons also rose from their seats and left the classroom…
― “Participants in ‘I am a Demon’, please come to the auditorium by 2 PM.”
An announcement began to play through the classroom speakers.
‘If it starts at 2 PM, there’s enough time to eat.’
Jung Minwoo turned to Rok and said,
“Shall we go eat right away?”
At the suggestion of going to eat, Rok tilted his head and replied,
“Is it okay to eat now with the debate competition coming up? Ribbit, ribbit.”
“Hmm? What does eating have to do with the debate competition?”
Jung Minwoo asked, to which Rok pointed behind them and said,
“The other demons are all going to eat, but the ones participating in the competition are staying in the classroom to study. Ribbit, ribbit.”
Jung Minwoo shifted his gaze to where Rok was pointing.
‘They’re full of passion.’
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The demons participating in the competition were diligently reading books, remaining in their seats.
Looking closely to see what they were studying, it was a book titled “What is a Demon?”.
‘I guess they borrowed it from the library.’
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Jung Minwoo turned back to Rok and said,
“It’s okay, I’ve prepared enough.”
He had already prepared hundreds of expected questions and answers, so there was nothing more to prepare.
“And demons need to eat to think better.”
“That’s true, I can’t concentrate at all if I don’t eat. Ribbit, ribbit.”
Rok nodded in agreement.
“By the way, are you really okay with not participating in the debate competition?”
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Jung Minwoo asked, to which Rok scratched the back of his head and replied,
“I’m not good at speaking, so I’m not confident in winning first place. Ribbit, ribbit.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, so I’m thinking of studying or training during that time instead. Ribbit, ribbit.”
Jung Minwoo thought Rok’s decision was reasonable.
‘There’s no point in participating in the debate competition if you don’t win first place, so it’s not bad to study and train instead to widen the gap with other demons.’
One might wonder if there’s any point in widening the gap when there’s only one day, but…
‘That’s enough.’
This is a place where even an hour can make a difference.
Therefore, a day was more than enough time to create a significant gap.
“Okay, then shall we go eat right away?”
“Sure. Ribbit, ribbit.”
As they rose from their seats and headed towards the classroom door…
‘Hmm?’
The Demon Communion members were standing in front of the classroom.
“Ah, Number 1-nim, hello!”
“It’s been a while.”
“Hi~”
“…Hello.”
Soon, they noticed him and greeted him in order: Pink Girl, Owl, Werewolf, and Ice Princess.
“Why are you all here?”
Jung Minwoo asked, curious about their reason for coming.
“We saw that you’re all participating in ‘I am a Demon’. So we thought it would be nice to have a meal together. That’s why we came!”
Pink Girl explained with a bright smile.
‘Really?’
Jung Minwoo felt a sense of annoyance and tried to decline, but…
“Let’s eat together, Number 1-nim.”
“Let’s go eat.”
“…”
The other members approached and suggested having a meal together.
‘It’s hard to refuse like this.’
He could be blunt with Pink Girl since they were already close, but it was different with these members.
‘I guess I have no choice but to eat with them.’
Jung Minwoo turned to Rok standing next to him and asked,
“Is it okay to eat with the other demons?”
“S-sure. Ribbit, ribbit.”
Rok replied awkwardly, his face slightly flushed.
‘…His face is flushed?’
Jung Minwoo felt a sense of unease at Rok’s state.
‘Don’t tell me he’s reacting this way because of Pink Girl?’
If Rok had feelings for Pink Girl, things would get complicated.
‘She’ll definitely try to exploit this.’
Jung Minwoo hoped it wasn’t true and used his Mind’s Eye on Rok.
【Wolf ears! I want to touch them! Her face is so cute too! Ribbit, ribbit.】
Letters appeared above Rok’s head, forming his thoughts into text.
‘…Wolf ears?’
After confirming, Jung Minwoo could breathe a sigh of relief.
‘I didn’t know he had a thing for wolf ears… but as long as he doesn’t have feelings for Pink Girl, it’s fine.’
It was hard to agree that Werewolf was cute, considering her warrior-like appearance, but he decided to let it slide.
“Then, shall we go eat?”
Jung Minwoo then headed towards the cafeteria with them.
Arriving at the cafeteria, Jung Minwoo fell into thought as he ate.
‘I expected Pink Girl and Owl to participate, but Werewolf and Ice Princess are a bit surprising.’
He shouldn’t judge a demon by their appearance, but honestly, he thought Werewolf would only be interested in fighting, and Ice Princess wouldn’t participate due to her quiet nature.
‘Are they unexpectedly confident in this kind of thing?’
Unable to contain his curiosity, Jung Minwoo decided to ask them why they were participating.
“You’re all participating for the bonus points, right?”
He wanted to ask, but he phrased it indirectly to avoid causing offense.
“Of course. I’m going to win first place and get those bonus points.”
Pink Girl answered first, clenching her fist.
“I have the desire to win first place, but I’m participating to broaden my horizons by discussing with other demons.”
Owl replied politely.
Then, he turned his gaze towards Werewolf.
“I’m just participating because it looks fun.”
Werewolf scratched her head, as if it wasn’t a big deal.
‘As expected, physiognomy is science…’
He could understand why physiognomy had existed since ancient times.
“What about you?”
He asked Ice Princess next.
“…I’m participating to see if it’ll make it easier for me to talk.”
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Unlike Werewolf, Ice Princess gave a plausible answer.
‘For self-improvement? That’s not bad either.’
As Jung Minwoo nodded in agreement…
“…What about you?”
Ice Princess asked him back about his reason for participating.
“I’m participating for the bonus points, just like the other demons.”
Ice Princess quietly nodded at Jung Minwoo’s answer.
“If there’s a winner among us, they’ll have a high chance of graduating.”
Owl said, to which Pink Girl agreed.
“That’s right. Since everyone participating in the competition will have 10 bonus points, their chances of graduating will increase exponentially.”
Seeing their lively chatter, Jung Minwoo thought…
‘It’s time to see what they’re thinking.’
It was time to check their true intentions.
He used his Mind’s Eye on them.
【Hmm, 555 is not an easy opponent either.】
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Pink Girl was wary of Owl.
【…】
【I’m still hungry, should I eat more?】
Ice Princess and Werewolf seemed uninterested in the competition itself.
And lastly, Owl…
【If I make it to the finals, the chances of Number 1 and 999 coming up are high. As planned, I need to take care of things beforehand.】
He was hiding sinister thoughts within.
‘You’re going to play dirty?’
Jung Minwoo scoffed inwardly at Owl and continued reading his thoughts.
【I’ll ask them to go to the cafe after the meal and put a small amount of poison in their coffee.】
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‘Poison… where did he even get it?’
Owl didn’t have a unique trait related to poison, so he couldn’t have obtained it without a collaborator.
‘It should be hard to find a collaborator since only the winner gets bonus points…’
As he was wondering how Owl got the poison…
【Just in case I needed it, I did well to save the poison another demon spewed during the duel.】
Thanks to reading Owl’s thoughts, he quickly solved the mystery.
【A small amount of poison will cause slight nausea and dizziness after 30 minutes, so even if they notice, it’ll be after they’ve entered the competition.】
Harming a student in a way other than a duel was a violation of school rules and resulted in severe punishment, but…
‘If they don’t get caught, they won’t be punished.’
Conversely, it meant that they could do whatever they wanted as long as they didn’t get caught.
‘How should I handle this…’
The other demons were just competitors to him, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to stay silent and let them get poisoned, but…
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‘No, that’s too short-sighted.’
Chasing immediate benefits was only a temporary solution, so he needed to think of another way.
‘Should I tell them the truth midway and create a debt?’
Pink Girl was also a strong contender for the debate competition, so it was a bit risky, but if he created a debt like this, he could use it to his advantage later.
‘And she’ll probably take care of Owl herself.’
If it were her, she would definitely seek revenge on anyone who messed with her.
‘This way, I can get rid of Owl without lifting a finger.’
It wasn’t a bad plan, but…
‘However, it’s based on the premise that I win the debate competition.’
If he helped her and she lost, it would only mean he did her a favor for nothing, so he needed to be careful.
‘Hmm… what should I do?’
Jung Minwoo stroked his chin, lost in thought.
After crunching the numbers…
‘Helping them isn’t a bad idea.’
In the end, the calculations favored helping them.
‘After all, debate competitions are my specialty. And with Mind’s Eye, it’s hard to lose.’
There was a rule against using demonic energy in the “I am a Demon” competition, but…
‘Mind’s Eye doesn’t use demonic energy, so I won’t get caught.’
Mind’s Eye consumed mental energy, not demonic energy, so it wasn’t a violation of the rules and wouldn’t be a problem.
As he made his decision and finished his thoughts…
“Now that we’ve finished eating, how about going to the cafe?”
Owl suggested having coffee.
“We have plenty of time, so that’s not a bad idea.”
Pink Girl replied with a smile at Owl’s suggestion.
“I was wondering what to do until 2 PM, so this is perfect.”
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“…Okay.”
Werewolf and Ice Princess also nodded in agreement.
“Is it okay with you, Number 1-nim?”
“I don’t mind.”
Jung Minwoo shrugged at Owl’s question.
“What about Number 1-nim’s friend?”
“I’ll go back to the dormitory. Ribbit, ribbit.”
Rok declined the offer, seemingly intending to study.
“Then, shall we go?”
The Demon Communion members left the cafeteria and headed straight for the cafe.
“Here’s the coffee. Have a cup, everyone.”
Owl said, placing a cup of coffee in front of each Demon Communion member.
‘He definitely put poison in this.’
Jung Minwoo thought, looking at the cup of coffee in front of Owl.
‘And this is the only one without poison.’
He picked up his cup and sniffed it.
‘…There’s no noticeable smell.’
He thought the smell would be different if it contained poison, but a fragrant coffee aroma lingered in his nose.
‘Before I say anything, I should make sure he really put poison in it.’
He already knew through Mind’s Eye that Owl would poison the coffee, but Owl might have changed his mind, so it was better to be sure.
He focused his mind on Owl.
【Drink up. I’ll be taking the bonus points for ‘I am a Demon’!】
Letters appeared above Owl’s head, forming his thoughts into text.
‘Judging by what he’s saying, he definitely poisoned the coffee.’
Having confirmed, Jung Minwoo decided to act immediately.
“Then, shall we have some coffee?”
“Let’s drink.”
“…”
Just as the Demon Communion members lifted their cups to drink…
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“Wait. Don’t drink it.”
Jung Minwoo reached out and stopped them from drinking the coffee.
The Demon Communion members looked at him with puzzled expressions at his sudden action.
“…Why are you doing this?”
Pink Girl asked, to which Jung Minwoo pointed at the coffee and said,
“I think Owl put poison in it.”
“…What?”
The Demon Communion members’ faces hardened instantly at Jung Minwoo’s words and they stared at Owl.
Their eyes seemed to be asking if it was true.
“…Huh?”
Owl flinched, his eyes darting around nervously.
“Haha, poison? Number 1-nim, this kind of joke isn’t funny.”
Owl quickly regained his composure and tried to dismiss it as a joke, but…
“Is that so?”
Jung Minwoo placed his cup of coffee in front of Owl and said,
“If it’s not true, you can drink this coffee, right?”
“…”