Chapter 25
Chapter 25: Demon Servant (1)
Jung Minwoo-ssi could finally breathe a sigh of relief after checking his ranking.
‘I was so nervous it wouldn’t be a perfect score, but thankfully it is.’
Having regained his composure, Jung Minwoo-ssi decided to check the rankings of the other demons as well.
‘Who took second place?’
As he lowered his gaze, he saw:
2nd Place – 999 (92)
As expected, Pink Girl had taken second place.
‘An average of 92 points. She studied hard.’
In his case, he knew the scope of the exam, so he got a perfect score. For other demons, it would have been difficult to even get over 90 points.
‘You can tell by the difference in scores with third place.’
3rd Place – 723 (83)
Seeing the average score of 83 points, he could tell how strategically and diligently Pink Girl had studied.
T h is w a s co p i e d f r o m kin g m t l . o r g
‘What place did Rok get?’
He continued to lower his gaze.
9th Place – 2 (76)
‘Oh, he’s in the top 10.’
He confirmed that Rok was in the top 10 out of all the students.
‘It was worth teaching him.’
With this ranking, if he did well on the other exams, graduation wouldn’t be just a dream.
‘By the way, Ice Princess is unexpected.’
Based on her reaction in the cafeteria, it seemed like she had failed the exam.
‘She took 10th place right after Rok.’
10th Place – 888 (75.9)
She had confidently taken 10th place, following Rok.
‘If I had taught her, I think she could have aimed for the top 3.’
Jung Minwoo-ssi had a silly thought for a moment while looking at Ice Princess’s ranking.
‘And Owl did surprisingly well on the exam too.’
15th Place – 555 (73.7)
Considering he had been running errands for the Demon Communion members until the exam, his score was quite good.
‘If he had just studied properly, he could have been in the top 10.’
Jung Minwoo-ssi thought that he had made the right decision in making Owl his slave.
After scanning the bulletin board, Jung Minwoo-ssi expressed his curiosity.
‘…But where is Werewolf?’
Based on her reaction in the cafeteria, it seemed like she would be in the top 10, but he couldn’t find her number anywhere.
‘Where is she?’
He lowered his gaze further.
‘…30th place?’
30th Place – 777 (68.4)
He could see her barely hanging on at 30th place.
‘…No way, she got 30th place even after I gave her all those hints?’
Considering he practically gave her the answer sheet, it was clear that Werewolf had no connection to studying.
‘She was following along well, but I guess I was wrong.’
As Jung Minwoo-ssi turned his gaze away from the bulletin board towards Werewolf, he saw:
“30th place! Nice!!!”
Werewolf was clenching her fists and reveling in her joy.
‘…I thought she would be disappointed, but I guess not.’
Well, Werewolf had 10 bonus points, so in a way, it was safe to say she was in the top 10.
‘If she does well on the other two exams, there’s a high chance she’ll graduate.’
He then looked at the others, and they seemed satisfied with their scores.
Except for one.
“Ha… I couldn’t beat 1st place again.”
Pink Girl bit her lower lip in frustration and hung her head low.
‘Because of that, I feel like a sinner for no reason.’
Jung Minwoo-ssi briefly considered leaving, but then approached Pink Girl and spoke to her.
“Are you okay?”
Flinch―
T hi s was co pi e d f r o m king m t l .o r g
Pink Girl flinched for a moment, but then put on a nonchalant expression as if nothing had happened.
“Do I look okay? I didn’t get first place again.”
Unlike her calm expression, her tone was quite venomous.
“…”
Jung Minwoo-ssi was thinking about how to respond when:
“I’m sorry. I think I got a little emotional.”
Pink Girl bowed her head and apologized.
“You’re truly amazing. A perfect score… I can’t compete with you.”
She then spoke with a self-deprecating smile.
‘Hmm, should I read her mind?’
Seeing the unusual atmosphere, it seemed like she might be scheming something.
Jung Minwoo-ssi focused his mind on Pink Girl.
【I thought I could win this time, but I didn’t expect the difference to be this overwhelming…】
Letters formed above her head, turning her thoughts into text.
【At this rate, I won’t even be able to dream of the top spot… I need to find a way…】
‘Her thoughts have become complicated.’
As Jung Minwoo-ssi continued to observe above Pink Girl’s head:
【Should I use her as a puppet and lure her into a trap?】
He could see her thinking malicious thoughts.
‘Hmm, is she trying to pull something?’
T h i s wa s c op i e d f r o m k i ng m t l. or g
If she tried to pull something, he could just pay her back. Jung Minwoo-ssi looked at her head with cold eyes.
【No, I can’t be sure that her score will drop if I try to manipulate her. Even if her score drops and I graduate as the top student, I’ll make an enemy out of her afterwards.】
However, true to her cold-hearted nature, she quickly retracted her previous thought.
【…It might be more beneficial to give up the top spot and side with 1st place.】
‘Hmm? It’s suddenly going in this direction?’
And it began to flow in a direction Jung Minwoo-ssi hadn’t expected.
Th i s wa s c o p ied f r o m k i n gm t l .o rg
【But there’s nothing more foolish than giving up prematurely. I’ll try my best, and if I can’t win the second exam, I’ll side with him then.】
‘If she can’t win the second exam, she’ll side with me…’
He hadn’t even considered the possibility of her siding with him, so it was a bit perplexing.
‘But it’s a good thing for me either way.’
If Pink Girl offered to be his ally, it would feel like gaining a thousand troops.
Of course, they weren’t in a relationship where he could trust her solely on faith, so a contract would be necessary.
‘I have another reason to do well on the second exam.’
Jung Minwoo-ssi was filled with motivation and decided to prepare thoroughly for the next exam. Just then:
“1st place?”
Pink Girl tilted her head and called out to him.
“Yes?”
“Why are you spacing out?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you were staring into space.”
“Ah, I guess I was lost in thought.”
Jung Minwoo-ssi mumbled and smoothly changed the subject.
“Shall we go to the cafe now? We’ve checked our scores.”
“Yes. The exam is over, so it wouldn’t be bad to relax and enjoy some coffee at the cafe today.”
Afterwards, Jung Minwoo-ssi and his companions rested at the cafe and then parted ways.
Th i s w as c o p i e d f r o m k i n g mt l . or g
The next day.
This w as co p i e d fr o m ki ng m t l .o r g
‘The atmosphere is unusual.’
Entering the classroom, Jung Minwoo-ssi could feel that the atmosphere was quite gloomy, unlike yesterday.
‘Well, the scores were released yesterday, so it’s only natural for the atmosphere to be like this.’
The cadets up to 30th place could still see some hope, but the rest of them had little hope of graduating.
‘Even if there’s no hope, I don’t think many will give up.’
If it were a normal exam, they could just give up, but with their lives on the line, they couldn’t easily do so.
‘Well, it’s none of my business whether they give up or not.’
As Jung Minwoo-ssi entered the classroom and sat in his seat:
“Doesn’t the atmosphere feel quite different from yesterday…? Ribbit, ribbit.”
Rok cautiously spoke, observing the other demons.
“You’re right. It’s probably because of the score release yesterday.”
“Well, it’s only natural to feel down if you get a low score. Ribbit, ribbit.”
Rok responded understandingly to Jung Minwoo-ssi’s explanation.
“Let’s not get caught up in the mood and just focus on what we need to do.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Ribbit, ribbit.”
As Rok nodded vigorously:
Creak―
“This place feels like a funeral home.”
The instructor opened the door and entered the classroom.
“Don’t tell me you’re all like this just because you failed one exam?”
The demons lowered their heads, unable to answer his pointed remark.
“You pathetic bunch. You’ll never graduate with that complacent mindset.”
T h i s w a s c op i e d f r o m king mt l . o r g
The instructor reprimanded the cadets.
“But I guess I have to give you worthless creatures a chance.”
At the word “chance,” the demons who had been hanging their heads looked up at the instructor with hopeful eyes.
“Starting tomorrow, you’ll be going on a field training to a planet to create Demon Servants.”
Jung Minwoo-ssi’s expression changed, as if he had been expecting this.
Thi s w a s c o p ie d fr o m k in g m t l . o r g
‘This day has come.’
Jung Minwoo-ssi already knew this information through Mind’s Eye.
“The training will last for a month, and during that time, you just need to create a Demon Servant.”
One demon raised their hand at the instructor’s explanation.
“What happens if we create a Demon Servant?”
“I’ll explain now, so shut up and listen.”
“…Yes.”
“And you get 1 penalty point.”
“…”
The demon’s expression turned sour at the word “penalty.”
“Continuing the explanation, if you create a Demon Servant and they survive until the end of the third exam, you will be awarded 10 bonus points per Demon Servant.”
The classroom began to buzz at the mention of 10 bonus points.
“There’s no limit on the number of Demon Servants, so keep that in mind.”
No limit on the number.
By simple calculation, if they made 10 Demon Servants, they could get 100 bonus points.
“Crazy… We might actually graduate just like that?”
“…It’s possible.”
“I thought we were going to be disposed of, but I’m so relieved.”
The demons breathed sighs of relief, their faces filled with hope.
‘Tsk, they’re so simple.’
Jung Minwoo-ssi shook his head as he watched them.
‘If it were that easy for Demon Servants to survive, all planets would have been taken over by demons by now.’
He had heard that demons on the front lines carefully selected and contracted with individuals to create even one Demon Servant.
That’s because sharing their power meant losing it if the Demon Servant died, so they had to be cautious.
‘That’s why they choose one promising individual, give them demonic energy, and focus on managing them.’
Someone might suggest giving a small amount of demonic energy to 10,000 higher beings, hoping that at least 100 would survive.
‘But they wouldn’t be able to properly face the enemy with such weak power.’
Those individuals wouldn’t even be able to handle a single Goblin, a pet monster, and would die.
‘And the demonic energy of a cadet is meager compared to that of a demon on the front lines.’
In this state, it would be like mixing a drop of ink into a bottle of water.
In other words, meaningless.
‘No, is even a drop an overestimation?’
For that reason, recklessly creating Demon Servants would only lead to loss of power and elimination, making them perfect candidates for disposal.
“Also, your progress will be tracked in real-time on the screen, so refer to it.”
At the instructor’s following words, Jung Minwoo-ssi predicted that many demons would be eliminated through this training.
‘There will be a surge of demons pushing themselves too hard.’
Jung Minwoo-ssi was confident that if he maintained his own pace without getting caught up in the atmosphere, he would be able to easily earn bonus points from this training.
As he was listening intently to the instructor:
“Minwoo, how many Demon Servants are you going to make? Ribbit, ribbit.”
Rok asked in a quiet voice.
“Me? One.”
Jung Minwoo-ssi held up one finger.
“One? Isn’t that too few? Ribbit, ribbit.”
“No, one is enough.”
Even demons on the front lines managed with one Demon Servant each, so what would be different for him?
‘Considering things after graduation, it’s more beneficial to focus on supporting one.’
His plan was to create a Demon Servant from one higher being during this training and use that as a stepping stone to invade a planet.
“…But shouldn’t you have some kind of insurance? Ribbit, ribbit.”
Jung Minwoo-ssi shook his head at Rok’s question.
‘I have Mind’s Eye, so I don’t need separate insurance.’
He would carefully select and choose an individual with outstanding talent to be his Demon Servant, so there was no need for insurance.
However, he couldn’t tell him the truth directly, so Jung Minwoo-ssi vaguely responded.
“It’s a waste of demonic energy if I get insurance and they die anyway.”
His vague answer seemed to convince Rok, as he nodded.
“That makes sense. Ribbit, ribbit.”
“How many are you going to make?”
“Hmm…”
Rok pondered for a moment at Jung Minwoo-ssi’s question.
“I’m a bit worried, so two? Ribbit, ribbit.”
He came up with a seemingly reasonable number.
“Two isn’t bad.”
He was concerned about the loss of demonic energy, but this much wouldn’t be a significant loss.
As they were discussing the training:
“That’s all for the announcements.”
The instructor finished his speech and walked out of the classroom.
“Let’s prepare for the next class.”
Jung Minwoo-ssi took out his textbook and began preparing for the next class. Just then:
Creak―
Pink Girl opened the classroom door and entered.
‘Why is she here now?’
Jung Minwoo-ssi looked at Pink Girl with a puzzled expression.
“Do you two have a moment?”
Pink Girl smiled sweetly and asked for their time.
“What did you call us for?”
Following Pink Girl down the hallway, Jung Minwoo-ssi asked her why she had called him and Rok.
T h i s w as cop i e d f r om k ingm t l.or g
“As you heard in the announcement, I think we need a little meeting on this topic.”
Jung Minwoo-ssi gave her a puzzled look.
“Then why did you call Rok?”
Pink Girl smiled sweetly and answered.
“I called him to ask if 2nd place is interested in joining the Demon Communion.”
“Interested in joining?”
“Yes, seeing that he placed 9th in this exam, I thought he had the potential to graduate.”
“Then did you also make the offer to the demons ranked above him?”
“No. I only offered it to 2nd place.”
Jung Minwoo-ssi looked confused.
“You didn’t offer it to the others and only offered it to Rok… Why?”
He wasn’t trying to belittle Rok, but if they were going to add a member to the Demon Communion, it would have made more sense to offer it to the demon who placed 3rd in the ‘Demons Wear Suits’ exam.
Pink Girl seemed to notice his question and began to explain.
“The demon who placed 3rd showed that they were immediately eliminated in the emergency duel. Seeing that, I thought they were good at theory but lacking in other areas, so I didn’t make the offer.”
“…Rok was also immediately eliminated in the emergency duel.”
“That’s true, but 2nd place is showing tremendous growth compared to then.”
As Pink Girl said, Rok had become strong enough to rival Werewolf.
“How do you know that?”
“Hehe, don’t underestimate my information network.”
T h is w as c o p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l.or g
Pink Girl put her index finger to her lips and winked at Jung Minwoo-ssi’s question.
‘She must have gotten the information through her puppet.’
He knew a lot about her, so he could be sure that she had obtained the information through her puppet.
‘Then should I ask Rok for his opinion?’
He would be happy if Rok joined, but their perspectives might differ, so he needed to hear Rok’s thoughts.
“Rok, are you interested in joining the Demon Communion?”
Rok blushed and cautiously replied to Jung Minwoo-ssi’s question.
“I-Is 777 there? Ribbit, ribbit.”
“She is, right?”
When he confirmed that Werewolf was there:
“Then I’ll join the Demon Communion. Ribbit, ribbit.”
Rok expressed his willingness to join without hesitation.
‘…’
It was a bit disheartening that he was joining because of Werewolf.
‘But it would be helpful for Rok if he joined.’
He thought Rok would be able to gain valuable information by being in the Demon Communion.
“Good. Now we have five members again. The meeting will be held after class, so please be on time.”
Pink Girl left as if she had finished her business.