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[ (side story) I passed! ]
“Ugh….”
“Ugh….”
About a dozen test takers were lying on the floor and moaning. The traces of the fierce battle remained on their bodies.
A dark and damp underground cavity.
On the walls were drawn terrible images of demons and monsters, and on the ceiling were cruel images of the Dimensional Allied Forces fighting against them.
And a huge shadow was cast over the heads of the fallen candidates.
[Crrr….]
A fearsome devil in the form of a giant with a beard and hair all over his body was looking down at the test takers with his wings wide open.
Every time the demon exhaled, red flames flowed from its mouth.
[Krrr…. You little kids. Are you trying to defeat me with this kind of skill?]
The voice was deep and gloomy, as if it had been lifted from the bottom of hell, and it filled the listener’s mind with fear. Those were the only words the test takers who had fallen as
the Demon King
could think of when they saw the monster.
Gooooo…!
The test takers forgot that they were on a mission and trembled due to the terrifying killing power unleashed by the Demon King.
“Please save me…”
“Ugh!”
A presence on a different level.
The power shown by the Demon King was on a completely different level from what test takers had experienced so far.
‘We’re all going to die here!’
‘Someone please help me…’
The pride of being called a genius in their own world was shattered.
At this moment, they were literally just babies.
[Kkkkkkk. I will kill them all right here.]
The Demon King raised his arms. Black magic gathered at his fingertips and turned into a huge magic sphere.
-It’s so scary…!
Black electric currents flew in all directions from the magic sphere containing destructive power.
The demon king, who was laughing, looked down at the test takers and spoke one letter at a time.
[buy. la. lose. D.]
It was a very sick line, but it sounded like a death sentence to the test takers who were at the crossroads of life and death.
“mom!”
“Ugh!”
It was a moment when test takers lost their will to fight and closed their eyes or burst into tears.
[Let everyone not forget the horror of today.]
The Demon King’s voice, which had been resonating darkly in the cavity, suddenly became calm.
“…uh?”
“Ah…”
The test takers who had closed their eyes narrowed slightly.
At the same time, they realized something they had forgotten.
This battle took place during the WHA entrance exam, and the devil in front of me is not the real devil.
However, I thought I might actually die due to the opponent’s overwhelming power and fearsome survival.
Slurp.
The body of the Demon King, who was enormous, began to shrink.
A moment later, a very large man with a rather scary face was standing there.
“That person…!”
The test takers widened their eyes as they recognized the man’s identity.
A different sense of astonishment burst out than when the opponent was the Demon King.
“Devil Ball Kim Min-jae!”
“Vice-Team Leader of Team WH-7!”
“The one who fought us was a member of the final death squad…”
Minjae chuckled at the loud reactions of the test takers.
He turned off his voice modifier and spoke solemnly.
“Everyone, don’t forget today’s experience. The enemies you will have to deal with in the future may be stronger than the Demon Lord. “Are you going to close your eyes as helplessly then as you are now?”
The test takers suddenly stood up and answered loudly.
““No!””
The test takers’ eyes looking at Minjae were full of respect, as if they were looking at an idol.
It has to be that way.
Kim Min-jae, the devil’s master, was a famous superhuman who was ranked among the top ten even in the final death squad.
Moreover, the candidates who had just recently fought Minjae in person and witnessed his power.
‘It was incredibly strong!’
‘Our attack didn’t even pass by.’
‘This is the true power of a hero…!’
The respect of the test takers was bound to grow. Hearts were about to burst out of his eyes.
“Keuhum!”
Minjae worked hard to control his facial expression.
To be honest, it wasn’t easy to suppress the corners of my mouth that were about to rise.
Big.
Minjae said, changing the mood by clearing his throat.
“It’s unfortunate, but you are eliminated here.”
Behind Minjae was the Demon King’s throne, and behind it was a huge iron door.
A coat of arms with the seal of Baal engraved on it.
Here, only test takers who were recognized by the Demon King (a professor in disguise) could proceed to the next stage, the final mission location.
“You can just go out there.”
When Minjae points to one wall, the wall goes “goo goo goo!” It opened with a sound.
It was an exit prepared for those who were eliminated.
“I was eliminated….”
“It took me 10 hours to get here.”
Minjae offered words of encouragement to the candidates whose shoulders slumped at the word of being eliminated.
“Don’t be discouraged. You can improve your skills during the remaining period and try again. “I look forward to seeing you grow even more then.”
“Four four!”
“I will definitely come back!”
It was then. One of the test takers approached Minjae and, with difficulty, mustered up the courage to speak.
“I need an autograph… I’ve been a fan of Demon Ball for a long time!”
Minjae frowned as if he was troubled. But the hand was already moving.
“Hmm. It shouldn’t be like this… What about paper and pen?”
“omg! “I didn’t realize that…”
“It’s okay. “I have it.”
“…….”
“Hmm. “There are a lot of things like this.”
As if he was used to it, Minjae took out a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket, signed his name, and handed it to the test taker. The test taker, who was confused for a moment, soon held the autograph in his arms like a treasure.
“thank you! “I will definitely try again!”
“okay. “Don’t wait.”
Minjae turned his back and smiled happily as he saw off the eliminated candidates.
After the test takers who failed the test left for the exit, Minjae returned to the Demon King’s throne and sat down.
“…This reminds me of the old days.”
Minjae looked around the cave with a slightly nostalgic expression.
This cave was a course created so that test takers could experience the past war against the demon world.
WHA has built a total of 10 similar caves on the island.
When test takers enter the cave, overcome all obstacles, and arrive at the end of the cave, professors disguised as demon kings greet them in the boss room.
The role of professors is to make test takers experience ‘true fear.’
Minjae’s role is Barbatos.
He was a powerful demon king, ranking 8th among the 72 demon kings.
“Everyone’s level is high… but there’s no one with any spirit.”
Minjae scratched his chin as he thought of the candidates who had passed through him so far.
Everyone was very talented.
However, there has not yet been a single candidate who received his recognition and advanced to the final mission area.
“It’s obvious that if I leave, it will only break.”
Of course, he did not think that the test takers, who were still just newbies, would win in a fight with him.
What I want to check is the possibility.
The plan was to allow applicants to move on to the next location if they showed sufficient potential.
And the biggest criterion for Minjae’s potential is the spirit of not giving up until the last moment of the fight!
But everyone cried or closed their eyes because they were scared…
“Tsk, tsk. Kids these days have no spirit. “It wasn’t like that in my time.”
In society, these people are called old people.
Minjae sat cross-legged on the throne and lamented about the lack of spirit in young people these days.
And a few hours later.
“Why doesn’t the next team come like this?”
Minjae stared at the only entrance to the boss room he was in.
Still, the number of applicants who used to arrive at about one team per hour has suddenly stopped.
Knock knock.
Minjae then knocked on the microphone and contacted the outside world.
“This is the boss room of Examination Center 9. Not a single team of test takers arrived for several hours. “Is there some problem?”
After a while, Baek Young-hee’s voice was heard from the microphone.
-This is headquarters. A few hours ago, a large number of people dropped out at the entrance to Examination Center 9.
“…A large number of dropouts? “Did some accident happen?”
Minjae’s expression became a little more serious.
The boss room was located in the deepest part of the cave, so he had no idea what happened outside.
Earlier, I felt a huge flow of magic power from afar…
but I heard Baek Young-hee sighing.
-If it were an accident… Fortunately, there were no casualties. The problem is that many of the scared test takers went to other caves.
“yes?”
-Well, even if it were me, I would rather go to another cave than compete with them.
“…Yes?”
Instead of giving a detailed explanation, Baek Young-hee told Min-jae what to do.
-Anyway, the situation was resolved and only one team entered the 9th test site. I think it will arrive soon.
I don’t know exactly what it was, but since it was the only team that came into the cave after a big accident…
I had some expectations about Minjae.
“They seem to have quite a bit of spirit. “I wish I had the same level of skill and spirit.”
-…Mr. Minjae. Go for it.
It was a meaningful voice, but Minjae did not notice the subtle nuance.
Even if I had noticed, there would have been no way to deal with it.
-Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwak!
Just then, I felt a figure approaching from afar.
A smile formed on Minjae’s lips.
“They come crashing down loudly. Do you like it. “These guys are full of fighting spirit.”
Minjae got up from the throne and lightly relaxed his body.
I hope that the guys coming this time will show their spirit.
However, the speed at which the presence approached was faster than expected.
“what? “The trap was almost destroyed… We’re already there?!”
It was when Minjae, with his eyes wide open, looked at the entrance to the boss room.
-Quaaaaaang!
The door shattered and a cloud of dust rose in its wake.
‘It’s pretty hard for me to break it like that… Why break something that opens easily when you push it!’
Minjae hurriedly turned on the voice modulation device. The Demon King’s loud voice filled the cavity.
[Hahaha! Welcome to hell!]
A party of five candidates entered the boss room through a cloud of dust.
[I am the Demon King who guards the eighth throne of the Demon World! The most insidious hunter, Barbato… Whoops!]
The Demon King, who made eye contact with one of the five test takers, suddenly groaned as if he had heard something.
‘Why is Lily here!’
At the same time, Lily, who immediately saw through Minjae’s disguise, waved her hand happily.
“oh! Siru… Eup!”
Wendy hurriedly covered Lily’s mouth and whispered in her ear.
“Did you forget? “You can’t pretend to know professors.”
“…right. I have to pretend not to know. Ah! “You are the leader of the bad guys!”
‘You look very suspicious right now!’
Minjae also heard that Lily had taken the entrance exam.
However, he had no idea that Lily would come to the area he was in charge of.
Why are there 10 similar caves?
‘CEO! ‘He should have just been admitted through special recruitment!’
I feel like I’m blaming Baek Chang-soo for no reason, but in fact, it was Dae-in who prevented Lily from being given preferential treatment.
So, if you have any complaints, go to the landlord and argue.
…It was an impossible story.
“You bad nooom! Stick out your neck! “I’ll kill you with a single blow!”
[Now wait a minute…]
Lily was already relaxing in vain. It was clear that the strange way of speaking was a clumsy imitation of the martial arts grandpas.
Minjae quickly rolled his eyes and looked at the composition of this party.
‘The fierce-looking man next to Lily seems to be someone who recently got a job at Lim’s Restaurant.’
Next to Wendy, a middle-aged knight who looked quite strong was glaring at her with sharp eyes.
And between Lily and Wendy, a girl they had never seen before was looking in this direction with anxious eyes.
…Even he looks formidable.
“Will it end if we finally defeat the Demon King?”
“I think so.”
“Let’s finish quickly and eat!”
Before the three girls finished their story, Minjae finished the calculation first.
For a split second, his eyes shined sharply.
No matter how difficult the opponent was, Minjae was also a superman who had experienced many hardships.
‘There is only one way!’
Minjae, who thought of the best move to overcome this situation, took action immediately.
Hesitation will only lead to unnecessary injuries!
– Shasak!
The Demon King quickly moved to the side of the throne and spoke in a dignified voice.
[I passed!]
“?”
“??”
“???”
Minjae burst into laughter and spoke to the girls whose expressions were full of question marks.
[Hahaha! I watched it all! The many trials you have gone through on your way to this point! Also, the spirit of not being afraid even in front of me! [I was impressed!]
Somehow, the more the Demon King spoke, the more miserable he seemed, Soshinhan thought quietly to himself.
Lily asked with a slightly dissatisfied face.
“Are you saying you won’t fight with us?”
[…A strong person like me can gauge the other person’s capabilities without having to fight. You are fully qualified! ruler! Hurry and go through that door! The final ordeal awaits you!]
Minjae clung to the wall and made way for the group, as if telling them to pass with ease.
“It’s strange…”
Lily tilted her head as if something felt uncomfortable.
It seemed like Sirutdeok wanted to look after him because he knew him.
My uncle said I shouldn’t receive preferential treatment…
“Can’t we just fight a little? “I’ll do it gently.”
[The exam is already over! I have to meet the next party! Get in quickly!]
Despite the Demon King telling her to please go, Lily shook her head.
The expression on his face was quite stern.
“I think it would be better to fight. “Tests should be fair for everyone!”
Fairness sucks! It’s not fair to me that you came here!
[Uh huh! Just go! You don’t have to fight!]
The Demon King clung to the wall and shouted desperately, but he was unable to stop the girl’s approaching steps.
[(side story) I passed! ]End
ⓒ Ganjjajang
