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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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A sinister grin spread across the demon’s face.
It pounded relentlessly on the plasma mana shield, which looked as if it might shatter at any moment, letting out a grotesque laugh.
It looked like a child, delighted with its own mischief.
“Kihi! Kihi! Kuhik! Kuhihi!”
It was a blatant provocation, a mockery. Its eyes held a base desire to drain my blood, just like it had done to the instructor, the moment the mana shield broke.
It saw me as nothing more than prey.
-Crackle.
I retrieved the still-in-development mask.
I wanted to show this demon my true nature.
I wasn’t prey.
I was the hunter, the one who hunted demons like it. And this was what that hunter looked like.
【Don’t worry. This thing is no match for me.】
As the helmet fully enclosed my face, I reassured my companions while simultaneously declaring war on the demon.
I was going to hunt it down.
-Bang!
The moment I turned to face it, the plasma mana shield shattered. I had intentionally withdrawn the mana.
The demon, ecstatic, lunged at me, letting out a crazed laugh as it threw a punch.
Now that the shield was gone, it thought I was dead.
-Whoosh!
I met its punch with my own. Our fists collided, its aiming for my abdomen, mine for its face.
-Crack!
My fist connected with its face.
The demon’s face crumpled like a piece of paper, the sickening crunch of shattering bones echoing through the dungeon.
-Thud!
Its fist also landed on my abdomen. A grotesque ‘crunch’ and a heavy impact reverberated through my suit.
-Crash!
The demon, struck by my punch, went flying several meters. But my abdomen was unharmed. It was the demon’s wrist, not my suit, that had shattered.
‘How arrogant.’
I had anticipated this outcome. A low-level demon like this couldn’t possibly penetrate mana-reinforced titanium alloy.
‘Just like Max, this demon is delusional.’
There seemed to be a common misconception about me: that I was weak in close combat.
This was understandable, given my preferred tactics: using three-dimensional maneuvers to evade attacks while firing repulsor beams from a distance.
I hadn’t engaged in close combat against the Minotaur King, and I had kept my distance from Max as much as possible.
This was the most rational and efficient approach.
When forced into close quarters, I relied on genetically modified spiderwebs to restrain opponents or used three-dimensional maneuvers to escape.
As a last resort, I used the plasma mana shield to neutralize attacks.
This had led to the misconception that my suit lacked defensive capabilities, relying solely on the shield.
‘It’s just cost-effective.’
But that was a false assumption.
I used the plasma mana shield because it was versatile, allowing both offense and defense. It was useful for protecting my companions, buying time to strategize, and shielding myself from attacks.
It wasn’t some desperate last line of defense.
‘Although, it did protect my face.’
I hadn’t worn a helmet before, leaving my face vulnerable.
The plasma mana shield served as a safeguard.
But now, with the helmet, also made of carbon nanotubes and titanium alloy, I no longer needed the shield for facial protection.
-Thud. Thud. Thud.
I walked towards the demon.
No three-dimensional maneuvers, no web shooters, no repulsor beams. Just a steady advance.
I punched the demon as it struggled to its feet.
-Crack!
My mana-infused titanium fist slammed into its chest and abdomen. Pain flickered across its previously smug face.
【Hahahaha!】
It felt exhilarating.
I reveled in the raw, primal thrill of violence.
The weight of my fist crushing its face, the fear in its eyes, the splatter of its blood – it was intoxicating.
-Crack! Crack! Crack!
When I first saw the demon, I had a vision.
The Empire in ruins, people screaming.
Enya, corrupted by demonic whispers, transformed into a half-human, half-demon monstrosity.
Isabella, captured and tortured by the Great Demon of the North, grotesquely modified into a monster.
Elena, beheaded after fighting thousands of demons alone.
Nobles betraying humanity, siding with the demons.
The elven forest engulfed in flames.
Dwarves hiding in their tunnels.
And me, disemboweled and left to die in that ravaged world.
Of course, this was just one possible ending. I had witnessed countless, far more gruesome outcomes.
I had become desensitized to the horrors of demonic feasts, watching them devour human intestines like someone munching on popcorn.
【What the… What kind of game is this? It’s supposed to be rated for ages 15 and up! This is bullshit!】
A surge of anger coursed through me.
A 15+ rating for this level of brutality? What about the players who had grown attached to the heroines? Was this why the game had shut down? Damn game developers.
-Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Punching a demon was a great way to vent my frustration. It felt like playing with clay. The demon’s eyes burst, its face turning into mush. Its skull caved in, brain matter splattering everywhere.
Gore and blood flowed freely.
-Crack! Crack! Crack!
I couldn’t stop. I was addicted to the thrill.
-Rip! Tear! Splatter!
Its stomach ripped open, spilling its contents. Like a burst dumpling, its intestines spilled out.
Wait a minute.
Why was I only punching?
I should be burning it with superheated plasma, letting it smell its own flesh burning. And why hadn’t I prepared a better way to communicate?
Playing heavy metal while slicing it with a chainsaw would be perfect.
【Oh well. Time for some otherworldly intestines.】
I decided to go with a mukbang approach, grilling its intestines and feeding it to the demon.
Even without proper sauce, grilled intestines were delicious as long as they weren’t burnt.
As I prepared to grill its innards with superheated plasma…
【What the… Where’s its head?】
It was gone. The demon’s head had vanished. My mukbang plans were ruined.
And then…
“E-Ed…!”
But at that moment, a voice called out to me in a panic.
I turned to see Clarice, my teammates, and the instructor, who had finally arrived, staring at me with stunned expressions.
I realized I had lost control, swept away by the memories of past playthroughs.
‘Is it because of the emotion amplification inscription?’
The emotion amplification inscription, still in its experimental phase, was etched into the helmet.
I wanted to harness my rage against the demons, just like the Black Obsidian absorbed hatred.
I had believed my anger could become a source of power.
But it seemed to have backfired.
“Ed… are you alright?”
My behavior must have seemed strange to those who knew me. I had always been kind, never displaying such violence.
-Swoosh.
I decided to stop. I stood up and deactivated the helmet. The nanotubes and titanium alloy retracted, revealing my face.
As the emotion-amplifying inscription deactivated, the rage subsided.
I was back to normal.
I removed the mask and turned to my companions.
“Sorry. I got a little carried away when the instructor was injured. Haha.”
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Silence.
A heavy silence fell over the students watching Ed on the large screen. They had never seen him so violent, so destructive.
Against the demon, he hadn’t used his repulsor beams, plasma blade, web shooters, or thrusters.
He had simply walked towards the monster and beaten it to a pulp.
[Kwaaagh! Kwak! Kuoook!]
The demon had tried to fight back, throwing punches whenever Ed attacked. But it was futile. Its attacks were ineffective, its fists shattering against Ed’s armor.
[-Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!]
It was a one-sided beatdown.
Even after the demon lost consciousness, Ed continued his relentless assault. Its face caved in, brain matter splattering, intestines bursting – Ed kept punching, even laughing.
[E-Ed!]
He finally stopped when Clarice called out to him. He turned his glowing red eyes towards her and the others.
Everyone froze, including the students watching the screen.
-Swoosh.
When Ed stood up, his teammates instinctively stepped back. The instructor adopted a defensive stance, cautiously watching him.
The instructor asked if Ed was alright.
But Ed didn’t answer immediately. He stared at them in silence, his red eyes glowing.
“······”
The silence was suffocating, the tension palpable.
[-Swoosh.]
Ed reached for his mask and pressed a button.
The helmet began to retract, the nanotubes and titanium alloy flowing back, revealing his eyes, the top of his head, and the sides of his face.
He removed the mask, his expression returning to normal.
[Sorry. I got a little carried away when the instructor was injured. Haha.]
“…Phew.”
Sighs of relief filled the room.
The students, the instructors, Charlotte, and Enya – they had all feared that Ed had changed.
“…Edgar Fix.”
Only Isabella, her face filled with excitement, repeated his name. She saw a kindred spirit in his destructive power, sensing a similar emotional trigger within him.
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“This is… overwhelming.”
After the first class, students swarmed Ed.
Mostly those who had disliked him: Max’s cronies, those who had spread rumors about him, those who had mocked him during presentations.
They were all apologizing profusely.
‘Is it because of what happened in the first class…?’
Their sudden change in attitude reminded him of his rampage. Beating the demon to a pulp. It seemed to have left a lasting impression.
‘The rumor is that Ed becomes a demon when he wears the mask.’
He decided to test it. He reached out, and the mask materialized in his hand.
“W-We’re sorry! Spare us!”
“Aaaaagh!”
Some begged for mercy, others ran away. It was quite effective.
“Hmm… Very well. I forgive you.”
He decided to let them off the hook.
Terrorizing them wouldn’t benefit him, and student fights were prohibited.
“But… not for free.”
He wasn’t a saint.
If they wanted his forgiveness, they had to offer something in return. He was the victim here, and he deserved compensation.
“W-What do you want?”
What did he want? Now that he had a title and plenty of money…
“Ah!”
An idea struck him.
A sinister grin spread across his face.
The students’ faces paled.
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