The classroom was gloomy and terrifying, its walls covered in instruments of torture. A hideous demon stood behind a black stone lectern.
His name was Eunos, a Diamond-level (Level VII) Fear Demon. Two enormous bull horns grew from his head, making him look like a beast that walked upright.
His towering body was wrapped in a crimson robe, and his scarlet eyes glinted with chilling ferocity from beneath the shadow of his hood.
The blackboard behind him was even more alarming. Scrawled across it in chalk was a messy line—
How to efficiently torture humans and collect fear energy from their screams.
"Fear differs from seduction, but their essence is actually the same... The source of our power is people's faith. Our believers do not praise us, but they spend every day trembling in fear of us. In truth, that is also a form of prayer."
"Therefore, dead believers are meaningless. Only living believers can provide us with an endless stream of power."
"Make a note of this... We must make our prey afraid, while also avoiding excessive torture that causes them to die or break."
"After all, if prey loses its response to external stimuli, then whatever we do becomes meaningless. Therefore, the highest form of torture is often invisible... But at the same time, you must take care not to torture them too lightly. It might have the opposite effect—for example, making the prey enjoy it. That is equally something we must avoid."
"Pay attention! Don't think this knowledge is useless just because you aren't Fear Demons. Even Succubi can learn from it. Never let your prey have you. Only when those simps can't get you will they treat you as their Gods... I hope what you learned from Ms. Lilith was more than just how to flirt and pose."
This was Demon Lord Academy, Hell's most prestigious institution of higher learning.
As the name suggested, it was a place for cultivating Demon Lords.
Of course, as the humans on the surface grew stronger and stronger, Demon Lords were no longer as valuable as they had been five hundred years ago. They had practically become expendable commodities.
Thus, most students aimed to remain in the Demon Capital after graduation, preferably as civil servants in the Ministry of Internal Affairs... But that was beside the point.
In short, in order to remain safely behind the lines after graduation, the students below the podium listened with rapt attention... Only Leon felt a chill creep down his spine.
The reason was simple.
Everyone present was either a demon or an undead creature. He was the only human, and he was sitting right in the center of the classroom.
Whenever class touched on anything related to humans, no matter how thick-skinned he was, he could not help but clench up.
Professor Eunos was especially bad. In the middle of lecturing, he would often split his bloody maw in a mysterious smile directed at Leon.
Eunos's smile was only one part of the problem. Sometimes, trouble came from right beside him.
Lumi, the Terror Demon at the neighboring desk, kept sneaking glances at him with a restless, eager expression... Leon only hoped the guy would keep his fantasies inside his head instead of actually taking a reckless chance.
Mai Jinli, the Nightmare Demon on his other side, was blowing air at the Flame Demon in front of him while muttering under his breath from time to time.
"I heard humans get sleepy more easily in forty-degree environments..."
Leon had no idea where the guy had heard that, nor did he know what the guy was fantasizing about doing after he fell asleep.
During Professor Eunos's class, he felt that even if he were roasted alive, he might not be able to fall asleep.
Compared to the two clowns sitting on either side of him, the one who went too far was Ms. Mia, seated behind him.
She was a Succubus with pink hair, heart-shaped tail tips and pupils, and a pair of ram-like curved horns above her ears.
She had altered her school uniform skirt to be so short that people had no idea where they were supposed to look.
Ever since this class had begun, she had been picking on him. Either she kicked his chair with the toes of her raised foot beneath the desk, or she gave an exaggerated yawn and blew air onto the back of his neck.
She was the most dangerous one! Other demons at least needed to cast spells, while she only needed to rely on her racial talent.
No spell meant no evidence. Even if he fell victim to it, he would have nowhere to seek justice.
Leon did not dare lower his guard in the slightest, afraid that if she caught him slipping, the things taught in class would be immediately put into practice on him.
Besides him, only one person in the entire class seemed relatively normal: a guy named Ige.
Although he was also a Succubus, he was a male Succubus, the kind that sat at the very bottom of the high-level demon food chain.
Since Leon's status was like that of a giant panda—an "endangered animal" personally designated by the Demon God—bullying him carried severe legal consequences. Thus, Ige usually served as the class's designated victim instead.
The guy was truly pitiful. Sometimes, even Leon, a straight man of steel, could not help feeling sorry for him when he saw those doe-like eyes.
Of course, at times Leon could not decide whether the guy was putting it on deliberately...
Maybe he needed to watch out for him too! The chair-kicking was gradually getting excessive. Leon could endure it no longer and turned around to glare at Mia.
However, not only did she show no restraint, she provocatively licked the corner of her mouth.
Her wine-red pupils looked like sweet chocolate gummies. The moment Leon met her gaze, his mind uncontrollably went hazy.
That was not magic, but a Succubus's racial talent... Their pupils were born with the power to ensnare souls.
Only high-level demons or those with sufficiently powerful Spiritual Power could resist it, and Leon clearly belonged to neither category.
This was bad!
The moment that thought crossed his mind, it was already too late.
In that instant, Eunos, standing at the podium, noticed the small movement of him turning around and immediately let out a bull-like roar.
"Leon, you dare pull tricks in my class? You've got some nerve!!!"
The entire classroom trembled. The students in the front row were already clutching their ears in agony.
And this was merely Eunos's normal volume when reprimanding students.
"Sorry, sir—" Leon shot to his feet and hurriedly apologized, only to be cut off by another thunderous roar.
"Sorry? There is no such word as sorry in Hell! Raise your head and look into my eyes! You dare look into a Succubus's eyes but not mine? Do not submit to fear—overcome it! Yes, like that! Very good. You may go to the restroom and dry your pants now! Hahahaha!"
Eunos threw back his head and laughed loudly, and the classroom erupted in laughter as well.
"Hahahahaha!"
Only Ige looked at Leon with his fawn-like eyes, seeming worried for him.
Mia clicked her tongue and clasped both hands behind her head, dissatisfaction written all over her face. It was unclear whether she regretted Professor Eunos ruining her fun or regretted that she was not the one who had wet someone's pants.
Of course, Leon's pants were not wet, so there was naturally no need for him to visit the restroom.
Faced with his classmates' laughter, he gave no response and merely sat back down helplessly.
This was Hell. Such things were far too common, and it was not the first time a teacher at this academy had made sport of him.
Just yesterday, Ms. Lilith, the Succubus who taught illusion and control spells, had used him as spellcasting material for a live demonstration.
Mia, who sat behind him, had probably just been making a clumsy imitation of that female benefactor.
As for Professor Eunos, he was actually one of the friendlier professors at this Demon Lord Academy. At least he could teach Leon some useful skills.
Thanks to him,
as an ordinary human living in Hell, Leon had not been scared into wetting himself by a Fear Demon's gaze for a very, very long time.
Ms. Lilith, on the other hand, was simply using him for entertainment.
Even now, he still could not resist a Succubus's control skills. No matter how he thought about it, that woman's teaching methods had to be the problem!
As for how an ordinary human like him had ended up attending school in this cursed place, that was a long story.
First of all, he was not from this world. He was a transmigrator from Earth.
A traffic accident had caused his transmigration. He could no longer remember what happened in between, but when he opened his eyes again, he was already in the Demon God Temple at the deepest reaches beneath Os Continent, surrounded by mysterious runes and a pentagram.
According to the Shadow Priests in the temple, his mother had been a human acolyte, while his father was a vampire who did not wish to reveal his name.
Logically speaking, half of his bloodline should have been vampire... But that was not actually the case.
In this world, vampires did not pass down their lineage through primitive mating. The inheritance of vampire power required the ritual of an Embrace.
It was a rather troublesome process. Not only did it test manpower and resources, it also required scrutiny of the recipient's family tree.
Generally speaking, only children born from the union of two vampires received the Embrace of vampire kin at birth.
As an illegitimate child of disgraceful origins, Leon was obviously not qualified to receive an Embrace.
The blood flowing through his veins was nothing more than ordinary human blood.
At most, he had inherited a devastatingly handsome face from his father, along with blood that seemed noble but was utterly useless. Other than that, there was nothing... Though it was not as if he had expected anything else.
His mother, Tiffany, died not long after giving birth to him, while his father had never appeared at all throughout the past eighteen years.
Still, none of that really mattered.
When he had first arrived in this world, Leon had felt that his life was completely bleak, that this was the end for him. However, after staying for a while, he realized that things were not quite so hopeless.
First of all, humans in the underground world were "protected animals" personally designated by the Demon God.
Any human citizen who served the Demon God could not be harassed, discriminated against, or harmed by Hell's undead creatures or demons. Violators would receive the harshest punishment.
Whether this was for show, aimed at believers on the surface who secretly worshipped the Demon God, or to ensure Hell's biodiversity, humans in Hell were registered residents and actually lived fairly well... So long as they were not captured prey or prisoners of war.
Though it was impossible to expect Hell's might-makes-right society to be completely free of discrimination against humans, at least no demon or undead creature would openly cast spells on humans who were fellow believers of the Demon God. The closer one got to Hell's political center, the more true that became.
Furthermore, humans received bonus points when applying to Hell's institutions of higher learning.
However, because humanity's magical talent ranked near the bottom, most humans could not get admitted even with those bonus points.
Aside from the advantages in education, employment prospects were also quite good.
While most demon workshops did not welcome frail humans, the acolyte positions in temples under the Ministry of Truth were always open to humans.
That position was equivalent to being a civil servant in Hell. It carried a certain degree of status and decent income. Though there was little room for advancement, there was no danger either. After death, one could avoid becoming undead, with one's soul entering the Reincarnation Pool directly and becoming a demon in the next life.
Leon's biological mother in this life had been an acolyte.
Although being an acolyte was not bad, Leon did not want to remain in Hell for the rest of his life, even if he possessed the prestigious "Demon Capital residency."
Humans did exist in Hell, but this place was simply unfit for human life.
For one thing, the "oceans" here were all lava heated to over a thousand degrees. A casual heat wave could raise an entire city's temperature by more than a hundred degrees.
That temperature meant nothing to demons and undead creatures, and not even to Dwarves, but it was fatal to humans.
The only reason he had survived until today was the Demon Capital's Magic Barrier.
After being mocked by Professor Eunos, Leon felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he always felt that the latter half of this class, "One Hundred Brilliant Ways to Make Humans Scream," was somewhat beyond the syllabus.
At that moment, the bell signaling the end of class finally rang out from the corridor outside.
The Little Devils in the classroom seemed to have heard the starting gun. With a whoosh, they shot into the air and flew toward the windows, shrieking, "Mine! Mine!" as they targeted the cafeteria in the adjacent tower.
Yet just as they were about to fly out the windows, they crashed solidly into an invisible wall with a bang.
Instant-cast Silver-level magic! Wall of Atmosphere!
Leon's eyes filled with envy as he looked at the Fear Demon standing on the podium.
On Os Continent, whether in the surface world or the underground world, the ranking system followed the standards passed down from the First Era.
The lowest level was Black Iron (I), followed by Bronze (II), then Refined Steel (III), Silver (IV), Gold (V), Platinum (VI), Diamond (VII), Amethyst (VIII), Grandmaster (IX), and Demigod (X).
Above Demigod was actually Near God (XI), which, put simply, meant being akin to the Gods. However, in the underground world, only its ruler, the Demon God, was suspected of reaching that level.
Additionally, each rank was further divided into five stars.
However, because experience and skill carried greater weight in battles between opponents of the same rank, the star subdivisions had limited reference value and were therefore rarely used.
A Fear Demon capable of instantly casting a fourth-level air spell...
Professor Eunos probably possessed the strength of a five-star Diamond-level being!
Incidentally, Leon was Bronze (II).
Although his theoretical knowledge was exceptionally extensive and he ranked near the top of his grade in final exams every year, his racial talents simply did not include magical power.
Just as the Little Devils, wings drooping, cursed while climbing up from beneath the windows, Eunos stomped his foot behind the podium.
"Silence! I haven't dismissed class yet! Get your asses back to your seats!"
The commotion was like an earthquake! Seeing Professor Eunos lose his temper, the Little Devils who had been cursing moments ago turned pale with fright and hurriedly scrambled back to their seats.
After watching the students sit down again, Professor Eunos swept his gaze over the classroom, forcefully cleared his bull-like throat, and then spoke in a booming voice.
"Students, this is the last class I will teach you. I hope you remember everything covered in class! Some of you, especially, had better listen carefully if you want to stay alive."
Perhaps it was his imagination, but Leon felt Professor Eunos's bull eyes glare at him. Sweat began seeping down his back again.
The pressure of a Diamond-level demon was not something a mere Bronze-level necromancer could withstand.
Especially since his own necromancer credentials were watered down.
At Eunos's words, the demons and undead creatures in the classroom began discussing it among themselves.
"The last class?"
"What does that mean?"
"Summer break came early this year?!"
"It isn't summer break that came early! You idiots, it's your graduation ceremony!" Eunos shook his head in disappointment at the fools still talking about summer vacation, then continued in his deep voice, "The surface adventurers are too powerful, and there are not enough Demon Lords at the front lines. Therefore, this year's graduation ceremony for the entire academy has been moved forward."
The moment his words fell, the Little Devils in the classroom began shrieking again.
"Awooo! Tear them apart!"
"I'm going to bite off their ears!"
"I eat heads!"
Little Devils were not high-level demons and, strictly speaking, were not qualified to attend Demon Lord Academy.
However, they were the nobility among Little Devils, so naturally they could not be lumped together with ordinary Little Devils.
Though Leon often felt that these freeloaders might be even dumber than ordinary Little Devils. At the very least, the cunning ones usually survived for a few more episodes.
Mia, seated in the back row, raised her hand and stood beneath the gazes of the demons around her.
"But Professor Eunos, we're third-year students. We aren't supposed to graduate until next year. Did you remember wrong?"
Eunos shot her a contemptuous glance and said coldly,
"Remember wrong? You are the ones who still do not understand the situation! The front lines are in crisis this year, so third-years and fourth-years will graduate together... But you are luckier than the fourth-years. All the slots to remain at the academy have been given to you. Tomorrow morning, do not bring your textbooks. Report to the graduation hall at eight sharp. At nine, people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs will come and have you fill out your preferences."
"You have barely attended any practical combat classes, so you had better pray you are not assigned to the front lines. That place is no joke, especially since the situation has not been looking good lately."
The Little Devils were all stunned. Lumi, the Terror Demon who had been playing with nail-pulling pliers, froze as well. Even Mai Jinli, the Nightmare Demon who had been blowing cool air onto the Flame Demon's back, puffed out his cheeks like a ball.
"How could this be..." Mia's eyes widened. Panic flickered in her peach-red pupils, and her fair thighs trembled faintly.
It was the first time Leon had seen that expression on her face. Usually, he only saw it on Ige.
Perhaps someone in her family knew about the situation at the front lines.
But... was it really that serious?
To be honest, while the vast majority of students at this Demon Lord Academy avoided the profession of Demon Lord like the plague and attended only to gild their resumes, Leon had enrolled specifically to become a Demon Lord.
The reason was simple... Once he became a Demon Lord, he would be sent near the surface.
That was his only chance, as a human, to return to the surface world.
Although Leon knew it might not be that simple, it was at least worth trying.
No matter how dangerous the surface world was... it could not be more dangerous than Hell, could it?
Here, a Flame Demon's sneeze could accidentally injure him, and there were Succubi watching him hungrily like wolves and tigers.
Leon had already made up his mind. Tomorrow, he would list Demon Lord as his first choice.
As for what kind of Demon Lord he would become, that was not up to those demons.
In any case, he would lie low whenever possible. If a little whip and a feather duster could do the job, he would never draw a forty-meter blade. He would strive not to be seen as a threat by humans, nor become a target for his colleagues in the rear.
He would practice tai chi.
Magic was not his strength, but slacking off was something he knew all too well.
Perhaps because he had been to the battlefield, Eunos knew the situation there all too well.
Though he disliked these privileged wastrels who merely coasted through life, he still could not bear to watch his own students march off to their deaths.
He knew perfectly well how demons tortured humans, and he knew even better how humans tortured the demons they captured.
Looking at these greenhorns staring at one another in dismay, he continued shouting in a bull-like voice.
"You have one night to write letters home... you gutless cowards!"
"Class dismissed!"
Before you continue