Demon Assessment

Once everything was ready,

Hermes returned to the first-floor hall of Demon Castle.

"Research isn't something I can accomplish overnight. I'd better focus on getting a Demon Medal first."

He hadn't even taken the God Hunter assessment in the Great Earth God Realm.

"Being a God Hunter actually sounds pretty good!"

If he hadn't also had fire-type talent, Hermes wouldn't have been in such a hurry to come to the Hell Plane.

"Hello. Is this where I sign up for the Demon Assessment? What are the specific requirements?"

At the front desk, Hermes politely asked.

"Hello~!"

The attendant gave him a standard eight-toothed smile.

"There are no other requirements to apply for the Demon Assessment. You just need to pay ten thousand Ink Stones to take it."

"Once you pass, you'll immediately become a One-Star Fiend..."

The receptionist was a beautiful young female Middle God. It seemed as if you had to be beautiful to work at the front desk.

As a fellow Middle God, she could clearly sense that Hermes's soul was only that of a Middle God!

"Just a Middle God~!"

The beautiful woman glanced him over.

Her eyes suddenly lit up.

Susimita noticed Hermes's rugged features, his sword-like brows and bright eyes. He was a little too muscular, but just the way she liked.

She couldn't help warning him, "Sir, the chance of a Middle God dying during a Demon Assessment is very high."

"According to our Demon Castle's incomplete statistics, in the last fifty Demon Missions, fewer than a hundred out of every thousand people survived, and fewer than fifty passed."

"Oh~! Susimita!"

Before the beautiful receptionist Susimita could finish speaking, a flippant voice interrupted her. "Are you lovesick or what?"

"You're actually volunteering the assessment statistics for a Demon Mission!"

In the blink of an eye, the speaker appeared in the middle of the hall, staring fixedly at Hermes.

"Damn it, I hate pretty boys like you who have nothing to offer but looks!"

The newcomer was tall but skeletal in appearance, giving off an eerie, chilling air that made people uncomfortable.

"Susimita, I'm here to take the newly announced Three-Star Fiend assessment. How about I look after your sweetheart while I'm at it? All you have to do is spend one night with me."

He spat out a mouthful of black vapor, then leered at Susimita without restraint.

His lecherous eyes seemed ready to tear the clothes from her body.

His voice was sinister.

"In your dreams, Saba!" Susimita snapped angrily.

She did like muscular men like Hermes, but that didn't mean he was her sweetheart.

Susimita wasn't that wanton!

Her family all lived in Yilan City, so she had little reason to fear this lecherous dog, Saba.

If Demon Castle's rules didn't forbid it, Susimita would have loved to curse him out.

"Damn bastard! Why couldn't you have died during a Demon Mission?"

Though she couldn't say it aloud, Susimita cursed Saba with every vile word she could think of.

"Saba, you lecher. You're not thinking of making a move on Susimita, are you?"

A voice suddenly called out.

Another group of people clad in black armor entered the Demon Castle hall.

A glance at their chests revealed an exquisite Demon Medal pinned there.

That meant every one of them had passed the official Demon Assessment and was a God-level Expert.

"She's worked for Demon Castle for generations. She's earned her keep, if nothing else."

"Saba, is it? I advise you to watch your step!"

After speaking, the leading Black Armored Person removed his helmet.

Beneath it was a resolute face.

"Lord Salif, have you just returned from Yemu Mansion?"

Recognizing him, Susimita asked happily.

He'd stood up for her, after all. She couldn't very well fail to show her gratitude.

"Haha, little Susimita! How's your father's business?"

Unlike Saba's sinister expression, Salif looked at Susimita with the fondness of an elder toward a younger person.

They weren't especially close, but Susimita's father had worked at Demon Castle for billions of years.

And as a High God, he had built up a few connections in Yilan City.

"You?"

Anger flashed across Saba's sunken, skull-like face.

But when he saw that the newcomer was Salif, he could only swallow his words.

He also stopped staring at Susimita like that.

He obediently registered for a mission, then left with his Demon Medal.

As he left,

Saba turned and glared viciously at Hermes, hating him with all his heart.

"Damn it, what does this have to do with me?"

Knowing he'd earned Saba's grudge, Hermes could only look innocent.

"Talk about a misfortune out of nowhere. Is it my fault I look so handsome and imposing?"

But when he recalled Saba's mummy-like face, he decided it made perfect sense for the man to hate him.

"Honestly, if I looked like that, I'd probably hate everyone in the world."

Saba was ugly as sin.

Hermes didn't know whether Saba belonged to some Special Race. If he were human, he probably wouldn't look like that.

"I want to sign up!"

He returned to the front desk. He'd been too busy watching the drama earlier to pick up an application form.

Salif had turned in a mission and immediately accepted a Five-Star one. Hermes wasn't about to fall behind, either.

"Young man, you'd better avoid this mission. Saba really isn't someone you want to cross."

"He holds a grudge."

After accepting a mission and taking his proof seal, Salif gave Hermes a rare word of warning.

"Thanks."

Hermes nodded.

"But I'm still taking it!"

His tone was calm. He clearly wasn't acting on impulse.

His Material Attack and Material Defense were invincible, and now he also had the Silver Canopy to protect his sea of consciousness and soul.

What did he have to fear?

"It's only a Demon Assessment. It won't take long. They hold one whenever they gather a thousand people."

Susimita tried to persuade him again, but Hermes wasn't swayed at all.

"Damn it, if you hadn't stuck your nose in, woman, none of this would've been such a hassle!"

He didn't exactly resent her, but he did find this troublesome. With how densely packed the cities in Hell were, if he missed this Demon Assessment, who knew how long he'd have to wait for the next one?

Hermes still wanted to visit Purple Crystal Mountain Range and see Leis Jing, to find out whether the guy had been born yet.

And whether that old man was around.

It seemed pointless, but he also wanted to confirm the current timeline.

"Ah~!"

Seeing that Hermes was ignoring her completely, Susimita could only take out the application form for the Demon Assessment.

She gazed at him with a pitiful look, but Hermes remained unmoved.

Keep acting. Go on, keep acting!

He regarded Susimita's display with disdain.

"Would people who've lived in a city for billions of years really take a liking to someone like me?"

Hermes thought scornfully.

"If I revealed my strength, maybe. But right now, I look like nothing more than a Middle God!"

At least Old Black had one thing going for him: he knew his place.

He didn't go chasing after things that came to him!

He didn't trust kindness that came out of nowhere!

That was the only way to survive in a place as dangerous as Hell, where peril lurked everywhere.

Hermes wasn't afraid of fighting!

He was afraid of being ambushed.

"This is your Demon Emblem. When the Demon Assessment mission begins, someone will come confirm the details with you."