Ever since I officially became a Sacred Warrior of the Delta Branch, life had become far busier than I ever imagined.
People stopped me almost every day.
Some wanted to know what the Council of Light was really like.
Others wanted to hear every detail of how I had survived standing before them
Rumors spread faster than wildfire, and somehow I had become the center of everyone's curiosity.
Not that I minded...
It was certainly better than being ignored.
Evans walked calmly through the hallway with Mike by his side.
"Dude!"
Mike grinned from ear to ear.
"I'm seriously glad they cleared all those accusations against you."
He lightly punched Evans on the shoulder.
"And now you're officially a Sacred Warrior! That's awesome."
Evans smiled.
"Yeah..."
"It was one hell of a ride."
He let out a quiet laugh.
"Honestly, I'm still surprised I made it out alive."
Mike suddenly wrapped an arm around Evans' shoulders and lowered his voice.
"Alright, forget that."
"I heard you've gotten pretty close to Ruby."
His grin became suspicious.
"If it's true, at least tell me your secret."
Evans sighed.
"There is no secret."
"And no, nothing happened."
He shook his head.
"Besides..."
"If I actually told you what you wanted to hear..."
"...I'd probably be putting every girl in this country in danger."
Mike's jaw dropped.
"What?!"
He looked genuinely offended.
"For your information, I'd never do anything shameless."
He proudly puffed out his chest.
"I'd only test whether it actually works."
"And if it did..."
"I'd responsibly stay away from it."
Evans gave him a skeptical look.
"...I don't believe you."
Before he could say anything else, an arm suddenly wrapped around his neck from behind.
Evans instinctively turned around.
Alex stood there with several of his friends, wearing his usual energetic smile.
Ever since the assessment, Alex and the others had started hanging around Evans more often.
Although they acted casual...
Evans had already figured out their real objective.
They just want an excuse to get closer to Ruby.
Unfortunately...
The girls weren't much different.
Most of them approached him for only one reason.
Arthur.
Apparently everyone wanted to know what the famously cold Sacred Warrior liked.
It became exhausting rather quickly.
Still...
Evans couldn't complain.
At least people knew his name now.
"Hey, Evans!"
Alex smiled.
"You planning to stop by the training grounds today?"
His short ash-colored hair swayed slightly as he spoke.
"Yeah."
Evans nodded.
"I'll be there."
Alex turned toward Mike.
"What about you?"
Mike scratched his head awkwardly.
"Sure..."
"I'll come."
He paused.
"...To watch."
Alex burst into laughter.
"Nice try."
"You're one of the people scheduled for training today."
"So there's no getting out of it."
Mike's shoulders instantly slumped.
"...I'm doomed."
Evans couldn't help smiling.
Come to think of it...
I've never actually seen Mike use his Sacred Ability.
Now I'm curious.
I wonder what it is.
Alex waved as he and his group continued down the hallway.
"See you guys later!"
Once they disappeared around the corner, Mike suddenly stopped walking.
"Oh, Evans!"
"I just remembered I need to grab something."
"You head back to the room first."
Evans waved without turning around.
"Alright."
"Don't take forever."
A few minutes later, he reached his room.
Opening the door, he stepped inside before dropping onto the bed with a tired sigh.
The peaceful silence allowed his thoughts to wander.
At least I finished today's Daily Quest early.
That isn't what's bothering me anymore.
His eyes drifted toward the ceiling.
It's the Sheep's Cloak.
How can an item capable of disguising Demonic Energy as Sacred Energy exist inside the Forbidden Demon System?
The question refused to leave his mind.
There's only one explanation...
The creator of this system expected its owner to be human.
Someone who would need to hide their Demonic Energy from the world.
Evans slowly sat upright.
A chill ran through his body.
But if that's true...
How could the creator have known?
Who...
Or what...
created the Forbidden Demon System in the first place?
"Anyway..."
Evans stretched his arms before letting out a deep breath.
"I should get myself prepared before training begins."
Over the past few days, he had discovered something interesting.
Physical exercise and intense training didn't just strengthen his body.
They also slowly increased some of his physical stats.
It wasn't nearly as effective as leveling up...
But every little improvement counted.
"Alright."
"Let's start with push-ups."
Without another word, Evans dropped to the floor.
One.
Two.
Three...
--
Elsewhere...
A desolate wasteland stretched endlessly beneath a dark crimson sky.
Ruined structures lay scattered across the land, half-buried beneath dust and ash.
An eerie silence ruled the world.
At the center of the wasteland stood a massive black throne.
Upon it sat a towering, muscular figure concealed entirely within darkness.
Even without seeing its face...
Its presence alone was enough to suffocate the surrounding air.
Slow footsteps echoed across the wasteland.
Another figure approached before kneeling respectfully.
Only one knee touched the ground.
"My Great Father."
The kneeling figure lowered its head.
"The preparations are nearly complete."
The figure upon the throne remained motionless.
"How many days remain?"
Its voice shook the earth itself.
Dust rose into the air as invisible pressure spread across the wasteland.
The kneeling figure answered without hesitation.
"By the appointed day..."
"We shall begin exactly as you commanded."
A long silence followed.
Then...
"Good."
---
Back at the Delta Branch...
Evans collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily.
"I actually did it..."
"Fifty push-ups..."
"One hundred sit-ups..."
"And fifty pull-ups."
A tired smile spread across his face.
"My body's completely exhausted..."
"...but it feels great."
Slowly climbing to his feet, he headed toward the bathroom to wash up.
Just then—
The bedroom door burst open.
Mike stood there, slightly out of breath.
"Hey, Evans!"
"Training's starting!"
"So get your butt out here already!"
Evans' eyes widened.
"What?!"
"Training's already starting?"
"Damn it!"
"I've got to hurry!"
He splashed water across his face before quickly changing into his new Sacred Warrior uniform.
The grey-green combat outfit fit him perfectly.
A satisfied grin appeared on his face.
"Fits just right."
Moments later, he and Mike sprinted through the corridors of the Delta Branch.
Before long, they arrived at the training grounds.
A large crowd of Sacred Warriors had already gathered.
At the center stood a spacious combat arena.
Waiting there with his usual relaxed smile...
...was Oscar.
Evans looked around with quiet excitement.
So this is the training section...
My first day as an official Sacred Warrior.
Maybe I should show everyone what I can do...
He quickly shook his head.
No.
First, I need to see what kind of people I'll be fighting.
As he scanned the crowd, he frowned.
"Hey, Mike..."
"Where's Arthur?"
Mike shrugged before letting out an exaggerated sigh.
"I'm guessing Mr. Hot Stuff is training with the Overseer again."
His tone was filled with playful jealousy.
"Wouldn't surprise me one bit."
"So... Arthur isn't training with Mr. Oscar?"
Evans asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
Mike scratched the back of his head.
"Honestly, I'm not really su—"
Before he could finish, someone patted Evans on the back.
Evans turned around.
Alex stood there with his usual calm smile.
"What's up, Evans?"
He folded his arms thoughtfully.
"From what I know, Mr. Oscar is a Peak A-Rank Sacred Warrior."
"The gap between his Sacred Energy and Arthur's shouldn't be that huge anymore."
"At least, that's what I think."
He shrugged.
"I don't really know much about Peak A-Ranks, though."
"There could be plenty of other reasons why Arthur isn't here."
"So let's not overthink it."
Evans nodded.
"Yeah."
"I guess you're right."
He stretched his arms before glancing toward the arena.
"So..."
"What's happening first?"
Mike smiled.
"That depends on Mr. Oscar."
As if on cue, Oscar stepped into the center of the arena.
The conversations around the training grounds gradually died down as every Sacred Warrior turned their attention toward him.
With his usual relaxed smile, Oscar slipped both hands into his pockets.
"Alright, everyone."
His calm voice carried effortlessly across the arena.
"Normally, I'd split you into pairs and have you spar with each other."
He paused, his smile widening ever so slightly.
"But today..."
"I feel like doing something different."
His eyes slowly swept across the crowd.
"So I'll personally be sparring with a few of you."
A wave of excitement spread through the gathered Sacred Warriors.
Oscar chuckled.
"So get yourselves ready."
"The fun..."
He grinned.
"...is just about to begin."