How to Live the Life of a Demon

 

“

Squeak

… Ratti was tricked… I didn’t know a Dryad would be that strong.

Squeak

!”

 

Ratatria, a member of the rat clan, expressed his indignation. Tears began to well up in his large, black eyes.

 

Rayel was taken aback by the sudden situation and comforted him.

 

“D-don’t cry, please tell us.”

 

“That son of a bitch named Lucius Kendrick!”

 

The dwarf, Iron, shouted with all his might, filled with resentment.

 

“Lucius? Are you certain it was Lucius?” Although the only dryad in the class was Lucius, Rayel couldn’t fully trust their words and asked for confirmation multiple times.

 

Iron said, clicking his tongue.

 

“That bastard! He took all the cards from us and disappeared!”

 

“He took the cards? How many cards did he take?”

 

“He took 12 cards. He probably has around 20 now.”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“Why wouldn’t I know when I saw him counting the cards right in front of me! Damn it!”

 

Rayel looked down with a serious expression.

 

Lucius had 20 cards now, and Rayel had only 8 left. 

 

He had already taken half of the remaining cards.

 

“That guy said he would take all the cards, claiming he would be the first. He didn’t care about what happened to the others! It seems like many people have already fallen victim to him!”

 

Rustle. Rustle.

 

It was when Iron was complaining loudly.

 

“Rayel.”

 

As the sound of leaves rustling in the distance echoed, Kian cautiously called out to Rayel and hid him behind his back.

 

Rayel sharpened his senses and sent out a spirit to scout.

 

There were a total of five presences.

 

Even without Lucius, he couldn’t help but be wary of a group of five students.

 

The other students, seemingly willing to assist in any situation, drew their weapons and stood beside Kian and Rayel.

 

Rayel smiled reassuringly to ease their worries and they all focused their gaze in the direction of the sound.

 

Rustle.

 

Students appeared on the other side, and one of them shouted happily.

 

“Class president!”

 

“Esf?”

 

“Oh, it’s been so hard. I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

 

He slumped to the ground with a look of weariness.

 

Hurn and Bern also slumped, looking exhausted.

 

“You were looking for me? What happened?”

 

“Listen to this!”

 

As they listened to the story, it turned out that after encountering Lucius and having their cards stolen, they had spent several hours searching for more cards. 

 

However, they hadn’t found a single one, and their initial plan of recruiting more allies was now in tatters, as they hadn’t been able to meet many other students either.

 

The only classmate they managed to find was a Yeti Tribe, who was currently by their side. However, when she first saw them, she attacked, demanding that they hand over their cards.

 

“No way… Please tell me in more detail.”

 

They began to describe the events they had experienced so far—the hardships the other students had faced and what had happened to themselves. 

 

The way they talked about Lucius made him sound terrifying, as if he could part the sea with a single gesture or split a mountain with a kick.

 

Esmerida, the Yeti, said, pointing to Esf and the others.

 

“It turns out those guys had their cards stolen by Lucius too. Seven cards, to be exact. The situation seemed strange, so we are temporarily cooperating.”

 

“Seven cards?”

 

“Yes. Even though it’s a competitive class, it’s worrying to see one person monopolizing everything like this.”

 

Rayel looked at Esmerida. She had extraordinary skills, so she was a student to look out for.

 

‘Nonsense. The Wisp tribe that controls fire and the Yeti tribe that controls ice all lost to Lucius?’

 

The reason why Dryads, who can handle a variety of plants, are unable to keep pace in actual combat is because the power they can exert varies greatly depending on changes in the environment and the abilities of the enemy.

 

In extreme environments, not even a single blade of grass can grow, let alone trees. Even if they summon plants, they become useless if the opponent freezes or burns them away. Even if they can manipulate plants in such situations, the magical power consumption is severe, making them destined to lose in a prolonged battle.

 

She pressed her lips tightly together as she felt the anger and frustration of being defeated by Lucius. As soon as the discussion turned to that topic, she bit her lip.

 

Rayel, who had listened to the whole story, lowered his head with a frustrated expression. 

 

It wasn’t because Lucius’ actions were wrong or disappointing. Instead, it was his own mistakes that stung his conscience.

 

‘Why didn’t I believe Lucius?’

 

The reason was simple.

 

Starting with Kian who is right next to him, Irinushka, Esf, and other students. There were many particularly formidable students in the fourth class of Epsilon.

 

He thought taking the cards away from all of them wouldn’t be easy.

 

Rayel thought it was absolutely impossible and that it was just Lucius’ arrogance.

 

Definitely.

 

‘Because he’s a dryad. Because he will be weaker than me. That’s what I thought.’

 

Although the stage of the class was a forest, isn’t the race called Dryad infinitely weaker depending on the opponent?

 

That’s why no one in the fourth class paid attention to Lucius.

 

Rayel shook his head vigorously and reflected on himself.

 

‘No. I just let my guard down. Kian was wary of Lucius from the beginning.’

 

Kian, who hardly reacted to other demons, continued to show interest in Lucius.

 

Even when they first met and when he was talking about class.

 

Rayel couldn’t help but sigh at how foolish he had been.

 

He had simply treated his opponent as weak and underestimated Lucius just because he’s a Dryad.

 

‘Until now, whenever I was discriminated against as weak because I was a fairy, I felt so wronged.’

 

Rayel closed his eyes tightly and opened them. It was time to acknowledge that Lucius’s skills were unusual and think of a solution.

 

He calmed his expression and came to his senses.

 

“When did you guys meet Lucius? Please tell me exactly.”

 

“It was a while ago when we met him. Maybe a couple of hours after the start? We had five cards taken from us then. Oh, Irinushka had two cards taken too. We were together when they were taken.”

 

All of the people he thought of as strong were defeated by Lucius.

 

So it was inevitable that the situation for the other students was as clear as day.

 

“Rayel, let me give you a hint. Let’s think carefully about what Mr. Arnold said.”

 

Suddenly, the words Lucius said flashed through Rayel’s mind. He had been trying to convey something.

 

‘What did the teacher say?’

 

Rayel reflected on Mr. Arnold’s words, but he still couldn’t understand what Lucius was trying to get at.

 

He’s not sure what Lucius’s purpose was, but whatever the case, his actions were not right.

 

It was true that Rayel had looked down on Lucius, but he was also looking down on his classmates too.

 

‘The reason Lucius has been winning so far is because his classmates were spread out throughout the forest and acting separately.’

 

Then the answer was simple.

 

All you have to do is stick together.

 

For that.

 

Rayel jumped up from his seat.

 

“So, none of you have any cards left, right?”

 

All four members of Esf’s group nodded.

 

Rayel held out his hand to Esf and helped him up.

 

“In that case, let us all wait for Lucius. My cards haven’t been taken away yet. If it’s Lucius, he’ll definitely come to take these cards.”

 

There are now about 2 hours left until class ends.

 

Rather than running around trying to steal cards from other students or looking for hidden cards, it was most efficient to steal cards from Lucius.

 

Rayel spoke again to those people who looked surprised.

 

“Anyway, if it continues like this, all the demons in this class except Lucius will be disqualified.”

 

He thought it would be okay at first.

 

But it was a mistake.

 

Lucius was too strong.

 

“We can’t let Lucius win first place alone. Let’s show Lucius a taste of his own medicine. Let’s work together and take the cards.”

 

Even if all 50 cards are collected, only 10 people will get points, but if this continues, only one person will end up with points.

 

Could there be a more vain ending than this?

 

“Well said, Rayel!”

 

Iron agreed sharply and pounded his chest.

 

“I have many inventions prepared, even though they’re not that great. I’ll lend a hand!”

 

“Great. Even Lucius wouldn’t be able to do anything against this number of people. If Lucius really wants to collect all the cards, he’ll come to steal my cards too, so I’d better get ready.”

 

“Me too! I’ll help too!”

 

“Me too, me too!”

 

One by one, the students raised their hands and voiced their agreement. Esf, too, looked at Rayel intently then burst into laughter.

 

“Good. If we stay like this anyway, we will all have the lowest score, so shouldn’t we do something? I’ll join too!”

 

Esf raised his hand. Hurn and Bern came up with their hands raised one by one as they exchanged their glances.

 

“Then each of you has something to do.”

 

Rayel started to divide the roles.

 

To decide on a place to meet a formidable opponent and make thorough preparations.

 

“Demons with good detection abilities should search for other students, and those with experience in construction should set up hiding spots. If there are traps, we can catch him off guard.”

 

Not only that, but they also planned their strategy together, devising a plan by utilizing all the methods they could think of to set traps for Lucius.

 

Meanwhile, all the students, excluding Lucius, had gathered.

 

Rayel looked back at the students, reflecting on the strategies they had prepared so far.

 

“Everyone is gathered except Lucius.”

 

Rayel tightly held the eight cards in his arms.

 

The other students had already lost their cards to Lucius, so these were all the cards they had left.

 

“I feel like I’m missing something…”

 

The residual anxiety still remains in his heart.

 

What is the reason?

 

He gently bit his lip.

 

“Don’t worry, you’re doing well.”

 

Kian comforted Rayel in a low voice. Rayel nodded slightly.

 

“Thank you. Let’s all focus. Lucius will come soon.”

 

Considering there was only one hour left until class ended, it was almost time for Lucius to show up.

 

His throat went dry from his nervousness.

 

His heart almost stopped as he thought about Lucius coming for him.

 

All the students except one were gathered together, and he couldn’t figure out why he was so anxious.