The Successor to the Underworld Is a Cheat Player

“It’s a massacre.”

That’s why it seemed too early for the Exchange Contest.

As expected, the other candidates seemed frightened.

“Why is the Exchange Contest happening now?”

It seemed important.

“There are two reasons.”

Sis said.

“One, the last of the three major organizations excluding Rasiel and Dante.”

The emotions surfacing on Sis’s face seemed complex.

“The candidate competition in Cain has ended.”

“…!”

“It’s over?”

Unlike the surprised candidates, Sein calmly asked.

“Since only one out of thirty candidates remains, the candidate competition has to end.”

Whether through accidents or killings, only one is left.

Since competing alone was impossible, it was indeed the end of the competition.

“Oh, that’s how it is?”

Sein remarked.

Gulp.

The candidates swallowed dryly.

“I thought it might be possible, but seems like there are no sanctions.”

“Although there are sanctions, they might be meaningless.”

“Well, in that case, I might as well….”

Chuckling.

“Just kidding, just kidding.”

The candidates breathed a sigh of relief at Sein’s words.

“Anyway, the first reason aside, what about the second?”

“It’s because of you. Sein Demorus.”

“Me?”

Sein pointed to himself.

“That’s right. You. Your reputation has become unexpectedly high. You are the strongest competitor….”

“Shall we take care of it before it’s too late?”

If we summarize Sis’s words.

“In the end, it was all about wanting to kill me alone.”

“In the process, the rest will be taken care of as well. Dante started the candidate competition much earlier than Rasiel, and the candidates’ levels are much higher than Rasiel’s.”

“That’s right. Look at them. They’re just trash.”

The reason for Dante’s master’s arrival became clear.

However, there was still something left undisclosed.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Sis always seemed to share information aimlessly, yet he always had his own goals and plans in mind.

“It seems Almang is contemplating whether to accept the Exchange Ceremony.”

Sis stated his purpose without hesitation.

“And that decision rests with you.”

“…?”

“Though it may bruise his pride, Rasiel is not yet ready. Sein.”

Sis said.

“I hope you can persuade Almang to decline the Exchange Ceremony.”

*

*

*

“You must have heard the rumors, right?”

Almang’s directness.

“Somewhat.”

“So, what’s the matter?”

Almang asked Sein, who was seated on the sofa.

“If you’re asking me to stop, I have no clue.”

Almang spoke first before Sein could say a word.

It was a clear sign of how profound his concerns were.

“If Rasiel rejects the candidate Exchange Ceremony, his favor will plummet. And my reputation will suffer as well.”

No one esteemed a general who fled from battle, even if defeat and disgrace were inevitable.

“But if I were to ask if you want to engage in the Exchange Ceremony?”

Almang continued.

“It’s safe to say that’s not the case either.”

“Because defeat is imminent?”

Defeat, too, leads to a loss of favor.

For Almang, this Exchange Ceremony was nothing but a lose-lose situation.

“Sein Demorus.”

Almang’s tone was notably solemn.

“I, too, was once a candidate like you.”

“….”

“Even if I rise higher, it won’t change much. I’m just contemplating the last surviving human sentiment.”

Sein met Almang’s gaze.

There was no need to compare this to his experiences as the Imperial Prince, or rather, the Scutellary.

“Even if something is inevitable, is it right to push towards a death that could be avoided?”

Those were the eyes of a person speaking the truth.

“Dante has three siblings from the homeland.”

Almang mentioned.

“They might not be much different from the Phaepher you faced.”

A master-level powerhouse.

“You might not know, but the rest will perish. And if that happens, you might meet your end as well. I am contemplating whether to spare you all or not.”

“I’m not sure about this whole bodyguard thing.”

Sain said.

“If someone suddenly barges in, even I would be surprised.”

Despite feeling perplexed by the sudden sincerity.

“So.”

Maintaining composure, Alman looked straight into Sain’s eyes.

Don’t forget.

“What are you trying to say?”

Even if the opponent was once a candidate like them in the past, the place they are standing now is as the guild master of Rasier.

So, although Alman possesses a fragment of human emotions.

“Are you confident?”

About him being a monster.

“Do you believe you will win if you engage in the Exchange Battle, Sain Demorus?”

Alman said.

“If you emerge victorious in the battle.”

Just like Sain, Alman’s pupils were also filled with determination.

“Sain Demorus is Rasier’s candidate. You will be the one. Rasier, do not support you, Alman Demorus.”

In the end, this is it.

Providing Sain with a proper motive and pushing him onto the battlefield.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to get straight to the point like this.”

Sain said with a smirk.

“Say what you need to say. Let’s get on with it. Whether it’s Dante or whoever, I’ll crush them all.”

“It’s a deal, Sain.”

*

*

*

“Now, everyone is addressed this way because there is something to inform you about.”

Upon Sain’s words, the candidates nodded tensely.

“We have decided to hold the Candidate Exchange Battle.”

“Why!”

The candidates, who expected Sain to refuse the battle, shouted in confusion.

“Why? What’s there to ‘why’? Because I decided it that way.”

“But….”

“We are all going to die.”

The candidates were already gripped by fear.

Upon hearing about the Candidate Exchange Battle, they must have learned about Dante’s power.

“So?”

“What…?”

“Whether you live or die, it makes no difference.”

Sein spoke.

“From the start, if all of you are eliminated, without any risk, I will be chosen as Rasier’s candidate.”

Silence.

“Well, shall we settle it here and now?”

“….”

There was not a single false word in Sein’s statement.

“What I can’t stand is being dared against by someone.”

There were two reasons why Dante moved.

One of them was Sein.

“Daring to target my life, what would happen if I just let it go?”

“What….”

The candidates seemed uneasy, but it didn’t matter.

“I have never let go of those who come at me quietly.”

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“That’s true….”

“You have to thoroughly trample them to relieve your conscience.”

Sein sheathed the sword he had half-drawn.

“That’s why.”

The conclusion.

“In this exchange match, I will trample Dante. Not just me, but all of you too.”

“…!”

Simultaneously, a word flashed through the candidates’ minds.

-Impossible.

The gap between Dante’s power and Rasier’s power is significant.

Despite their efforts, they were a group of five who couldn’t even defeat Balack together.

“Did you think it was impossible?”

Can one now read people’s minds?

“It’s possible. You fools.”

“….”

“Don’t think what you’ve done is effort.”

Sein spoke, looking at each candidate.

“I have no intention of just letting you die. You are valuable slaves; you should be used well.”

Demorus, who survived the candidate competition, is acknowledged for that value.

Even if they fail to become successors, they are acknowledged for their worth to rise to Demorus’s position.

And if those who are loyal to him can rise to Demorus’s position.

“I will raise you.”

It might not be difficult to eliminate Demorus.

“Moreover, Rasier has decided to give full support.”

For the first time, the candidates’ faces showed concern.

“Rasier’s support and my abilities. When those two combine….”

Snick.

“I will win. You spineless lot.”

There was not a hint of wavering in Sein’s voice.

“Whether you die this way or that way, if you’re going to die, at least fight like dogs. I’ll give you swords, armor, everything you need.”

A strange resonance.

Sein’s voice, rough beyond compare, was ironically digging deep into the hearts of the candidates.

At some point, they must have realized.

Their fate and how it would never end well.

But in this moment.

“Are you going to try?”

A glimmer of hope shone.

“Are you going to try? You spineless lot.”

“We will.”

“We’ll try.”

Finally, an answer came.

Not driven by command, but by their own will.

“I beg you, Sein. No…”

The candidates, they looked at Sein.

“Captain.”

In this moment, they acknowledged Sein as their leader.

“How fortunate.”

Snick.

“If you reject here, I truly planned to kill everyone and end the candidate competition.”

“…”

“So?”

Sein’s eyes turned to a corner of the training ground.

“What do you think?”

Not all candidates were gathered.

Two.

Sis and Roberta.

Those who had not yet given up the competition with Sein…

“Will you step forward?”

They were watching Sein from a corner of the training ground.

“My training is simple.”

Sein, holding a longsword he made himself.

The moment he casually brandished it.

“Kieeeek!”

The cry of the Lizardman rang out.

Where Sein and the candidates were now was a marsh.

“Fight to the death.”

Sein’s chosen training was monster hunting.

In the current world, or rather in the previous scenario, it was the same.

NPCs tended to view hunting monsters as either a trivial matter or something unhelpful.

“Does this really have any effect?”

Someone questioned.

“Hey, no questions allowed.”

But without answering, Sein detonated the firecracker he had in his arms.

Boom!

As the firecracker exploded, a green magical light scattered in all directions.

A monster bait widely traded in the market.

It was Sein’s special bait, enhanced with additional ingredients.

“Eeek!”

The monsters went wild and began to charge.

Even if it wasn’t Sein’s words, the candidates no longer had time to ask questions.

“Ahh!”

To survive the charging monsters, they had to exert all their strength.

“The lizard babies….”

But shortly after, the candidates soon regained composure.

The lizardmen were not high-grade monsters.

If they had inherited the mission and training from Rasiel, and Demorus’ legacy.

“Kill them!”

They could be dealt with relatively easily.

The tide turned.

The charging lizardmen became the backdrop against which the candidates pushed forward.