"Village Chief, this is a lie, right?! Right?!!" The man known as "Lead" was trembling all over.
Jack simply gave the most wicked smile he could muster. The silent and kneeling Chief was enough to explain the rest.
The man's face showed so many emotions in succession—shock, confusion, anxiety, fear, anger, and finally terror.
But there was something strange about the terror that inhabited him. He didn't seem afraid of the scary Demon King. No, he was scared of what this all meant.
"What did you do to the Village Chief?! Did you possess him?!" He cried out, the concern in his voice evident.
"I heard that you're quite impressive on the battlefield. Is that true? I can offer you power and wealth beyond your wildest dreams. How about it? Want to change side?" Jack grinned.
"Hell no! I won't help you destroy or corrupt I.R.L.! Only trash sells their loyalty for something as insignificant! I'll fight you to the end!" Lead thundered heroically.
He stared at the Demon King without adverting his eyes, not an ounce of desire in his eyes. This guy's main strength (or weakness) was that he was loyal to a fault.
Jack could see how much he cared about his faction and the Chief just from the way he had reacted. The two had a great relationship of mentor-disciple, and the NPC had vouched for him.
That's when the Chief chuckled.
"See? Didn't I tell you that he was perfect for the job?" Not only was he up, but he was smiling?! He even looked relieved?!
"W-what?!" Lead was so freaking confused.
The man's expression was hilarious as he had disbelief plastered all over his face. He looked like the main protagonist of a prank show as the truth was revealed.
"D.L. and I.R.L. already made peace." Jack playfully winked.
"Indeed, we're allies!" The Chief gave a V-sign.
"That's impossible! What about the whole war thing?! A faction will be destroyed and—"
"Not if it just happens to be a tie every time. #Totally rigged. It's just elaborate training. Anyway, do you still want to help the Chief? You'll be cooperating with CPR dude behind you." Jack shrugged as he explained.
"I'll be counting on you, gecko!" CPR dude gave the poor Lead a brilliant smile.
He was so damn shocked!
"Why go through all this trouble?! People are already slowly leaving the Tutorial. Most of this will go to waste!" Lead protested.
"Hahahahaha, The Tutorial you say?! Nice joke! Do you think I give a flying fuck about the Tutorial itself?!" Jack held his stomach as he laughed.
Under Lead's eyes, Jack went into great villain monologue style. Just seeing the man's aura almost made him lose his bearings.
The Demon King emitted demonic energy as fire swirled around him and bone shards grew around his feet, rippling. How many different abilities did he freaking have?!
Just his gaze was enough to make him tremble. The Demon King was the very definition of power, a true domineering one as he spoke.
"From the beginning, every single thing I've done has been for the future. All of it!"
"Do you really think I've been training all this time for the freaking Tutorial?!
"Do you think creating the Demonic Legion was me playing around?
"Do you think I made an ally out of I.R.L. on a whim?!"
"Do you think I've crushed the Tutorial just for fun?!"
"You think this very Arena will be useless too?!"
He paused for a second, the silence oppressing. Then he gave the most confident smile that Lead had ever seen. He wasn't looking at him anymore but at the future.
"The Demonic Legion will rise to the top and become the number one dark faction, inevitably making countless enemies."
"We'll be so powerful that others will have no choice but to unite under a single banner to stand a chance against us."
"That's where I.R.L. comes in. From the beginning, they'll be our nemesis. Whatever we do, they will fight us, growing stronger in the process and gaining everyone's trust."
That's when Jack finally returned his gaze to the now livid Lead.
"Are you in or out?" Jack simply asked.
"Y-you want I.R.L. to become the number one Light Faction?! Are you freaking crazy?! How are we supposed to pull that off?!" Lead cried out.
"Didn't you say you'd fight us till the end? It seems your resolve was pretty weak after all. Chief, you can escort him back to the training grounds. We're done." Jack nonchalantly dismissed him.
The Chief approached Lead, gently pushing his back toward the exit.
"Alright, let's go. You can just forget everything that happened here. I'll find someone else to help me." The Chief sighed, the tiredness in his voice back.
"Chief, why are you obeying him?" The Brave murmured, perplexed.
"Because he's worthy."
"What about your previous conflict?" This was suspicious.
"I was blind and foolish. I was so eager to fight that I set things in motion that almost destroyed New Leaf. Quite a failure for a Village Chief." He gave a self-deprecating smile.
"But you don't have to worry too much about me. Just like him, your future lies elsewhere, far away from this place. You're a Brave after all!" His smile was so genuine!
The Chief gently gestured him to move as Lead gave one last glance at the Demon King. That's when he saw the one everyone called the unholy beast.
Moon Moon was happily wagging its tail as it played with the Undead Chicken, sometimes going back to its master to be petted. It would then give such a blissful expression.
"Aren't you supposed to be evil?!" The words escaped him.
"What?"
"Why are you so lovingly petting the wolf?!"
"Because we're family."
"Woo!" (Headpats are amazing!)
"What about the necromancy, the human butchering, and all the slaughtering?!" Lead cried out.
"What about it?"
"Those are clearly evil in nature!"
"Power is power. All that matters is how it's used and to differentiate between allies/enemies." Jack shrugged. Too many didn't understand such a simple concept.
As he saw how casual he was, Lead's thoughts were in disarray. Was this all a ruse? Were the two factions truly allies?! Was he the cause of the Chief's tiredness, or was it something else?!
Looking at the cute wolf, he suddenly had second thoughts. What if the Demon King wasn't totally demonic in nature? Would someone evil take such good care of his pet?
"You, did you mean all you said?!" Lead asked, looking for any sign of falsehood.
"Obviously." He answered instantly.
That's when Lead finally reached a decision, one he hoped he wouldn't regret.
"Fine! I'll do my part to bring I.R.L. to incredible height!" He powerfully declared.
Jack gave an approving nod. With this guy, I.R.L. would be in good hands. He was kind of silly, loved fighting above all else, but was loyal and would be a fantastic figurehead.
This was a weight removed from his shoulders.
Jack mentally reviewed his progress:
– Exceeded Tutorial max level (10)
– Dungeons —> 100% Cleared
– Devil —> Stolen its power
– Raised plenty of life skills (5)
– Rank E Fire Manipulation (OP)
– Necrocluckmancy —> Mastered
– I.R.L. would develop —> Chief + Lead
– D.L. would be fine —> CPR dude + Head Cultist + Bubblegum
Bubblegum was retired, but she'd help for sure given her personality. Well, the next time she logged in anyway since she seemed busy IRL.
The Head Cultist was literally the most loyal subordinate ever. He was radical AF, but CPR dude would keep him in check.
CPR dude was supposed to be part of the Mighty Wolves, but he had accepted to follow him as long as his old guildmates were allowed to join D.L. too.
There was still the "Infinite Demonic Energy in the Apocalypse" tome, but trying to open it would give him a warning message. He was too low-level to learn it.
Other than that, there really wasn't anything else.
He suddenly realized that he was done. No matter how much he racked his brain, there was nothing else for him to do in the Tutorial.
Learning Necrocluckmancy and recruiting this Lead guy had really been the last things on his checklist…
"You better be prepared! We'll meet in the upcoming faction challenges, and I'll destroy your subordinates!!" Lead's eager voice brought him out of his reverie.
"About that, I'm afraid not. I'll be leaving this place tonight."
"This place?"
"The Tutorial."
"WHAT?!!!!!!!" Lead wasn't the only one that shouted in shock.
It was sudden, but there was no use lingering. He had no intention to watch a wannabe tournament arc…
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[A/N] Hype! Feb Mass Release Time! 🔥
Day 12: When it's time to go, it's time to go! ⌛
Thoughts on this chapter? There are a few little things to wrap up, but this is the end of the Demon King's Tutorial Progression. Ask here if you have any questions 😉
Survey: Add one new religion to Infinite: God name and beliefs hehe!