Chapter 16: Do Not Piss Off Devils
Liman Simo – POV
My name is Liman Simo.
I am the heir of the Simo family, rulers of the Dust Mountains.
Beneath our territory lies one of the largest mythril mines in the empire. Because of that single resource, our family holds
power strong enough that even noble houses think twice before provoking us.
Gold can be stolen.
Land can be taken.
But mythril?
Mythril decides wars.
Thanks to it, the Simo family has stood tall for generations.
And in my generation, there was me—and my twin brother, Lucan Simo.
We were prodigies.
No, we weren't monsters like the so-called Blessed Hero or the heirs of ancient royal bloodlines.
But we were strong.
Strong enough to stand in our own league.
Strong enough to crush ordinary nobles.
Strong enough to enjoy this entrance exam.
We entered the Valerian Academy exam together—me, Lucan, and our followers.
We hunted monsters.
We bullied weaker participants.
We laughed while watching them cry and beg.
It felt good.
Power always does.
Then—
We saw him.
A boy.
Wearing a casual beach outfit.
Standing on the southern shore.
Fishing.
At first, I thought it was a joke.
Then I noticed his tears.
Lucan scoffed and stepped forward.
"OI, CRYBABY!" he shouted.
"Didn't expect to see someone sobbing during the entrance exam!"
The moment those words left his mouth—
The air changed.
The sea behind the boy began to boil.
Steam rose violently, waves trembling as if something massive stirred beneath them.
My breath caught.
Mana pressure descended on us like a mountain.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Suffocating.
"…A–Adept level?" I whispered.
No.
This wasn't just raw mana.
This was controlled, condensed pressure.
My mind screamed a single question:
Who the hell is this bastard?
Only super-family prodigies possessed Adept-level power at this age.
Was he from a hidden clan?
An unknown ancient lineage?
Before I could think further, my instincts screamed danger.
Even if he was Adept—
We had numbers.
"ATTACK!" I shouted.
That was my mistake.
The boy vanished.
No.
He didn't vanish.
He moved.
In the next instant, he was standing in front of Lucan.
Golden light exploded into existence.
A giant gauntlet, forged entirely of glowing golden energy, wrapped around his fist.
My eyes widened.
"LU—!"
Too late.
The punch landed.
Lucan's head burst.
Not cracked.
Not crushed.
It exploded like a watermelon smashed against stone.
Blood, bone, and brain matter sprayed into the air.
My body froze.
Time stopped.
Something warm trickled down my leg.
I had peed myself.
Silence fell over the beach.
Then—
Hell began.
The boy moved again.
One henchman was torn cleanly in half, his scream cut short as his body split from shoulder to waist.
Another tried to flee—
The boy grabbed him and crushed his manhood into dust.
The scream that followed wasn't human.
He burned one alive, flames eating flesh like paper.
Another had his spine shattered with a casual backhand.
There was no technique.
No mercy.
No hesitation.
Just overwhelming violence.
Within seconds—
Everyone was dead.
Except me.
He turned toward me.
And for the first time in my life—
I felt true fear.
Not fear of pain.
Not fear of punishment.
Fear of death.
Primal. Absolute. Crushing.
"I–I–I'm sorry!" I screamed, falling to my knees.
"I'm sorry! PLEASE!"
He stared at me.
Then he spoke.
"Okay."
Hope flared—
Then he grabbed my head.
Agony erupted.
His hand burned my skull like it was paper.
I screamed.
"AAAAAAAAAA—STOP! STOP! I'M SORRY! PLEASE—!"
The pain only grew worse.
Then—
Mana flooded into my body.
Violent.
Uncontrolled.
My mana veins burst one by one.
The pain was so intense I couldn't even scream properly anymore.
My vision went white.
The last thing I felt was a final punch.
Then—
The world shattered.
---
Inside the Observation Chamber
"W–What… what was that?" Julian Narrow stammered.
"Who… who is that boy?"
"That was cruel," another teacher muttered.
"No participant has ever gone that far…"
Madam Scarlet spoke calmly.
Coldly.
"Do not piss off devils."
Silence followed.
Someone swallowed.
"…You know him?" a teacher asked carefully.
"Yes," she replied.
"He is my friendly, cute neighbor."
Julian's face twisted.
And somewhere far away—
Nero Crimsonflare continued the exam.