A grim and terrifying classroom. Walls lined with instruments of torture. At the front, behind a black stone lectern, stood a grotesque-looking demon.
His name was Enos, a Diamond-tier Level VII Fear Demon. Two massive bull-like horns curved from his head, making him look like a beast that had learned to walk upright.
His towering body was wrapped in a crimson robe. Beneath the shadow of his hood, a pair of blood-red eyes glowed with a chilling menace.
Behind him, the blackboard was even more unsettling. Scrawled across it in rough chalk were the words:
[Methods for Efficiently Torturing Humans and Harvesting Fear Energy from Their Screams]
"Fear and seduction are different, but at their core, they are the same. The source of our power is belief. Our followers may not praise us, but they live in constant dread of us, and that, in itself, is a form of prayer."
"A dead follower is useless. Only the living can provide us with a continuous stream of power."
"Make a note of this. We must instill fear in our prey while avoiding excessive torture that leads to death or mental collapse."
"Once a target loses their response to external stimuli, everything we do becomes meaningless. The highest form of torture is often invisible. At the same time, be careful not to go too light. If your prey starts enjoying it, that is equally unacceptable."
"Focus. Do not assume this knowledge is useless just because you are not a Fear Demon. Even a Succubus can learn from this. Never let your prey truly have you. Only when they cannot obtain you will they begin to worship you. I hope what you learned from Lady Lilith was more than just posing and flirting."
This was the highest institution in Hell, the Demon King Academy.
As the name implied, it was a place that trained Demon Kings.
Of course, as humans on the surface world grew stronger, the position of Demon King was no longer as prestigious as it had been five hundred years ago. It had practically become a disposable role.
Most students aimed to stay in the capital after graduation, preferably landing a government position in the Internal Affairs Department. But that was beside the point.
In any case, everyone below the podium listened intently, hoping to secure a safe future.
Everyone except Royan, who sat there with a chill running down his spine.
The reason was simple.
Everyone else in the room was either a demon or an undead.
He was the only human.
And he was sitting right in the center of the classroom.
Every time the lecture touched on humans, no matter how calm he tried to be, he could not help but tense up.
Especially when Professor Enos would suddenly flash him a wide, unsettling grin mid-lecture.
And Enos was not the only problem.
The Fear Demon sitting beside him, Rumi, kept sneaking glances at him, looking eager to try something. Royan could only hope the guy kept it to imagination.
On his other side, the Dream Demon McKinley was blowing warm air toward a Fire Demon in front while muttering under his breath.
"I heard humans get sleepy more easily at forty degrees…"
Royan had no idea where he heard that, nor what he planned to do if Royan actually fell asleep.
Not that Royan believed he could ever sleep in Enos's class. Even if he were roasted alive.
Compared to the two troublemakers beside him, the worst offender was the one sitting behind him.
Mia.
A succubus with pink hair, heart-shaped pupils, and a tail tipped like a spade. Curved horns like a sheep's extended from her head.
She had altered her uniform skirt to an absurdly short length, making it difficult to know where to look.
Since the start of class, she had been picking on him. Kicking the back of his chair with her foot or yawning exaggeratedly and blowing air onto his neck.
She was the most dangerous one.
Other demons needed spells.
She relied purely on instinct.
No spell meant no trace. If you got caught, there was no way to prove it.
Royan stayed on high alert, terrified of exposing any weakness and becoming a live demonstration of the lesson.
Out of the entire class, the only relatively normal one was a guy named Iger.
Ironically, he was also a succubus. A male one.
At the very bottom of the high-tier demon hierarchy.
Since Royan was effectively a protected species, personally designated by the Demon God, harming him carried severe consequences. So Iger usually ended up as the class's target instead.
Honestly, the guy was pitiful. Sometimes even Royan, who considered himself completely straight, felt bad for him.
Then again, Royan was not entirely sure if that helpless expression was genuine.
Better stay cautious.
The kicking from behind grew more frequent.
Royan finally snapped. He turned and glared at Mia.
She did not back down. Instead, she licked her lips provocatively.
Her wine-red eyes looked like sweet, melting candy. The moment their gazes met, Royan's mind wavered.
It was not magic.
It was her nature as a succubus.
Only high-tier demons or those with strong mental resistance could ignore it.
Royan was neither.
This is bad.
The thought had barely formed when it was already too late.
From the podium, Enos caught the movement instantly and roared like a raging bull.
"Royan! You dare fool around in my class? You have some nerve!"
The entire classroom shook. Students in the front clutched their ears in pain.
This was just his normal speaking volume.
"Sorry, sir," Royan shot to his feet, apologizing immediately, only to be cut off by another thunderous shout.
"Sorry? There is no such word in Hell! Lift your head and look at me! You dare look into a succubus's eyes but not mine? Do not submit to fear. Conquer it. Yes, like that. Good. Now you may go clean your pants. Hahaha!"
Enos burst into loud laughter. The class followed.
Everyone laughed.
Except Iger, who looked at Royan with worried, deer-like eyes.
Mia clicked her tongue, leaning back with her hands behind her head, clearly displeased. Whether she was annoyed that Enos interrupted her or disappointed she was not the one who made Royan lose control, who knew.
Of course, Royan's pants were perfectly dry.
He sat back down without reacting to the laughter.
This was Hell.
Things like this were normal. Not his first time being made an example.
Just yesterday, Lady Lilith, who taught illusion and control magic, had used him as a demonstration.
Mia had clearly been imitating her, poorly.
As for Enos, he was actually considered one of the more reasonable professors here. At least he taught useful things.
Thanks to him, Royan had not been scared into wetting himself by a Fear Demon in a very long time.
As for Lilith, she just enjoyed messing with him.
To this day, Royan still could not resist succubus control abilities.
That had to be her fault.
As for how a normal human ended up studying in Hell, that was a long story.
First of all, he was not originally from this world.
He came from Earth.
A traffic accident brought him here. He did not remember the details. When he woke up, he was already in the deepest part of the underground world, inside the Demon God's temple, surrounded by mysterious runes and a pentagram.
According to the shadow priest in the temple, his mother had been a human acolyte, and his father a vampire who chose to remain unnamed.
In theory, he should have inherited half-vampire blood.
In reality, that was not how it worked.
In this world, vampires did not pass on their power through reproduction. It required a ritual called Embrace.
A complicated process involving resources, manpower, and strict lineage requirements.
Only children born to two vampires would receive it at birth.
As an illegitimate child, Royan had no such privilege.
The blood in his veins was purely human.
The only thing he inherited from his father was a handsome face and some supposedly noble blood that did absolutely nothing.
Not that he expected more.
His mother, Tiffany, passed away shortly after giving birth.
His father never appeared in the eighteen years since.
It did not matter.
At first, Royan thought his life was over.
But after living here for a while, he realized things were not entirely hopeless.
For one, humans in the underground world were officially designated as protected species by the Demon God.
As long as they served the Demon God, demons and undead were forbidden from harassing, discriminating against, or harming them.
Violators faced severe punishment.
Whether this policy existed to impress hidden human believers on the surface or to maintain biodiversity, the result was the same.
Registered humans lived relatively well.
As long as they were not captured prey or prisoners of war.
Of course, complete equality was unrealistic in a strength-based society like Hell.
But at least on the surface, humans were safe.
The closer one lived to the political center, the safer it was.
There were even benefits.
Humans received bonus points when applying to higher education.
Though in reality, most still could not pass due to their poor magical aptitude.
Career prospects were decent too.
While most demon workshops avoided hiring fragile humans, the temples under the Ministry of Truth always welcomed them.
It was essentially a government job.
Stable income, respectable status, no real danger.
After death, their souls skipped becoming undead and went straight into reincarnation, often reborn as demons.
Royan's mother had been one such acolyte.
Still, he did not want to stay in Hell forever.
Even with his prestigious residency status.
Hell was simply not suitable for humans.
The "oceans" here were molten lava.
A random heat wave could raise the temperature of an entire city by over a hundred degrees.
Demons, undead, even dwarves could handle it.
Humans could not.
Royan survived purely thanks to the magical barrier protecting the capital.
After being mocked again, Royan sat there uneasily.
The latter half of the lecture, "One Hundred Ways to Make Humans Scream," felt dangerously relevant.
Finally, the bell rang.
The small demons in the classroom shot into the air like racers at the starting line, screaming "Mine, mine," as they rushed toward the cafeteria in the neighboring tower.
Just as they reached the window, they slammed into an invisible wall.
A white-tier instant spell.
Wall of Air.
Royan looked at Enos with envy.
In this world, both above and below ground, power levels followed an ancient system.
Black Iron, Bronze, Steel, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Amethyst, Master, Demigod.
Above that was a near-divine level.
Supposedly only the Demon God had reached it.
Each rank had five sub-levels, but they were rarely emphasized.
Within the same tier, skill and experience mattered more.
A demon capable of instantly casting a fourth-tier wind spell…
Enos was likely a five-star Diamond.
Royan himself was Bronze Level II.
His theoretical knowledge was excellent. Top of his class.
But as a human, he lacked magical talent.
As the little demons groaned and climbed back from under the window, Enos stomped his foot.
"Silence! I did not dismiss you! Back to your seats!"
The room shook like an earthquake.
Everyone scrambled back instantly.
Enos scanned the class and cleared his throat.
"This is your final lesson. Remember what I taught you. Especially some of you. If you want to survive, pay attention."
Royan felt those bull-like eyes linger on him.
Cold sweat formed on his back.
The pressure of a Diamond-tier demon was not something a Bronze-level necromancer could withstand.
Especially a half-baked one like him.
Murmurs spread through the classroom.
"Final lesson?"
"What does that mean?"
"Summer break early?"
"Not summer break, idiots. Graduation."
Enos shook his head in disappointment.
"The surface adventurers are too strong. We are running out of Demon Kings on the front lines. Graduation has been moved up for the entire academy."
The classroom erupted.
"I will tear them apart!"
"I want their ears!"
"I will eat their brains!"
The small demons howled.
Mia raised her hand and stood.
"But Professor, we are only third years. We graduate next year. Are you mistaken?"
Enos sneered.
"Mistaken? You are the ones who do not understand. Third and fourth years will graduate together this year. Consider yourselves lucky. The positions to stay behind are reserved for you."
"Tomorrow morning, no books. Be at the ceremony hall at eight. At nine, officials from Internal Affairs will guide your assignments."
"You have barely any combat experience. Pray you are not sent to the front. It is no place for amateurs. Especially now."
Silence fell.
Even Rumi froze, still holding a pair of pliers.
McKinley puffed his cheeks.
"How is this possible…" Mia's confident expression cracked, her legs trembling.
Royan had never seen her like this.
He had only ever seen that look on Iger.
Maybe her family knew something.
Was it really that bad?
Truthfully, while most students feared becoming Demon Kings, Royan had enrolled specifically for that role.
The reason was simple.
Demon Kings were stationed near the surface.
It was his only chance to return.
Even if it was dangerous.
Could it really be worse than Hell?
Here, a Fire Demon sneezing could kill him.
And the succubi were constantly watching.
Royan had already made up his mind.
First choice: Demon King.
As for how to survive that role…
He would figure it out.
Avoid conflict. Stay low. Never escalate.
Use tricks, not brute force.
He was not good at magic.
But he was excellent at doing nothing.
Enos, having seen real battle, knew the truth.
He disliked these spoiled students, but he did not want to see them die.
He knew how demons tortured humans.
He also knew what humans did to captured demons.
Looking at their blank faces, he shouted one last time.
"You have one night to write to your families."
"Cowards."
"Class dismissed."