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Maybe I should have held back a bit.

After blowing away the rising dust, only three people were left standing properly.

The Taoist Girl, the Elf Girl, and a man.

No, it seemed just right.

The others weren’t directly hit by my rock bombardment either.

They were just momentarily dazed from the shock and would soon get up.

In the meantime, if I kidnap the goblin and leave, it’s over.

“Where did you hide the goblin?”

“…It’s not over yet. You can’t leave until you defeat me!”

The Taoist Girl was persistent.

She seemed to be gritting her teeth, steeling her resolve.

‘Squeaky girls aren’t attractive.’

The Elf Girl also adjusted her grip on her bow.

The man also took a fighting stance and glared at me.

This is totally…

It feels like I’m the Demon King trying to wipe out a hero party.

I’ve fought to protect Korea by taking down the Satan Church.

I’ve fought wars in the Demon Realm to protect the world and defeated lords.

I’ve even been an instructor teaching future dreamers.

I’m the transcendent-level hero who’s been active in the shadows.

‘But now I look evil, right?’

I have an older sister whose nickname is the Demon King.

And my nickname is the Little Demon King.

Thinking of myself as the Demon King made it even more fun.

“If you hand over the goblin, I’ll let you live.”

“…Huh?”

They seemed a bit flustered by the sudden change in my tone.

But the Demon King has to have a low, majestic, and serious voice, so what can I do?

“If you don’t hand over the goblin… this will be your grave.”

“…Suddenly?”

All three of them were terrible at improv.

Not a single one of them could keep up with the situational drama.

The future of the hero industry in our country is looking bleak.

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue and moved toward the man.

Thud—

I extended my hand toward his abdomen and fired a telekinetic blast.

He flew about 10 meters, but there was no sound.

Impressive endurance and toughness.

He didn’t let out a single scream, probably to avoid revealing his condition to the enemy.

‘Not bad, huh?’

I was about to give him extra points…

But the man, who had hit a tree and fallen to the ground, didn’t move.

…?

When I got closer…

It seemed he had lost consciousness.

He didn’t suppress his scream—he just couldn’t make one.

I didn’t expect him to pass out immediately.

My body is in a sealed state, so my palm shouldn’t hurt.

Maybe he couldn’t handle the acceleration from the telekinetic blast.

Guess he’s not cut out to be a fighter pilot.

Leaving the fallen man behind, I approached the Taoist Girl.

By then, some of the other Awakened Ones, who had been wobbling, were starting to get up.

“Taoist Girl. If you don’t want to end up like that guy, tell me where the goblin is.”

“Like I said before. I won’t tell you until you defeat me… Ugh!”

She has a knack for twisting her words.

In the end, she’s saying she wants to fall, right?

So I granted her wish.

I created a telekinetic field above the Taoist Girl’s head.

And started pressing down with weight.

100kg.

A weight that even an ordinary person could handle with a bit of training.

The Taoist Girl let out a groan at the sudden mass, but she seemed to adapt quickly. She stood firm on her trembling legs.

150kg.

A weight that an ordinary person could handle with a bit more training.

“Huff!”

She took a deep breath and tightened her core.

Seeing her maintain abdominal pressure just from a bit of weight…

“You’ve got some weight on you, huh?”

200kg.

A weight that an ordinary person could handle with regular training.

The Taoist Girl dropped to one knee.

Her face turned red as if it might burst.

The veins on her neck and face looked almost sexy.

“Kk…kkeuman….”

Kkeuman?

A little?

Just a bit?

She’s asking for a bit more weight.

Alright. 250kg.

Let’s see how far she can go.

Show me your limits.

***

“Kkeuuuuk….”

She’s about to pass out.

Her head feels like it’s going to explode.

Her whole body is trembling like a leaf, and she can’t even breathe properly.

“Kkeuuuuuuman….”

“You can still hold on? Amazing. Want to work out with me after the program ends?”

Jeong Gyeoul was talking nonsense.

Ignoring her plea to stop, she was actually increasing the weight.

If I hadn’t activated my protective barrier when I was first pressed down, I might have been crushed to death.

A hero? A judge?

Are you trying to kill a mere participant, an Awakened One?

Meanwhile, she was kindly announcing the weight.

By now, 350kg.

It was a weight my fragile body couldn’t handle.

The excessive pressure caused my protective barrier to shatter.

The barrier that had withstood a B-Class villain’s ultimate move was shattered so easily.

Jeong Gyeoul was a monster.

The rumors swirling around her seemed true.

No, they were understated.

Little Demon King? Tiny Demon King?

Don’t talk nonsense.

She’s just the Demon King.

370kg.

The weight increments changed from 50kg to 20kg.

Regardless, I was at my limit.

If I fall to the ground with this weight…

My body might explode and kill me.

No, I’ll definitely die.

Did I join this for nothing?

I finished my training in the mountains and came down feeling good to apply.

I didn’t expect this to be my end.

Life is so… futile…

Thud—

***

Huh.

I was about to move from the warm-up set to the main set…

But the Taoist Girl was flattened on the ground.

I released the telekinetic force the moment her resistance gave out, reducing the pressure on her body.

But the sudden rush of blood likely caused a blackout.

Sure enough, she lost consciousness.

I scratched my head.

Was I too excited to find a workout partner?

I must have gone a bit overboard with the weight.

Glancing at the Elf Girl, she had collapsed too.

Not only did her legs give out, but she also lost control of something she shouldn’t have.

Her pants were a bit darker.

I pretended not to notice and turned my head to the other Awakened Ones.

“…?”

There were definitely people who had gotten up earlier, but now they were all lying face down.

Did I mess up my magic control and affect the surroundings?

But that can’t be.

I can crush the entire space with magic and still spare a passing ant.

My control was perfect.

So then…

‘Are they playing dead?’

Are these guys treating me like a bear?

“Playing dead when you meet a bear isn’t a good idea. Grizzlies love dead meat. If you play dead and lie down, they’ll pick you up like a beggar picking up money on the ground. Of course, your head, limbs, and torso will be picked up separately.”

“….”

Almost everyone lying on the ground trembled.

Their reactions were kind of funny.

“Climb a tree? If playing dead doesn’t work, you should use the terrain to escape, right? But… Grizzlies are tree-climbing champions. They’ll approach you like they’re picking fresh fruit from a tree. Of course, they’ll be picking your head from your torso.”

“….”

I could see them tensing up, probably planning to run.

“Right. If there’s no other way, you should just run for it. Playing dead doesn’t work, trees don’t work, what else can you do? Run with all your might. But… Grizzlies are disgustingly fast. If you run hard, you’ll see a bear chasing you like it’s trying to pass a baton. Of course, the baton is your head.”

“….”

The Awakened Ones listening started to relax their tense muscles.

“T-then what should we do?”

“Oh… You could try shouting to intimidate it. Animals generally avoid creatures bigger and stronger than themselves. But, you see, Grizzlies have louder voices than you. If you shout, they’ll open their mouths to shout back. And… your head will go right into that mouth.”

“….”

Hehe.

I feel like the S-side hidden within me is awakening.

Teasing is the most fun.

“So there’s no way out? That’s not true. Predators prefer hunting animals that turn their backs. It’s instinct. The moment you show your back, your head will fly off. Even if it doesn’t, your neck will break. So never show your back, and don’t make eye contact either. If you stare at them, they’ll charge at you like, ‘Why are your eyes so wide?’ Just back away slowly. The bear will follow at a certain distance.”

“…Will that save us?”

“Don’t interrupt, listen.”

The Awakened Ones, who were playing dead, had now become students in a lecture on surviving a bear attack.

I was just trying to wake them up.

But it got so fun I couldn’t stop.

“But… bears are very persistent. They’ll obsess over one prey for days. They say if they’re hungry, it’s worse, but bears are hungry every day, every hour, every minute. Kind of like me.”

“….”

“If you’re lucky, you’ll meet a full bear. Then you might survive. Of course… don’t get too complacent if you’re lucky. A bear’s sense of smell is seven times that of a dog. They’ll track your scent and keep following you. Just because they were full five minutes ago doesn’t mean they’ll be full five minutes later. You’ll have to back away for days. You can’t sleep, you can’t eat, you’ll have to relieve yourself while walking.”

The grim conclusion of this story was approaching.

“But the problem is, the smell of urine and feces spreads even further. The bear will follow that too.”

“S-so there’s no way out?”

“That’s right. There’s no way out. If you meet a Grizzly, you’re dead. Bears tear people apart.”

“….”

I pulled up the corner of my mouth and continued.

“But you guys were playing dead in front of me, treating me like a bear, right? So I’ll play the bear role for once.”

“…!”

“Groooar!”

I couldn’t roar as threateningly as a Grizzly.

I’d have to channel magic for that, and then all these Awakened Ones would die.

I roared with my voice, but…

To me, it just sounded cute.

Like a puppy barking at a person?

The Awakened Ones didn’t seem to feel the same.

They were trembling.

Why are you all like this?

You ignored me earlier.

This is absolutely not petty revenge.

I don’t hold grudges.

Really.

 

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