[https://i.ibb.co/nzPcqzj/coollogo-com-31404463.png]
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His vision cleared as glittering crimson lights dimmed.
He flinched his fingers as he looked at the paint of the wall. The former reddish-black wall now expressed a shade of yellow and white.
He swiftly dragged his fingers through the ground until they came upon the metallic touch of the barrel.
Looking around, he noticed the blood markings. Besides him, stretched a double bed, along with few lamps. Opposite him was a wooden door, embed in black cyclic markings.
Straight in front, in the middle of the room, rested a black book. From the angle of his eyes, he could see the crying demon skull printed on its cover.
His black eyes gazed up as he heard a buzzing sound. Right above the door, a blue gem coalesced with the wall recited a speech.
“Fellow Candidates,” The voice was hoarse, yet it almost sounded robotic. “Rejoice. An opportunity lies before you. You’re now part of an exclusive game. One created by the Demon Lord, himself”
His eyes narrowed as he listened to the voice.
“The Demon Lord is benevolent. He spurned the idea of each and every one of you ending up like sheep raised for slaughter. There's no fun in that. No excitement. Not a bit. There must be a struggle. So, he wrote a manual. It covers everything about the game, including the ways to beat it. It would serve in your best interest to read it carefully. We have placed a book copy in each of your rooms. Remember to read it with caution. Now, I bid you good fortune.”
“One Last thing, the timer ticks. Your very first task, arrive within the Announcement Hall due on time. If failed, well the consequences, read the book to find out.”
The blue gem above the door altered its glow in violet.
He lowered his gaze and placed the revolver inside his black leather long coat.
The Full Hunter Pocket Watch in his palm ticked. He looked upon the clock’s arms. The hour-hand point directly above, while the minute hand shifted a tick away from the hour hand.
He closed the half hunter cover and placed the watch in the pocket of his black pants.
A screen emerged in front of his eyes.
《Candidate#666》 「X」
《Name: Apollyon》
《Task: Reach announcement hall due on time》
《Remaining Time: 1 hour 59 minutes 55 seconds 》
He lifted his left arm and pressed the “X”
After a few steps, he picked up the book. He moved back and sat down, leaning against the wall beside the bed. One leg stretched forward, another bent.
The book emitted a malicious felt of air around.
Considering its width, it looked to be at least over 1000 pages.
As he opened the book, his gaze fell upon the title imprinted on the first page in bright, bold letters.
【SCATTERED CROWN】
Thus he skimmed through the pages.
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“Fuck, someone dares play a prank on me.”
A blonde guy scowled. He kicked the book on the ground.
“Demon King, candidate, my ass,” he headed for the door, “Fuck, what’s the time? I'd better not missed my SATs.”
He barged open the wooden door. In front, he saw another room.
The door was numbered.
﹝203﹞
He turned his head around and saw several similar doors, all numbered.
“What’s his? A hotel?”
As he turned his legs, he heard the door in the front creak. He noticed a white hand under the violent sleeves. Following the hand, he saw a deep pair of lilac eyes.
“Where’s.. this place?” The women asked. She grabbed her shoulder to stop shuddering.
The blonde guy blushed, taken back by her face. Before he could say anything, the rest of the doors opened.
People came forth. Those who came out looked perplexed and mumbled.
“How did I get here?”
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“Is this a reality TV show?”
“Did I get kidnapped?”
“Where’s the fucking exit?”
Everyone contemplated their theories. Meanwhile, some conversed with each other to sort out the situation.
“So, everyone woke up with no idea of how they got here.” The blonde guy scratched his head as he heard the whispers around. He stood straight.
“By the way, My name’s Isaac.” He offered his hand for a handshake.
The women’s lilac eyes looked dead set on the doors yet to open.
“Oh, I am Lyla,” she answered, while not even looking towards him.
Isaac sobbed internally.
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《Warning!》 「X」
《Remaining Time: 30 seconds》
Apollyon disregarded the Warnings and kept reading through the pages.
《Remaining Time: 20 seconds》
.
《Remaining Time: 0 seconds》
《Candidate#666〔Failed〕》
Even now, Apollyon remained indifferent. He slid his hand inside his coat and took out the revolver.
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Red dots emerged on the screen of the transparent screen. A demon glared at those red dots.
“Sheesh, Humans, no ability to improvise, no ability to adapt.”
The demon had three eyes. Its head grew two black horns. Bones grew over its skin, yet it had a uniquely humanoid frame.
The demon waggled its black tail through the air.
The sharp black tail, coated in a layer of thick red blood, drenched the floor, touched by the tail. It looked fresh as if the tail plunged in blood recently.
Its black hair jumbled over its red eyes.
“All they had to do was to reach the down floor, yet they failed,” Its face scowled. “To think I would use these fierce claws and tail to dispose of such worthless beings. How distasteful.”
Its arms were lean. Black scales surrounded its arms, and sharp red claws served as its fingers.
In its hand, the demon carried a device that showed the blueprint of the rooms. Some rooms had a red dot inside them.
The demon halted its steps and turned.
The red dot came from the room in the front. The room numbered ‘666.’
Its tail swung across the air and broke the door in half.
The demon's three eyes all bulged as it saw a man.
The man had white hair. More noticeably, the man rested leaning on the wall, one of his hands holding a revolver. The muzzle pointed at that man’s submaxillary triangle.
Three eyes of the demon peered, gazing around the finger which brushed the trigger.
The man’s expression remained indifferent as the trigger got pulled.
A gunshot echoed throughout the room.
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A screen emerged in front of his eyes.
《Candidate#666》 「X」
《Name: Apollyon》
《Task: Announcement hall due on time》
《Remaining Time: 1 hour 59 minutes 55 seconds 》
He lifted his left arm and pressed the “X”
After a few steps, he picked up the book, moved back, and sat down, leaning against the wall beside the bed. One leg stretched forward, another bent.
Thus he skimmed through the pages.
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“How distasteful.”
The demon halted its steps and turned.
Its three eyes all bulged as he saw a man.
“This scene…” the demon felt a deep and unusual sense of Déjà vu. Dizziness fogged his vision.
Later, a gunshot echoed throughout the room.
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Apollyon closed the book as he read through the last page.
The last words written in the book were,
【FALLEN SWORD】
《The 21 Book Root Notes Detected In Your Memory》
《You have Completed The Manual》
《Rank#95〔People Who Completed The Manual〕Determined》
Apollyon looked at the screen. Twenty minutes remained.
“95,” he mumbled, and a board smile grew.
His arms slid inside the inner coat pocket and took out a small black box. It was thin enough to hide in an internal pocket.
The black box embedded a golden line across its surface. Apollyon opened the top.
The small compartments comprised four parts. One had a small syringe filled with a translucent liquid. Three small capsules rested in the latter two cases.
He placed the box on top of the bed beside him.
Again, he slid his arm inside his long coat and took out a mask. A plain white mask. The only pattern present on the mask was a red wavey line around the left eye.
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“How distasteful.”
The demon halted his steps and turned.
Its tail stopped midway from swinging. “Wait… this.”
Its palm held its face, the demon's eyes narrowed, “This…” “This..” An indescribable feeling lingered in its heart.
As the demon pondered, it gazed towards the imprinted number, ‘666.’
The tail flinched as its ear heard a banging sound—a hole formed through the door. A bullet ensnared. Like time slowed down, the demon could see the shot flying near him.
Vivid images flashed through his mind. The demon remembered seeing a man kill himself. Not once, but twice, in the same room.
A piercing pain passed down, engulfing its body. The demon returned to its senses.
Its eyes felt teary and vision was a bit blurred. Its head entailed excruciating pain as the bullet perforated its third eye and entered its mind. Blue blood dripped through the hole, wetting its eyes and skin.
The bullet lacked the power to break out of the skull. Thus it remained inside the demon’s head.
The demon clenched its teeth. Its tail slammed the door down.
It saw the gun’s muzzle pointed along in its direction, held by a man on the other side of the room. The man wore a white mask. His deep black eyes and shiny white hair blended perfectly with the mask.
The demon’s eyes narrowed, and its face scowled. “You..” “What are you?” The demon asked.
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