I was in a completely dark room, with red lights and polaroids in the red water, just like in the movies. It was a room I knew all too well because this was where I would return after every mission, and it was also from here that I would leave for each mission, and this went on for nine and a half years, from when I was seven to when I was fifteen (end of seven years and fifteen years included in the calculation, so it really is nine and a half years). And it had been two and a half years since I last came here.

Wan: (sitting on a slightly dilapidated wooden chair, eyes uncovered) °Maybe I should have at least said goodbye when I left?... No, that would have been a waste of time.°

Right then, I was thinking mostly about Shin-hee, Ama-ne, and incidentally Mia, as well as my token-factory... I mean Evie.

Uli was in my lair of knowledge. Since we're under an equal contract, she's allowed to stay there even when I'm not, and she must be reading all the books she can. Thanks to me, and since we're under an equal contract, she can now read "human," which she couldn't do before. Besides that, I was only able to add 5 or 6 books containing knowledge from the parallel worlds, so although she'll gain some knowledge, I need to buy more.

????: (a man enters, wearing sunglasses, a white scientist's coat, and holding a lollipop) hohohohoho, but look who we have here! (An amused smile appears on his face.)

That's Morris. He isn't an original character from IT0, no, because I've known him since I was eight. He was hired to act as a liaison between those above and the assassins, but he's also used for scientific tasks. Let's just say he's multi-functional, and oh, I guess I don't need to mention it, but since he's wearing glasses, my eyes won't make his strongest emotion even more intense.

Morris: You can count yourself lucky; the Seven Stars all went on a mission two days ago. They went to Brazil, so we won't be seeing them anytime soon, hehe.

Brazil in IT0 is a territory possessed by demons and therefore off-limits to anyone who isn't a demon.

Morris: So, what brings the world's greatest assassin, the great Zenith, to visit me? Hohoho.

Morris is a bit crazy around the edges, but well, I get the feeling that's the minimum requirement to work as an assassin in this organization.

Wan: Give me a mission for Pandia, and stop calling me by my code name.

Pandia, that's what the demons call Madagascar. Nowadays, Madagascar, or rather Pandia, is an island where neither faith nor law reigns.

Morris: Hahaha, coming back like this, doesn't it mea-...

I cut him off because I knew what he was going to say.

Wan: I won't take a single cent from this reward; it will all go to those above. I just want to be able to stay in Pandia for a month after completing the mission.

Morris: (his smile fades) ... are you serious?

Wan: Yes, I just don't want to have to return immediately after the mission.

Morris: ... (regains his smile) Deal! Hahahahahah! Woohoo!

Wan: °I'm the one who's 17, and he's 26...°

Morris: Alright, wait here, I'll get the one that pays the most, hihi~ (whistles as he leaves).

The reason I came here is because they're the only ones who would have the money to buy and lend me an S-rank facial disguise artifact without leaving any trace. I need a disguise artifact to be able to pass as (disguise myself as) a demon and thus retrieve the {limit seed} located deep within the sinister forest of Pandia.

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The next day, I went to Pandia, then I used the artifact. Horns grew from the back of my skull, eventually coming around to the front of my face (descriptive image at the end of the chapter). My skin also became slightly paler, and my eyes turned pure red. Thanks to this, I'll be able to walk around with my eyes uncovered, and the artifact will only last for 17 hours during the day.

Wan: °Alright... my target is a demon slave trader, Baron Tsuhre.°

Normally, that wouldn't have been a problem, but... right now, he's expecting Beelzebub to show him his latest finds. Beelzebub is a duke who is soon to be promoted to demon king, but if that were all... at his birth, he received a third of the 'wrath' will, which – among demons – is considered to be receiving a stigma, and thanks to that, he was able to rise among the best. Currently, if I had to quantify his level and mine, he'd be at level 100, and I'd be at level 10. And also, among demons, his percentage is one of the top ten highest, and as if that weren't enough, I have to kill Tsuhre before he can meet Beelzebub.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Wan: °He will meet him in 3 weeks, and during that time, I need to make as much untraceable money as possible.°

I was walking through the streets of Daïnmonn, the capital of Pandia, which is on the outskirts of the Indian Ocean. The currency used here in Pandia is U crystals. These are crystals that can help increase the magic power within the body, even if it rarely exceeds 0.250, and after 4 or 5, the magic power no longer increases. That's why they use it as currency.

Wan: ...

As I was walking calmly, dressed a bit richly for the people around, because yes, Daïnmonn may be the capital of Pandia, but it's still a poor city. Actually, using the term 'city' was a bit too kind; it was more of a slum, and when it comes to slums, I know them well, that I can affirm. Uh yeah, so as I was walking calmly, I noticed that I was being followed by three demons who were rather young despite their dirty faces, and I say this without wanting to be mean, it's just what I thought of their faces when I saw them.

Wan: °Perfect, I needed some targets to mug.°

I've already said it, but I need untraceable money because that's how I'm going to enter Count Tsuhre's slave market. I went into an alley where it was just the four of us, me and the three demons.

3 minutes later

Wan: (sitting on a man who's being used as a chair) °Only 6 crystals...° Well, I presume you're working as a team for someone, aren't you?

To be honest, I already knew the answer. After all, the protagonist passes through here to complete a mission given to him by Azazel, the holder of the 'sloth' will, and she's one of the few who fully possesses a will among the demons. She isn't hostile to humans, she isn't hostile to elves, she isn't hostile to anyone except one person: "Ja-Woon Shin," an extremely strong Hero of humanity but also deeply corrupt and involved in dark affairs. But well, that's probably for another time.

Wan: .... °Are they unconscious or just playing dead?...° Alright, chair, tell me who the boss is.

Chair: I-I-I-I can't-...

I put two fingers around one of his horns, which was quite misshapen.

Wan: °If a demon's horn is completely destroyed... they will fall into one of the most painful states, hovering between life and death.° You know what I'm going to do if you don't answer correctly.

Chair: !... I-I-I really can't!

From his voice and expression, he was terrified from the depths of his heart and soul, but I didn't care about his fear.

Wan: Too bad for you.

And just as I was applying pressure with my two fingers on his horn, and powder was starting to fall from it, someone hit me, instinctively making me step back.

Wan: °I didn't sense their presence....°

[The character 'Hoe' feels a bit of hatred towards you.]

Wan: °... Well... tokens coming my way° (turns around rather slowly).

Hoe is a male demon, a former assassin who returned to the slums of his childhood to help all the people in need there. Unfortunately for him, his judgment has become clouded, and he helps the wrong people, and of course, he's not the boss of these three losers.

Wan: (turns around rather slowly) °Hoe likes people with an aura, even if he must have thought I was torturing them.°

[WARNING - CHANGE REGARDING THE CHARACTER HOE]

"Huh...?" That's the first thing I said to myself. I mean... I know changes have occurred, and I haven't been notified of all the changes that have taken place... but... why now? Why announce it in this way? What for? Why Hoe?

Wan: (suddenly turns around)!

[The character 'Hoe' no longer has the same gender, and their issue is no longer the same.]

Hoe: (a woman) Who are you, and why are you doing this?

In front of me stood a woman with long, slender legs, and with small, delicate horns. She stood straight as if she were in the army. Her expression was cold and slightly disdainful as she looked at me with her piercing, ruby-red eyes. Her long black hair, reaching down to the small of her back, was caught by the wind, and she held a bag of groceries while wearing a nun's outfit from this world, though without any distinctive religious symbols.

Wan: °This shouldn't alter my plans too much...°

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Mia: (slumped over her desk) Ugh, I'm so boooored!

Ama-ne: (sitting in a chair, arranging arrows) Well... it's true there's not much to do outside of classes.

Shin-hee: It's still the beginning of the year, after all (sitting against the wall, forming a ball of magic power).

Mia: It's a shame the pervert isn't here... he could've entertained me (an irritated pout).

Shin-hee: My slave is surely busy right now, even as we speak.

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Wan: Could you let me explain? (leans against a wall to dodge flexible magic power).

Hoe: (her magic power hits and destroys the wall) I don't need any explanations! You need to be purified so that all your regrets disappear!

Wan: °... She's in my top 15 of crazy people, and she's not the fifteenth.° I'm going to hit back if you don't stop.

Hoe: I'll purify you first! Let your regrets disappear!

Wan: (dodges another devastating blow) °Good thing we're in a place where I can rely on the walls...°

My agility, which was really high, combined with my speed, allowed me to keep pace without using magic power as long as I used both walls.

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Mia: I hope he doesn't take too long... (sighs).

Shin-hee: Knowing him... hrumm hrumm if I were you, I wouldn't count on it.

Ama-ne: Well... it's true that when Wan does something that seems important, he tends to forget some essential things.

Mia: .... You're just saying that he's an idiot who can't focus....

Ama-ne: N-n-no! That's not what I meant at all!

Shin-hee: °My slave is probably fighting right now... it's always like that when he's alone.° Hahaha, I wonder what story he'll tell me this time! (laughs loudly and narcissistically).

Mia: He really needs to tone it down...

(The door to the room, which until now contained only the three of them, opens).

Sangho: Let's go grab a coffee, Mia! (a bright and cheerful smile).

Mia: No. (firmly and without hesitation).

Sangho: (loses his smile) W-well, let's at least go train or something!

Mia: No, and close the door when you leave (dry tone).

Ama-ne: (whispers to Shin-hee) She's really hard on him.

Shin-hee: (whispers to Ama-ne) Isn't he supposed to be her childhood friend?

Ama-ne: (whispers to Shin-hee) Yes, that's why it surprises me.

Shin-hee: (whispers to Ama-ne) I think she acts like she doesn't care, but she actually likes him.

Ama-ne: (whispers to Shin-hee) Oh, so she's a tsundere, huh?

Mia: Cut it out, you two!

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Wan: Ma'am, I have no regrets, and I don't need any purification. °Well, Hoe as a woman is really violent (and incidentally crazy).°

Hoe: Let me PURIFY YOU!!! (a psychopathic face, clearly enjoying what's happening).

This is where the difference in Hoe comes into play. He, or rather she, has now changed 'issues.'

Alright, a little lesson: a character's 'issue' is what drives their development.

Previously, in the original IT0, Hoe's issue was that he helped lazy people who, instead of getting up and moving to find a job or a way to live, remained sitting and acted as homeless people, waiting for Hoe to give them food. In the end, he found out, and also discovered that in addition to using him, they were compulsive alcoholics and sexual predators. In the end, he got killed by them, and I'll let you guess why an assassin like him couldn't recognize that he was leading himself to his own downfall.

No answer? Giving up?

The protagonist—it was him who further deepened Hoe's stupidity by helping him with all these tasks. Even though, now that he's become a woman and crazy... I would've preferred the old Hoe; at least I could've gotten him on my side or manipulated him easily. But now, I'm going to have to calm her down.

Wan: .... °This is going to be a lot of work to handle...°

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End of chapter |