Chapter 82: The Demon Lord's Second Temptation

The orc army did not hold out for long. When Grand Mage Erin, who accompanied the troops, alone summoned the Scion of Flame, Aberthiel, along with a host of fire elementals, the shadow of the last battle once again loomed over the orcs. The mighty Scion of Flame was unstoppable; and since there were no shamanic orc spellcasters in this instance, the orcs could do nothing against such a powerful elemental being. In less than half an hour after its summoning, the Scion of Flame had turned the northern bank of the Withered River into a sea of fire.

The orcs were utterly unable to resist and fell into complete disarray. Some fled toward the wastelands, while most retreated to the Orc King’s clan. Commander Elro of the Northern Expeditionary Army did not immediately press the attack; instead, he divided his forces to capture the surrounding orc settlements and clear out the settlements around the Orc King’s city, seizing spoils of war.

A large number of orc civilians were driven from their homes, disarmed, and bound together in long lines. Their fate was to become slaves, sent across the land to clear the wilderness or dig in the mines.

During this time, over six thousand main forces of the Northern Expedition had already surrounded the Orc King’s city and were deploying siege engines. Within the city, more than ten thousand orc warriors remained—far outnumbering the humans, but the disparity in weaponry left them no match for the fully armed expeditionaries.

Fortunately, the defenses of the Orc King’s city were formidable. The walls, over ten meters high, bristled with war machines; ballistae and light catapults lined the ramparts, giving the remaining orcs some confidence. Yet to the Northern Expedition, the orcs now were but trapped beasts making their last stand; the only question was when the city would fall.

For the many students, this marked the final phase of the joint examination. Their ultimate results would now depend on whether they could earn a favorable evaluation in this last struggle. Especially in the competition for the top ten spots, the contest had entered its concluding stage.

By now, the school had publicly displayed the joint examination rankings. Opening the regional channel, the top post showed the overall standings: Chu Cheng ranked first, Sun Yu second, Pan Yue third. The remaining spots in the top ten were mostly occupied by a handful from Class One, with Wang Weilong, Zhang Chunlei, and others hovering outside the top ten.

But being first at this moment did not mean much. The earlier melee had been Chu Cheng’s stage, and his frenzied slaughter of orcs had pushed him past Sun Yu through sheer quantity, triggering a qualitative leap. However, Sun Yu had yet to make his move; as soon as he opened the city gates first, he would surely surpass Chu Cheng instantly.

There was nothing Chu Cheng could do about it. At this point, there were only a few ways to significantly improve one’s evaluation, and everyone was watching—there was simply no chance for clever tricks.

Outside the city, in a tent within the Northern Expedition’s camp.

“Teacher, do I really have no chance at all?”

Chu Cheng sat cross-legged on a grass mat, his face showing a trace of unwillingness. The homeroom teacher had just summoned him and delivered news that was even worse than he had anticipated.

Duan Yuqin shook her head helplessly. “It’s very difficult.”

“As far as I know, he consumed a great deal of domain origin to summon that Abyssal Forge Demon’s projection, but he has more opportunities to act than you imagine. He’ll not only open the gates with the Abyssal Forge Demon, but also personally kill the Orc Chieftain.”

“With those two great feats combined, you simply have no way to compete with him.”

…

Chu Cheng pinched the bridge of his nose in silence. “Difficult” was putting it mildly; he had no chance at all.

Seeing his expression, Duan Yuqin sighed, trying to comfort him. “Actually, not getting first place doesn’t matter. The second-place reward is also extremely generous—enough to greatly increase your strength. With your talent, you’ll have no trouble getting into a top university.”

Chu Cheng was silent for a moment. “I understand.”

Exiting the tent, he gazed up at the sky for a long time, unable to devise a way to surpass Sun Yu.

At this stage, it was only theoretically possible: to open the gates before Sun Yu and then slay the Orc Chieftain. That was the only chance. Even if he went now and wiped out the Centaur King’s clan and killed their chieftain, it would not suffice, because the weight of the Orc King’s clan was far greater.

Similarly, even if he captured the Cross Fortress or destroyed Gear City, it would be pointless. Gear City was a neutral faction with even less weight. The Cross Fortress did have the highest weight in this scenario, but even if he somehow succeeded, he still could not surpass Sun Yu. Attempting such a feat would cause the Cross Fortress’s worshipful reputation to drop to mortal enmity, and once that reputation weight was lost, he would still fall short.

In other words, as his teacher had said, he simply had no way to compete with Sun Yu now.

Despair!

“Hm?”

Lost in thought, Chu Cheng suddenly sensed something amiss. He turned sharply and saw a strikingly handsome young mage standing not far behind, focused on something unknown.

As their eyes met, the mage turned, raised a hand in greeting, and flashed a familiar smile.

“Immotar!”

“Wait—I forgot to ask the teacher about this demon.”

Suppressing his annoyance, Chu Cheng said, “I won’t sell my soul. You can give up on that idea!”

That was absolute. This was but a temporary victory or defeat, not a dead end.

With his golden finger in hand, his future would be even brighter than Sun Yu’s. A single victory or defeat would not affect his destiny. First place only meant another Primordial Hero’s Mark—a precious thing, but not unique, and certainly not enough to make him sell his soul.

Immotar’s smile did not fade. He waved his hand and said, “A demon never forces a mortal to sell their soul!”

“I’m here for another reason. I can see you’re troubled—perhaps I can help you.”

Chu Cheng snorted coldly. “You can’t help me.”

“I can help you!”

“You can’t.”

“Let me guess—it’s because of your competition? You’re about to lose, aren’t you?”

Chu Cheng said nothing.

Immotar smiled. “Then let me guess further: it’s because of me that you, who should have had the advantage, are about to lose, isn’t that right?”

Chu Cheng answered obliquely, “You’ve guessed the reason, but if you think that alone can sway me, you’re wrong. This is just a fleeting victory or defeat; it won’t affect me much.”

“Even if I lose, I’ll still be stronger than him.”

“That I believe!” Immotar’s gaze at Chu Cheng was naked in its hunger. “In fact, I much prefer to work with outstanding souls like yours. Here’s my proposal: if you can pay twice what my current employer offers, I can end my contract with Sun Yu and serve you instead.”

“I can help you open the gates and kill the powerful orcs inside the city.”

“I don’t have any domain origin!”

“You can owe me—pay it later!”

“I’m serving your rival. Opening the city gates costs one unit of domain origin, slaying a powerful orc inside costs two. If you agree to pay me six units within the next ten years, I’ll serve you and help you become the most outstanding candidate in this assessment.”