Mart, for his part, didn't pay any attention to the looks and comments from some of his classmates. He just entered the classroom and waited until Professor Dervec Sej handed out the exams.

A small ball of fire appeared above each student.

The fireballs were small, weak demonic ghosts that were watching over each student.

"The test will last five hours. Answer calmly and read each question carefully. You may begin," said Professor Dervec as he looked at a gold watch on his right hand.

••••

The day after the exam, Mart met with Director Persec in his study.

Persec sat at his desk, staring intently at Mart.

Mart sighed and then took out Rubilac, the damaged sword that the system had given him.

"This is an ancient treasure. If you infuse it with demonic energy, it can temporarily increase the power of either a sorcerer or a warrior by one full rank. It can only be used three times," Mart explained, placing the sword on the desk.

Persec Merliano could immediately tell that the sword was a powerful demonic treasure, but after observing it for a while, he gave Mart an inquiring look and asked,

"If you had a treasure like this, why didn't you lend it to your grandfather?"

Mart shook his head and then replied:

"Because what happened had to happen. As long as you don't win, you're losing. That's why I'm waiting for the right moment to act. I'm giving you this sword to protect the Academy, but above all to protect Isirid."

"What are you going to do?" Persec asked as he stored Rubilac in his own demonic ring.

"I'll seclude myself in a remote place, but I hope everyone will believe that I'm still secluded at the Academy. I will wear the "mask of the faker," leave the Academy, and head for my destination. It may take me a year and a few months. Mart replied sincerely.

Mart had ensured that Persec Merliano remained stable at the Academy, considering him a neutral ally. The reason he did not give Rubilac to Balac Sevec was because he believed that doing so could complicate his future plans.

After a few more conversations with Persec Merliano, Mart gave him a letter to deliver to Isirid, after which he headed back to his room.

••••

A few days later, a simple carriage left the city of Damtes. It wasn't the only one; many other carriages were also leaving the city. The graduating students were heading toward their future destinations.

In the simple carriage traveled a demon with brown horns, tanned skin, dull brown hair, and amber eyes. His appearance was average. Other students were traveling in the carriage, some with lost looks and gloomy attitudes, others longing for the future.

The carriage arrived a few days later at the next city, a much simpler place than the city of Damtes.

In that city, Mart, who called himself Rens, now took another carriage that would take him to a city near the Cursed Canyon.

This time the journey took almost two weeks, with the demonic horses resting every so often, until at the pace they traveled they managed to spot a small city called Orelt.

Mart paid a few silver coins that he took out of an old demonic bag that matched his simple, muted-colored clothes.

...

At dusk, from a room in a simple but clean inn, Rens made sure no one was following him. He currently had the level of a sixth-rank demonic sorcerer, and combined with his energy sensitivity, his demonic perception was almost as good as that of a seventh-rank demon.

...

With three hours to go before dawn, Rens quietly and stealthily left the inn and began walking through the dark streets of the city. As he was about to leave the city, he saw an alley with beggar demons and homeless demons. He shook his head, continued on his way, and came to a brightly lit area where there was a simple-looking brothel. He heard demon women calling out to him as they announced their prices in silver coins, but he kept walking until he left the city.

...

Two hours had passed since he began walking through rough, rocky terrain.

Rens sighed, activated his spiritual perception to the maximum, then said:

"You three, come out now!"

Rens' voice was firm; he didn't want to waste time, but what he wanted least was to alert his enemies.

"Young man, how about you give us everything you have in your demon bag?" said a demon dressed in clothing that made him look like a mercenary.

"Three demons in the fourth rank. Why are you pretending to be thieves? I want to know why you are following me." Rens was going to omit the last question, but he decided not to waste any time.

A demon with a dark blue horn on one side of his forehead and a broken horn on the other, dark scales on his skin, and a hissing voice said with a malicious expression:

"I don't think you need to worry about that. Because you're going to die here."

"Is this so absurd, or is it because I'm getting closer to the cursed canyon?" Mart wondered to himself, then snapped his left hand fingers.

-Ahh... ahh... AAAHH! -The demon that had not appeared emerged enveloped in grayish flames that made him writhe on the ground.

The two remaining demons threatening Rens stood guard. But shortly after, the first demon to speak fell to the ground, writhing in the middle of the rocky ground.

"You, what are you doing?" asked the demon with the hissing voice threateningly.

Rens simply extended his demonic perception once more and, upon confirming that there were no further threats in the immediate vicinity, turned his back on the demon with the hissing voice.

"You..."

Screams!

The last of the three attackers also fell to the ground engulfed in flames, and no matter how much he used his demonic energy, he could not escape the flames that burned them slowly and painfully.

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