The Regressed Young Master’s Guide to Living on Easy Mode

Chapter 5 : This Isn't It (4)

A monster sent down from the heavens.

The strongest of the era.

The giant occupying the lands north of the Yangtze.

The enemy of the Orthodox Faction, and so on.

There are various terms to refer to the Heavenly Demon, but to me, the Heavenly Demon meant the one and only strongest.

Once the person I wanted to become, the dream itself.

He was now in front of me.

In the past, I would have burned my own soul like the undying fire worshipped by the cult, but now it was nothing more than a memory of days gone by.

To my present self, the Heavenly Demon was nothing more and nothing less than an uninvited guest who had appeared on a well-laid board.

An uninvited guest.

An ill-fated connection I never wanted to face again.

Why would the Heavenly Demon, who should have been quietly holed up in the Heavenly Demon Hall before my regression, deign to descend here?

Fortunately, my head, which had always worked better than others since long ago, once again provided me with a sufficiently convincing answer.

The Heavenly Demon and the elders were not here before my regression. Why? Because there was no reason for them to appear here.

So why did they appear now?

Because a reason for them to do so had arisen.

What is it?

The nursery is an important institution for cultivating talents who will lead the future of the cult. But in the eyes of those brilliant figures, they were still just young brats.

No matter the faction, when recruiting the third generation of disciples, the leader doesn't just show up and conduct the evaluation.

The same was true for the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Moreover, the martial prowess of those gathered there was, at the very least, Transcendent.

What is an elder! The greatest military power the cult possesses!

For such people to have nothing better to do than to spend their time at the nursery?

The story that the head of the fallen Martial Alliance had been reattached and the Orthodox Faction bastards had re-established the Martial Alliance would be more believable.

The reason they appeared here was now visible to my eyes.

The foolishness that was subtly revealed, though they tried not to show it because they were still young.

If that brat wasn't the grandson of the Heavenly Demon Cult's Fifth Elder, the Spear Demon, his frivolity was such that it wouldn't be strange if his head had been cut off long ago.

Come to think of it, the Fifth Elder and the Third Elder were quite close.

And the descendants of those two happen to be taking the nursery's final exam today?

Is all of this a coincidence, or is it a situation created by someone's intention?

A situation that was obvious without even looking was drawn in my mind.

Before my regression, because a strong contender for victory like me existed, there was no sign of such a situation occurring.

But after I regressed, the past me, the strong contender for victory, disappeared.

So they too are dreaming.

The dream I once dreamed.

Because anyone can dream.

The Fifth Elder and the Third Elder would have gently expressed their opinions in the council of elders.

It's the test for the talents who will lead the future of the cult, so shouldn't we see it for ourselves!

Everyone there would have known the two elders' shallow scheme, but the justification was sufficient, so they would have accepted it.

The Heavenly Demon, too, could have ignored the opinion from the council of elders, but he would have accepted it because there was no special reason to refuse.

The result is the scene unfolding before me now.

In the end, it's the cute scheme of two old men who want to show off their brilliant grandchildren to the Heavenly Demon.

Whatever happened, a rather large variable had appeared, but it didn't have much to do with me.

Because what I wanted in the end was defeat.

I feel sorry for my teammates, the Sword Demoness, the Mad Demon, and the Demonic Brain, but even if I lose the match, as long as they prove their own worth in their respective matches, there will be no major problem for them to enter the Little Demon Academy.

Rather, for the three children, the current situation was a golden opportunity.

If they could make even a slight impression on the elders, and even the Heavenly Demon, their future life in the cult was very likely to be a smooth one.

At the point where all possible variables had been considered.

The nursery's final exam began.

* * *

The total number of teams remaining in the nursery was sixteen.

The team I was in was Team 1.

The team with the direct descendants of the two elders was Team 16.

In other words, we wouldn't meet until the finals.

And since we were Team 1, the order of the matches was naturally ours first.

"C-Captain! I, I can do well, right?"

The first match was the Mad Demon's. His opponent possessed abilities that were neither outstanding nor lacking overall.

If the Mad Demon could just display his own abilities, he would have more than enough to win.

"What is the first strike?"

"Victory!"

I reminded the Mad Demon of his identity once more and returned. The Sword Demoness was looking at me as if she disapproved.

"Jae-ha, you spoil the Mad Demon too much."

"Do I?"

"Yes."

It seems I might have been a bit like that since the Mad Demon is still a child.

And for some reason, the Sword Demoness's gaze towards the Mad Demon became even colder.

Soon, the match began.

The opponent extended his wooden sword in a straight line. The Mad Demon, seeing that, threw a punch without hesitation.

When a wooden sword and a fist meet, it's common sense that the fist breaks. But at the same time as the opponent's wrist holding the wooden sword gave way, the Mad Demon lightly secured the victory.

"I won? I won!"

The supervisor forcibly drags the Mad Demon, who is jumping up and down on the tournament stage. I turned my gaze to the seat of honor. I could see the Fist Demon licking his lips.

Next was the Sword Demoness's turn. For some reason, the Sword Demoness kept looking at me.

The Sword Demoness isn't the Mad Demon, so she wouldn't be nervous about a mere tournament, but still, the Sword Demoness is also still a kid.

I cheered for the Sword Demoness to relieve her tension.

"I believe you'll win."

The Sword Demoness nodded her head and went up to the tournament stage.

The Sword Demoness's opponent was a kid famous enough for even me to know.

I remember him being the unit commander of one of the cult's military units before my regression.

'Was it the 10th unit commander?'

I don't really memorize names below the grand commander, so I don't know more than that. Still, a unit commander was a pretty high position in the cult.

The problem is that her opponent is the youngest elder before my regression.

As soon as the match began, the Sword Demoness kicked off the ground and ran forward.

The opponent calmly extended his wooden sword towards the Sword Demoness. The Sword Demoness continued to kick off the ground. The Sword Demoness, who had increased her speed even more, spun her body, lightly dodged the wooden sword, and then placed her own wooden sword at her opponent's throat.

This time too, the match was decided in an instant.

A crushing two-game winning streak.

Next was my turn.

My opponent was someone I didn't remember from before my regression, but he was a kid I was looking at quite favorably.

A talent who could easily become a team leader of a unit if raised well.

As soon as the match began, the opponent kid used footwork. They didn't teach that in the nursery, so seeing him use it, it seemed he had learned it from outside.

Quite agile movements. It wasn't a level that a mere eight-year-old child could show.

I, of course, didn't have the footwork to follow those movements, so as I just turned my head this way and that from my spot, my neck started to hurt.

'When is he going to attack?'

After a while, it seemed the opponent kid had learned footwork, but unfortunately, he hadn't learned how to attack. It was too obvious that the kid's movements were slowing down as he tired himself out.

This is the immaturity of an eight-year-old, the Mad Demon and the Sword Demoness before were the strange ones.

I quickly approached the kid and swung my sword down. However, my attack was so poor that even the tired kid could easily block it and counterattack.

The opponent kid's wooden sword hit the back of my hand. I dropped my wooden sword and was defeated.

I immediately looked up at the seat of honor. Everyone was frowning as if they had seen something they shouldn't have.

I inwardly shouted with joy.

Next was the Demonic Brain's turn. The Demonic Brain also secured a victory without much trouble, and we advanced to the second round.

The subsequent matches were not much different from the previous ones.

A winning streak led by the Mad Demon and the Sword Demoness.

And my defeat that followed like clockwork.

A clean finish by the Demonic Brain.

And so, we reached the finals, and as expected, our opponent was Team 16, the team with the grandchildren of the Fifth Elder and the Third Elder.

For reference, the nursery's final exam is conducted in teams, but the evaluation is done individually. The team formation was merely a way to reduce the evaluation time.

Among those evaluating here now, there was no one who couldn't recognize the martial talent of the children.

Therefore, by now, the ones who passed and the ones who failed would have almost all been decided.

The opposing team would know that as well.

Nevertheless, among those who had come this far, there would not be a single person who wanted to give up the title of the nursery's final exam winner.

In the first match, the Mad Demon went up from our side, as expected, and from the opposing side, a kid much larger than the Mad Demon came up.

The Mad Demon seemed quite nervous, his expression stiff.

I raised my head and looked at the Mad Demon's opponent.

'Didn't he lie about his age?'

A kid so huge that such a thought would come to mind.

The Mad Demon was also on the larger side for his age, but his opponent, with a slight exaggeration, could be believed to be an adult.

"I was promised a comfortable home for my clan if I beat you. So don't hate me. I will crush you thoroughly."

The huge kid seemed to be a descendant of a clan that was defeated by the cult during the Great War of Righteousness and Demons.

"I can't lose either!"

If they were of the same age, there would be no reason for the Mad Demon to lose, but that huge kid looked no different from an adult, no matter how you looked at it.

The Mad Demon roared his identity and charged.

"First strike is victory!"

The huge kid also ran towards the Mad Demon and threw a punch.

Crack!

The Mad Demon, who had never been pushed back before, was sent flying and crashed into the tournament stage.

Knowing the extent of the Mad Demon's strength, I was simply amazed at the power the huge kid showed.

'What strength!'

As expected of a team that made it to the finals.

They were by no means easy.

The atmosphere of the Mad Demon, who had gotten up from his spot, changed in an instant. The Mad Demon was quietly repeating a certain word, and when I listened closely, it was this.

I don't want to go back to the old days.

"I don't want to! I don't want to! I don't want to! I don't want to! I don't want to!"

It seemed that getting hit by the opponent's fist and sent flying reminded him of the days when he used to get beaten up.

"I don't want to!!!! I said I don't want to!!!"

The Mad Demon, who had suddenly shouted, ran towards his huge opponent. And his movements resembled the movements of the opponent I had fought in the first round.

Feet moving in a constant rhythm.

It was footwork.

Whether it was intentional or unintentional.

In a situation where he couldn't win against an opponent he couldn't beat, he had unconsciously found the best way to win.

The people of the world used to call those who showed such absurd feats this.

A genius!

I could see the huge opponent flustered by the Mad Demon's changed movements. Moreover, perhaps because of his large build, his reactions were a bit slow to begin with.

The Mad Demon, who had dodged the huge kid's attack with a one-beat-faster footwork, succeeded in getting into his embrace. A perfect opportunity! Still, the opponent was also a rising star who had made it to the finals.

He brought his arms inward to grab the Mad Demon who had entered his embrace.

If he were caught by that, even the Mad Demon would not be able to escape.

Just then, the Mad Demon kicked off the ground and punched the huge man in the chin.

"What is the first strike? Victory!"

The Mad Demon shouting his identity instead of the name of a technique!

The effect was excellent.

The huge kid staggered and shook his head repeatedly. Then, the Mad Demon kicked the huge kid deep in the abdomen.

"Gah!"

This time too, it seemed to have an effect, as the huge kid stepped back and coughed violently. The huge kid was still staggering. The Mad Demon, not intending to let this opportunity go, advanced towards the huge man once again.

However, the power the Mad Demon possessed was still insufficient to inflict a definite fatal wound on the huge kid.

Grab! The huge kid grabbed the Mad Demon's body. The Mad Demon struggled violently, but the already tied hands did not come loose.

"I will not lose!"

The huge kid, who had shouted loudly, bent his waist back and slammed the Mad Demon onto the tournament stage.

The huge man stands up, panting heavily. The Mad Demon, who was slammed onto the tournament stage, only twitched occasionally and showed no other reaction. The test supervisor came up, examined the Mad Demon, whose eyes had rolled back, and shouted loudly.

"Finals, Match 1! Team 16! Daegugu wins!"

The Mad Demon, who was carried out on a stretcher, fortunately regained consciousness and had no major injuries. I was sure that if someone else had been hit by that attack, they would have been at least half-paralyzed. The huge man who won the match was amazing, but in a way, the Mad Demon, who was fine even after taking that attack, was even more amazing.

The Mad Demon said to us with a dejected look.

"Sorry. I lost."

I shrugged my shoulders at the Mad Demon.

"You did well. You couldn't help it just now."

Overcoming such a difference in physique without internal energy and techniques was still too much for the eight-year-old Mad Demon.

Hearing my words, the Mad Demon suddenly started to cry.

"Sob, sob! I'll never lose again! Hmph! Really!"

There's no need to cry just because you lost once. Then what does that make me, who has lost three times so far! Just then, the Sword Demoness, who was next in line, stood up. I thought she would say something like, "If you're going to cry, go cry in a corner, you're being noisy," to the whimpering Mad Demon, but she said an unexpected word and went up to the tournament stage.

"I'll go win, so stop whimpering. It's annoying."

The Sword Demoness's opponent was a person I clearly remembered.

Before my regression, the grand commander of the 9th unit, Plum Blossom Sword Lord, Jeok Dan-pung.

One of those who were thrown to the cult as a sacrifice when the Huashan Sect fled.

He later annihilates the rebellious Huashan Sect with his own hands.

In terms of talent alone, he was High.

However, he met the wrong opponent.

In terms of talent alone, she was Supreme.

The Sword Demoness lightly touches her sword to Jeok Dan-pung's extended sword. Then, Jeok Dan-pung's sword bends in a strange direction and ends up hitting the innocent tournament stage.

The subtlety of the Art of Diverting Flowers and Grafting Trees, displayed by a mere eight-year-old child.

"No! That is!"

"Hah!"

"Well, I'll be!"

"What did I just see."

It was understandable that the elders were amazed. That was something that even my pre-regression self could only display by revealing about half of my skill.

Jeok Dan-pung, who had lost the will to fight in a single blow, dropped his sword. If one still felt like fighting after seeing something like that, they would either be a madman or a genius.

"Captain! I want to smash that with my fist! You'll teach me how, right?"

The madman was right next to me. Still, it seems to be a relief that his mood has recovered so quickly.

It was a moment when I envied the foolish Mad Demon.

"I won."

The Sword Demoness, who had come down from the tournament stage, said lightly to the Mad Demon and went to sit in her seat.

If the Sword Demoness wasn't an eight-year-old kid, I might have fallen for her a little.

So damn cool!

With this, the score was 1 win, 1 loss.

Next, the Demonic Brain went up.

The match was fierce. But his opponent, though I don't know the details, was the Third Elder's grandson. The Demonic Brain, who was lacking in skill and physique, seemed to be struggling just to defend. But with a wit that surpassed those two shortcomings, he led the match, overcoming crisis situations every time. In the end, his opponent also ran out of stamina, and the match ended in a draw as they both collapsed from exhaustion.

And so, the score was 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss.

Only the final match remained.

I went up to the tournament stage.

"Hehehe. We finally meet. Today, here, I will smash that insignificant mouth of yours!"

My opponent was the grandson of the Fifth Elder, the Spear Demon, what was his name... I can't remember. So I asked.

"By the way, what was your name again? Sorry. I forgot."

"Hehehehehehehehe!"

The guy who heard my words started laughing like a madman.

Why is he laughing?