A Weak Demon Lord Started Livestreaming in a Bottom-Tier Dungeon and Went Viral?! After Completely Crushing Rude S-Rank Explorers and Annoying Streamers, the Internet Erupted in Praise. Um, I'm Supposed to Be the Enemy of Humanity, You Know? - 23

Chapter 23: The Outcast of the Explorer School Trained Until Dying (Literally)

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This was the day when Rio became Olden’s apprentice.

“Starting today, Rio-san, you’ll be dying about ten times a day.”

“Eh?”

Rio was speechless at her master’s unexpected words.

“D-Dying!? About ten times!?”

“Yes. Ah, rest assured, I’ll make sure it’s as painless as possible.”

“T-T-T-T-That’s not reassuring at all!!”

Rio quickly hid behind Al, who was standing nearby, moving so fast she left an afterimage. But then, Al calmly offered Rio up to Olden.

“Rio. It’s Olden-sama’s command. Be a good girl and die.”

“Al-san too!? N-No way!! If you’re going that far, then you do it with me!!”

“-!?…W-Wait, Rio. There’s no need for me to go that far—”

“Ah, Al-san, are you going to do it too? If you get through this training, you’ll definitely get stronger too, you know?”

“If it’s Olden-sama’s command, then so be it!!”

Al nodded at Olden’s words with a face like she had just bitten into something bitter. To become stronger meant being more useful to the master she revered. Seeing Al resolve herself made Rio shrink back in disbelief.

Just then, Olden brought out a whiteboard to convince Rio. For some reason, he was dressed like a P.E. teacher—red tracksuit, tapping a bamboo sword on his shoulder—but no one commented on it.

“Now then, Rio-san. What do you think is the most troublesome thing in combat?”

“U-Um, something troublesome…? Maybe strong weapons, or tough armor?”

“Wrong!! Too bad, incorrect!! The answer is—”

With a smack, Olden struck the floor with the bamboo sword. The sudden action made both Rio and Al flinch.

“You were surprised just now, weren’t you? The answer is pain. More precisely, the fear of death.”

“T-That’s troublesome…?”

“Oh yes, extremely so. Humans are living beings. That’s why they fear death most. Even I was so scared of dying of old age that I ended up in a body like this.”

Rio’s eyes widened in shock.

“W-Wait, Olden-san, you didn’t always look like that!?”

“Hahaha, of course not. Believe it or not, I was quite the handsome guy before I turned into bones.”

“Olden-sama is still handsome.”

“Oh my, Al-san, you’re quite the flatterer.”

Olden spoke of his past like reminiscing over old memories. Yet, there was a hint of melancholy in his voice.

“I was afraid of dying, so I created resurrection magic. But resurrection couldn’t prevent death from aging. That’s why I chose to become this—dead yet alive. Looking back, I think I was really foolish indeed.”

“Olden-san…”

“I can’t sleep soundly, food has no taste, and worst of all, even if I get aroused reading erotic doujinshi from the surface world, I can’t relieve myself.”

“Olden-san?”

“Honestly, this is a living hell. Oh wait, I’m already dead, so I guess it’s a death hell? Still, I’ve never once regretted becoming bones on a whim.”

Ahem, Olden cleared his throat lightly.

“Back to the topic—when people sense death, they freeze. It’s all because of fear.”

“Y-Yes. I think I get that, kind of.”

“If you can overcome that fear, you’ll be able to act calmly even in life-threatening situations. But normally, it’s impossible to get used to dying. We only get one life after all.”

“…But Olden-san, you…”

“Yes. With resurrection magic, I can have a hundred or a thousand lives, not just one.”

“Just where’s your sense of ethics…?”

Rio muttered to herself, but Olden ignored her and continued.

“Now, back to what I said earlier. Rio-san, you’ll get used to dying. That way, you can stay calm even when facing death.”

“Ugh, o-okay. B-But please, make it as painless as possible!!”

“Of course. I appreciate your cooperation.”

As Rio bowed politely, Olden gave a firm nod in return.

“Oh, and while we’re at it, shall I teach you resurrection magic too? It’s a handy magic to know. Easier than summoning magic, even.”

“Eh, um, sorry. For some reason, I just can’t use any magic other than enhancement magic…”

“Ah, that’s no problem. I know why.”

“Eh? Eh!?”

Rio shouted louder than she had all day. It was only natural. She had always been treated as a failure at the Explorer School for not being able to use magic. Of course, she’d be curious if the reason behind that was known.

“Rio-san can’t use magic because you have too much magic power.”

“Eh? T-Too much?”

“To put it simply, the magic you try to use is too low-level compared to the amount of your magic power. Even in Drag*n Quest, a level 99 mage using a basic spell like Mer* would hardly do any damage, right? You’d need to cast Meraz*ma or Meg*nte instead.”

“I’m not sure I follow, but…”

“Rio-san, you’re like a level 999 mage. Normal spells can’t handle your magic power—they collapse before activating. If you want to use magic, you’ll either need to learn more powerful spells or upgrade your magic circles to be compatible with your power.”

Realizing that her own magic power had been the reason she couldn’t cast spells, Rio was left stunned. She had never imagined she herself was the problem. Then another question occurred to her.

“U-Um, then why can I use enhancement magic?”

“Ah, that’s simple. The enhancement magic you use has been finely tuned just for you. I was honestly impressed about that too.”

“Huh? F-For me?”

“Yes. Unlike regular enhancement spells, yours lasts about a month, doesn’t it? It’s close to the pinnacle of what human knowledge in magic can achieve. Whoever taught it to you must have had deep knowledge of magic.”

“I… didn’t know that…”

Olden clapped his hands.

“Alright, enough chatting. Let’s have you die once, real quick!!”

“E-Eh!? R-Right now!?”

What followed was a massacre. A horrifying sight where a young girl was repeatedly killed. But the one more horrified than Rio was Olden himself.

“Ugh… How many times has it been now?”

“…This is the thirtieth time. Honestly, I’m shocked. Most people would’ve lost their minds by now. What kind of mental fortitude do you have?”

“E-Ehehe, I’ve always been told I’m kinda thick-skinned, so maybe that’s it…”

“Is that something to be proud of? W-Well then, let’s move on from the dying training to practicing resurrection and summoning magic.”

A week later…

“To think you’d master summoning magic—my life’s work, really—in just a week…”

“E-Ehehe. I can’t summon as many skeletons as you, Olden-san…”

“That’s to be expected. This version is fine-tuned for me. If we adjust it for you, you’ll be able to summon even more… Hm.”

“Olden-san?”

“Rio-san, let’s head to the Demon Realm and find you a compatible monster to make a pact with.”

“Eh? T-The Demon Realm?”

And so, Rio was really taken to the Demon Realm…Where she died many more times. The Demon Realm’s dense mana was toxic to human bodies. Ordinary people would die within seconds of arrival.

But Rio, born with immense mana, could survive for hours. By dying and resurrecting repeatedly, she extended her stay there. Eventually, Rio befriended countless bugs and stood ready for her duel.

“…And that’s what happened.”

“You girls are seriously out of your minds, aren’t you?”

Grace, upon hearing the gruesome details of the training, was utterly appalled. So was the entire audience.

Only the skeleton in the VIP seat shyly muttered to himself.

“…It was nothing, really. Ehehe~ ///.”

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