Chapter 4: The Demon King’s Workout Plan.

A relaxing smoky smell stirred Lloyd awake, His eyes flashed open to see rays of light flashing through the wooden walls. He tried sitting up through the grogginess he felt and to his surprise he saw someone sitting in his shack. Selene Vale, sitting casually in a chair near his bed, a cigarette balanced between her fingers.

"You finally up? Took you long enough," she said, exhaling a slow plume of smoke. Her amber eyes flickered over him, scrutinizing.

Lloyd sat up, rubbing his temples. "What… happened?"

Selene took another drag before flicking the cigarette into a small tray. "You tell me, kid. I found you collapsed on the floor."

He hesitated, flashes of the vision still fresh in his mind—the fire, the demons, the whisper in his head. "I don't remember much. Just a really bad headache and… something weird when I touched that purple shard."

"What? A purple shard? You don't mean malachite, do you?"

"I think so, it all happened so fast."

"Where is it, kid?" she spoke with a serious tone in her voice.

"I-I'm not sure… as soon as I touched it–" Lloyd covered his mouth, feeling queasy from the pain and the horrendous images that had flashed through his mind.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Selene exclaimed, standing up from her chair and lending him an arm for support.

"Y-yeah, I feel fine, strangely fine even. Just a bit sick."

"You feel fine? How large was the piece of malachite you touched?"

"It was about the size of my fist."

"W-what on earth?"

Looking up at Selene, Lloyd saw her striking features twisted into a wide-eyed expression of shock.

He hesitated. "What about it?"

"Lloyd, you need to be more careful. Quite frankly, with the state your body and mind are in… you could have been seriously wounded."

"W-What?" he stammered, his voice unsteady with shock.

"This is my fault, I should have explained to you yesterday," she said, her expression soft, a hint of apology in her eyes.

Continuing, she explained:

"Ordinary people can't touch raw malachite. Hundreds of years ago, before the bastion was built, most humans developed diseases, and many died just from the radiation emitted from the demons and soul malachite. Only those with resistance to malachite energy were able to survive, allowing humans to evolve to have a natural resistance, leading to people being able to wield malachite. However, despite the evolution, today 95% of people are unable to wield malachite. If they were to touch it, they'd die a slow, painful death."

Lloyd listened attentively, taking in what Selene spoke.

"So… why didn't this happen to me?"

"It's thanks to your ability and talent to become an arcanist. However, with the condition you're in, you should avoid coming into contact with a piece that large. If your body isn't ready for it, it can mess you up."

He nodded slowly, slightly nervous about what she had just said.

She sighed before speaking. "Come on, let's get some food. You look like you might keel over any second," she said, standing up and stretching.

The restaurant was a modest place, nothing fancy, but the smell of sizzling meat and fresh bread was enough to make Lloyd's stomach growl. Selene ordered for both of them, a simple meal of roasted meat, eggs, and thick slices of bread. He dug in immediately, realizing just how hungry he was.

"Slow down. The food isn't going anywhere. You could choke," she jested, watching him devour his food.

"Oh, S-sorry," he acknowledged, slowing down his pace.

As they ate, the conversation turned more serious.

"It's time I told you more about this place, and the information you'll need to know before entering the academy."

"That would be helpful," Lloyd nodded in gratitude.

"Firstly, before you enter, you need to work on your physical strength and endurance. As you are now, it won't be possible for you to even wield the weakest A-blade. I've made a training plan which I've sent directly to you. You must follow this strictly each day along with three meals and eight hours of rest."

"I see, that makes sense."

"I've also paid for your tuition fees into the academy, including meals and living quarters. You'll be able to move in a week's time if all goes well."

"Wha-why? Why would you go this far for someone you just met?" he asked, puzzled.

"I have my reasons. It's not a big deal either. Don't underestimate the pockets of a vice-captain of the Arcane Watchers," she smirked.

Lloyd hesitated before replying, "Thank you."

At first, he had wondered if it was a good idea to follow through with all of this, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. He knew nothing about this world, had no income, and no acquaintances other than Selene. And despite what she said, it couldn't be cheap to enter the academy. He couldn't let her hopes down.

"Next… I guess I should explain more about the demons. I'll give you a brief overview, but while you're in the academy, it'd be in your best interest to complete research on the different species of demons."

"Firstly, Lesser Fiends. The weakest class of demon, as well as being the most common. During your time in the academy, you're likely to face a few Lesser Fiend class demons. Lesser Fiends have no special abilities and are pretty unintelligent, relying mostly on their physical prowess and numbers."

"I see," Lloyd nodded, carefully listening to what was being told.

"Next, there's Greater Fiends—smarter, generally more dangerous, as well as being capable of one type of Arcane Magic."

"Then there's the Archfiends—being capable of multiple types of Arcane Magic, some even have the intelligence to converse."

"After that, there's the Eldritch Fiends, which are even worse. High-ranking demons capable of mass destruction. These beings all hold similar intelligence to a human, also capable of multiple magic and being able to use them at the same time. This is due to their profound knowledge and battle sense. Another thing to keep in mind is, numerous Eldritch Fiends work under Demon Kings."

"Why would demons work together?" Lloyd questioned.

"It's unknown, but it's possible because of their intelligence. Intelligent demons can understand a difference in strength and have a strong will to survive. It's also beneficial for Demon Kings as they are useful pawns in their disputes with other Demon Kings."

'So even demons have to be wary of other demons,' He thought, raising a hand to his chin.

"And finally, above them, the Demon Kings. The top of the food chain. Each one strong enough to wipe cities. There are said to be limited and few Demon Kings, but no one knows the exact number."

"That's impossible… wiping out whole cities?"

"Except it's not. However, a Demon King hasn't been spotted in tens of years, so not many personally know their true strength. But that's not all."

"What else is there?"

"Well, it's not something else… The Lower Fiends, The Greater Fiends, The Archfiends, The Eldritch Fiends. Because the strength in these classes can vary, each class has a subsidiary class, other than the Demon Kings, due to how few there are."

Selene went on to explain the subclass system used to categorize demons.

Each main class of demons (Lesser Fiends, Greater Fiends, etc.) was further divided into seven sub-classes, ranked from weakest to strongest: Baron, Viscount, Earl, Marquess, Duke, Prince, and King.

This ranking system was created due to the overwhelming number of demon species discovered. For example:

An Imp is classified as a Lesser Fiend with the subclass Baron, commonly referred to as a Lesser Baron-class demon.

A Hellhound, on the other hand, is still a Lesser Fiend but ranked as a Marquess, making it a Lesser Marquess-class demon.

The reason for this distinction is simple: an Imp is weaker than an average human, whereas a Hellhound possesses the strength of multiple humans, despite both belonging to the same general category of Lesser Fiends.

However, this system does not mean that a Lesser King-class demon is automatically weaker than a Greater Baron-class demon. In fact, a Lesser King-class demon is far stronger than even an Arch Baron-class demon.

The key difference lies in their abilities:

Lesser King-class demons rely purely on brute strength, lacking intelligence or arcane abilities.

Greater Baron-class demons, while physically weaker, possess one unique arcane ability.

Arch Baron-class demons are even stronger, boasting multiple unique abilities.

This makes combat unpredictable—some physically weaker demons can still be far deadlier due to their intelligence and magic. However, the opposite can also be said, which is why this system was made.

"So? Did you get all that?"

"Slightly…"

"You'll understand in time."

And… the Devils?" Lloyd asked nervously.

Selene exhaled, her expression darkening. "Devils are something else entirely. It's said there's so little devils that it can be counted on two hands. They don't follow the same hierarchy. They work alone. No one knows how strong they really are, but at the very least stronger than Demon Kings."

I swallowed hard upon hearing this. "What about that incident… where 500 arcanists were massacred?"

"I assume Garrick told you about this."

"Yeah, he did. S-sorry I couldn't help myself asking."

"It's fine, it's not like I was actually there. From what I heard, 500 arcanists were sent to subjugate the Devil Of Gluttony, Beelzebub, Lord Of The Flies. I heard 17 survived through sheer luck or maybe just pity from the Devil himself."

I stared at her in disbelief. "How did humanity survive something like that? How do we stop Devils from wiping us out?"

"You don't, as simple as that. We simply do not have the power to kill devils. However, the devils leave us alone mostly, as long as they aren't provoked. The reason is unknown, some people like to believe it's due to the Leader of the Arcane Reapers."

"What about him? Is he so strong that even devils are afraid of him?" Lloyd shook at the thought.

"Hell if I know. All I know is that he wields the only weapon made from the soul malachite of a Demon King."

He let her words sink in.

As they finished their conversation, she tossed a small pouch onto the table. "That's for you. Enough to last you a week. Make sure you don't waste it."

Lloyd blinked at the pouch before looking up at her. "Wait, what?"

She stood up, stretching. "You've got an interview with the principal of the Arcane Academy in a week. Make sure you're ready."

Still reeling from everything, he watched as she turned to leave.

"See you around, kid."

As he walked back to his small home, his mind spun with everything he had just learned. The factions, the demons, the dangers beyond the walls. He barely noticed the people around him until he caught snippets of conversation in the market.

"Another one gone. That's the third this month…" "The kidnappings are getting worse…"

Lloyd frowned but dismissed it. It wasn't his problem.

He entered his house and sat down on a chair. Taking out his Arc Link, he saw a message from Selene with the label ~ Training plan.

"Haaaa, do I really have to do this?" Lloyd muttered.

"Maybe it won't be too bad!" he exclaimed full of hope while tapping on the message.

Displayed on his screen was:

20km run

"Impossible."

100 push-ups

"I'd prefer to keep my bones in one piece."

30 pull-ups

"Is this a training plan to make me fly?"

200 sit-ups

He stopped reading and placed the Arc Link down.

"Maybe in the next, next life."

End of Chapter 4: The Demon King's Workout Plan.