[Demon Lord Gremory and her contractor, Lee Shin, have arrived at the First Battlefield, Asteia.]

The two arrived at the First Battlefield, Asteia, ahead of their opponent.

“Are you confident?”

Gremory asked.

They had agreed beforehand—bet cautiously with ten thousand if uncertain, but wager twenty thousand if confident.

Lee Shin chose twenty thousand, and Gremory followed his decision.

However, if they lost, they would lose a significant amount of magic power.

“I have defeated countless opponents of this type.”

“That’s reassuring. But you must win. The future of my territory and legions depends entirely on you.”

Gremory, who had plummeted endlessly from rank 56, now stood on the brink of total ruin.

If she lost even her title as a Demon Lord, she would be left with nothing, utterly alone.

‘And if that happens, I won’t fare any better.’

If they lost, Lee Shin wouldn’t be able to return to his original world until she reclaimed her position.

And that wasn’t all.

According to their contract, the flow of time in his original world, which had been paused, would resume.

Until he returned, his body would remain asleep.

‘It’ll be absolute chaos.’

Lee Shin, trapped in an endless slumber.

The media would go wild over the tragic tale of an esports star, already forced into early retirement after being injured in an attack.

He had no desire to be the protagonist of such a miserable story.

Yet despite the risks, Lee Shin remained unfazed.

He had always been fearless when it came to competition.

[High-Ranking Demon Eltima has arrived at the First Battlefield, Asteia.]

Eltima appeared.

He stared at Lee Shin and smirked.

“So, you’re Lady Gremory’s new contractor?”

“I am.”

“You are?”

Eltima’s brow furrowed. A mere human speaking so casually to him, a high-ranking demon standing before a Demon Lord—it was unacceptable.

Yet, for some reason, he sneered and stepped closer to Lee Shin.

“Judging by your attitude, you must’ve been quite the big shot in your world. Well, I suppose that’s to be expected if a Demon Lord chose you as her contractor.”

“I won’t tolerate meaningless chatter.”

Gremory cut him off firmly.

“Ah, my apologies.”

Eltima chuckled as he backed away.

Gremory turned to Lee Shin with a warning.

“That one is known as ‘Eltima the Truthseer.’ He can see through lies, so do not speak unnecessarily or answer his questions.”

“See through lies?”

Just as Gremory had the ability to heal, it seemed Eltima possessed a special ability befitting a high-ranking demon.

But then, as if struck by an idea, Lee Shin suddenly approached Eltima.

Gremory didn’t have time to stop him.

“So, you have the ability to see through lies?”

“Indeed, insolent human.”

“Then tell me, is this a lie?”

Lee Shin met Eltima’s gaze directly.

Even when facing a high-ranking demon before a Demon Lord, he showed not a hint of fear.

“I have won battles like this over ten thousand times.”

“What?”

For the first time, Eltima’s expression faltered.

“You will lose to me. I am absolutely certain.”

“……!”

Lee Shin smiled coldly.

“Now, tell me. Am I lying?”

“L-Lie…?”

Eltima fell into a panic.

He began to doubt his own ability to detect lies, for his opponent’s words were unmistakably true.

‘Well, considering I played dozens of practice matches every day during my pro days, it’s not a lie at all.’

In any case, the initial intimidation was set. This was enough.

The craving for the rank of the 72 Demon Lords.

And the threat he had just felt.

These two combined would turn into impatience.

Lee Shin swiftly turned his back and returned to Gremory.

“I’d like to begin.”

“Understood.”

[This is the ranking battle between Demon Lord Gremory and High-Ranking Demon Eltima. The outcome of the battle will influence their ranking and magic power. A total of 40,000 magic power will be wagered.]

[40,000 magic power will be converted into magic stones and distributed across the battlefield.]

[Please select your race.]

“Human.”

Lee Shin spoke first.

Eltima's expression showed a hint of relief.

He had been tense, but now looked reassured, as if relieved that his opponent had chosen the weak human race.

“Monster.”

At Eltima’s choice, Lee Shin smirked. As expected, he had chosen monsters—his favored race.

Eltima’s playstyle was becoming clear in Lee Shin’s mind.

‘Monsters are the most aggressive race.’

They were specialized in offense rather than defense. A race that was greatly influenced by the commander’s impulsive decisions.

‘I can feel it.’

Whenever he had this feeling, Lee Shin had never lost.

[The ranking battle is about to begin.]

[Demon Lord Gremory’s contractor, Lee Shin, and High-Ranking Demon Eltima will participate in the battle.]

Their bodies were teleported.

Lee Shin started in the 11 o’clock region of the First Battlefield, Asteia.

“Welcome, Contractor.”

“Give me your orders.”

“We will do our best!”

The four slaves he was given at the start greeted him.

“Gather magic power.”

At Lee Shin’s command, the four slaves began harvesting magic power.

Thus, the game had begun.

‘Was that statement just now really true?’

Eltima felt confusion.

The idea that a mere human had fought ten thousand battles was absurd. And the fact that he had won them all was even more bizarre.

But the opponent had not been lying.

‘Perhaps Gremory has obtained an extraordinary contractor. This could be troublesome.’

Eltima was an experienced demon.

He had grown up in the demon realm, where the strong preyed on the weak, and had endured countless hardships to rise high enough to challenge the throne of a Demon Lord.

Eltima had been waiting for this opportunity with extreme caution.

He had waited until Gremory, the weakest of the Demon Lords, had fallen to the lowest rank. The moment he heard that she had taken in a new contractor, he immediately challenged her.

He had initiated the battle before the new contractor could gain experience in ranking battles.

That was why, until just moments ago, Eltima had been confident in his victory.

But his brief conversation with Lee Shin had made doubt creep into his mind.

‘The greatest human heroes would have already been taken as contractors by the higher-ranked Demon Lords. I can't believe such a formidable human was still available.’

Fortunately, his plan was not ruined just yet.

After all, the human had only become a contractor a few days ago.

No matter how renowned a general he had been in the human world, ranking battles in the demon realm followed an entirely different set of rules.

Eltima acknowledged Lee Shin’s boldness and talent, but he was still inexperienced in ranking battles.

‘Choosing the weak human race proves he’s still inexperienced.’

Commanding his own kind was probably what felt most familiar to him.

‘This war is nothing like the ones you know. I’ll make sure you understand that.’