“You seem quite confident.”

“Casanova doesn’t seem like much of a problem. What I’m more curious about are the contractors ranked above him.”

“Kaiser, you are the most recent human to become a contractor. All the other contractors are people from eras before yours. Most of them are renowned figures you would already be familiar with.”

Hearing that, Lee Shin felt a strange sensation.

Napoleon, Hannibal, Alexander, Caesar, Genghis Khan, Han Xin…

Even just thinking about military geniuses, there were plenty.

If the genius of such figures had been combined with their long experience in the Ranking Wars, just how powerful would they be?

Of course, not all of these famous figures would have made contracts with demons.

But just as he had accepted the contract because of his injured wrist, they too might have had desperate wishes of their own.

‘I’m going to meet countless figures from world history here.’

Going head-to-head with legendary heroes in a real-time strategy simulation!

It was both terrifying and thrilling at the same time.

“The highest-ranked demon lords currently hold contractors who were once renowned as military geniuses. And, like me, there are also those who have fallen due to poor choices in contractors.”

“Who was your previous contractor, Gremory?”

Lee Shin asked out of curiosity.

Gremory let out a sigh.

“A man named Niccolò Machiavelli. Let’s not talk about that.”(Fun Fact: The author of this novel is Nicolo)

“Understood.”

The name Machiavelli, famous for The Prince, surprised him, but he chose not to pry further.

There was no need to bring up memories of downfall and humiliation.

And so, it was decided that he would challenge Amdusias, the current 71st-ranked demon lord.

Starting the next day, Lee Shin trained with Gremory in the Second Battlefield, Blue Rain.

Though it was called training, Gremory didn’t actually do anything.

Lee Shin took his time analyzing the terrain of Blue Rain. He sent out a large number of slaves to scout every corner of the battlefield.

‘It would be better if I could walk around and see it myself.’

Unfortunately, the Ranking Wars had strict rules.

[Commanders cannot leave the area where their faction’s buildings are located, nor can they exert any physical influence.]

In other words, he couldn’t move around and scout personally.

Nor could he physically fight.

That meant reconnaissance had to be left entirely to the summoned units.

‘Go deeper in and take a closer look.’

“Yes, contractor!”

The slave scouting the three o’clock sector was the same elderly man as before.

During the Ranking War against the high-ranking demon Eltima, this elderly slave had played a crucial role by successfully scouting the enemy.

Since then, Lee Shin always selected him when summoning a slave.

Normally, summons were chosen at random from Hell, but a contractor could specify a particular individual if they wished.

The elderly slave diligently scouted, acting as Lee Shin’s eyes and ears.

‘This battlefield is indeed perfect for strategic maneuvers.’

It had many concealed areas where buildings could be hidden without being noticed by the enemy.

Additionally, there was a narrow path leading to the mana stone harvesting site in front of the main base, making it ideal for surprise attacks.

Overall, it was a complex terrain with many winding paths.

In other words, a battlefield that encouraged high-risk, high-reward plays.

Casanova might have been versatile, but Lee Shin had never heard of him achieving anything significant in any particular field.

That meant he had never dedicated himself to mastering a single discipline.

The fact that Casanova used three different races in the Ranking Wars also hinted at such a nature.

‘I can roughly predict his approach.’

However, using three different races meant there were too many variables.

Lee Shin surveyed the battlefield and systematically committed every possible scenario to memory.

‘It's done. Now, return.’

The elderly man, having received the order, hurried back to the main base.

“Were you satisfied?”

The elderly man bowed deeply.

Lee Shin nodded.

Following orders unconditionally, regardless of one’s own will, was a commonality between games and the Ranking Wars.

However, unlike games, the abilities and skills varied depending on who was summoned.

In practice matches, Lee Shin summoned as many people as possible and observed them, memorizing the faces of those who proved to be competent.

‘I can't directly control them, but I can improve my odds by summoning capable people.’

And so, Lee Shin gradually grasped the intricacies of the Ranking Wars.

Finally, the day of the challenge arrived.

Gremory and Lee Shin arrived at the palace of their opponent, Amdusias.

Gremory placed a hand on Lee Shin’s shoulder and teleported instantly, bringing them to the center of Amdusias’s palace hall in the blink of an eye.

The palace hall was empty.

The chilling silence was almost eerie.

“Shouldn’t we look for someone?”

At Lee Shin’s question, Gremory shook her head.

“He already knows. We wouldn’t have been able to teleport here without his approval. He will appear soon, so just wait.”

And, as expected—

Soon, a beautiful melody began to flow from somewhere.

A cacophony of instruments played wildly, yet, miraculously, all the sounds blended into an orderly and serene harmony. It was mesmerizing.

Lee Shin couldn’t tell where it was coming from. No matter how much he looked around, he couldn't find any musicians.

And then—

- Well, well, who do we have here?

A strange voice rang out, akin to the sound of string instruments being plucked.

Descending the long staircase that connected to the second floor was a peculiar figure.

It was not human.

A white horse with a mane the color of ominous blood-red flames.

A long horn protruded from its forehead.

Its eyes lacked pupils.

A dark aura, like mist, shrouded its entire body.

It resembled the unicorns of legend, but there was no doubt—this was a demon.

That one-horned being was none other than the 71st-ranked demon lord, once ranked 67th—Amdusias.

The music that had started with Amdusias’s arrival continued to resonate throughout the palace.

Listening to it for too long, Lee Shin felt his stomach churn.

At that moment, Gremory took hold of his hand.

The instant he felt her warmth, the nausea vanished as if it had been a lie. Not only that, but the music also faded into silence.

“His music manipulates the hearts of those who hear it. Do not let go of my hand from now on.”

“Understood.”

Lee Shin broke out in a cold sweat.

As expected of a demon lord.

He hadn't truly grasped the weight of that title when looking at the gentle Gremory, but there was no mistaking it—she was still a ruler among demons. Even Amdusias, ranked as low as 71st, radiated an overwhelming aura of dread.

Amdusias, the sinister unicorn, gazed at Lee Shin with its eyeless stare.

Despite its lack of pupils, Lee Shin could feel its gaze piercing him.

- So, you are the rumored new contractor?

“That’s right.”

Gremory answered in his stead.

Lee Shin was overwhelmed by an inexplicable fear, unable to speak.