With Park Han-young's help, Lee Shin set up the computer for a streaming environment and even tried a test broadcast in private, allowing him to roughly get the hang of things.

Park Han-young, who helped sincerely, received a sort of indulgence in return and resumed his personal streaming.

Of course, having been expelled from PaprikaTV, he had to start from scratch, but some loyal fans had followed him from PaprikaTV, so he seemed to be managing somehow.

Even Baek Ji-soo, who had been lured into conspiring with Park Han-young, started broadcasting as well, suggesting that they'd continue this way until military enlistment.

‘Not my concern.’

With his business done, Lee Shin erased the two from his memory.

But at that moment, a small black dot appeared in the air before his eyes.

The black dot gradually grew larger.

Lee Shin immediately realized that it was a summons from Gremory.

‘At least she’s calling me without startling me this time.’

Lee Shin reached out toward the black dot. The moment his hand touched it, he felt a sudden sensation as if his body was being sucked in.

Flaaash!

A moment later, when he opened his eyes, he saw Gremory.

“You didn’t get startled this time, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Have some tea. I just brewed it.”

They were sitting in a garden surrounded on all sides by red roses.

At a small white round tea table, they both sat down.

Luxurious teacups and saucers held black tea and various types of desserts.

Lee Shin brought the tea to his lips and sipped it slowly.

The fragrant aroma of the tea seemed to clear his mind.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it seems to be a good tea.”

“Are you challenging the next rank?”

“Yes.”

Gremory gave a brief explanation of the next opponent.

“The demon lord currently ranked 69th is Flauros.”

“Who is his Contractor?”

“A man named Sanada Masayuki. Do you know him?”

“I think I’ve heard the name, but I don’t know much.”

“He was said to be an excellent strategist during his lifetime. His race is Monster, and I believe he favors the Fifth Battlefield, Evil Hall.”

“Have you fought him before?”

“Yes, I lost to him once a long time ago.”

Gremory sighed deeply as she recounted the ranking battle from that time.

Her Contractor back then was the famous political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli.

Machiavelli had launched an attack with forces composed of upgraded crossbowmen, spearmen, and shield bearers.

It was a surefire strategy to win with a combination of three types of infantry. It reflected his personality, which was well-versed in Roman history.

But Sanada Masayuki used the geographical advantage of hills and the fast movement speed of monsters to defend against the assault.

He also sent hellhounds around the back to strike at Machiavelli’s main base.

When a flustered Machiavelli redirected his troops to protect his base, Sanada Masayuki ambushed them midway and annihilated the force.

After hearing the story, Lee Shin nodded.

‘It’s the textbook pattern of humanity losing to monsters in Spacecraft.’

Lee Shin was familiar with the geographical features of the Fifth Battlefield, Evil Hall.

The center of the battlefield was a wide-open plain—terrain that infantry shouldn’t recklessly charge into.

‘Just like the annihilation battle at Cannae.’

Since becoming a Contractor, Lee Shin had studied history when he had the time.

He couldn’t help but be reminded of the legendary battle where General Hannibal used the swift Numidian cavalry to surround and destroy the Roman army.

Machiavelli, an expert in Roman history, had been defeated just like the Romans were back then.

“I think I understand his style roughly. I’ll prepare based on the information you’ve given me.”

“Good. There’s plenty of time, so prepare to your satisfaction.”

“Yes.”

After finishing the tea and desserts, Lee Shin asked Gremory to send him to the battlefield immediately.

“We’re the ones issuing the challenge, so there’s no rush. You can rest today and take it slow starting tomorrow.”

“I’m fine. I’d like to practice.”

“To think you enjoy practicing. You’re truly a peculiar one. Thanks to that, I’m on a winning streak, though.”

She then sent Lee Shin to the Fifth Battlefield, Evil Hall.

“Gilles de Rais.”

[Would you like to summon Apostle Gilles de Rais?]

“Summon him.”

Soon, Gilles de Rais appeared before him.

“Did you call for me?”

“What race did you prefer to use during your time as a Contractor?”

“Monsters.”

Lee Shin nodded.

He had heard that about 60% of Contractors used monsters.

“That’s perfect. The next opponent is a monster user. Be my sparring partner.”

“Understood. By the way, who are the opponent’s demon lord and Contractor?”

“Flauros, Sanada Masayuki.”

“That man, huh.”

“Have you fought him before?”

Lee Shin asked, a little surprised.

Gilles de Rais had once been the Contractor of Eligor, a demon lord ranked 15th.

Lee Shin didn’t expect him to have had a ranking battle with Sanada Masayuki, who was under the 69th-ranked Flauros.

“Not as a Contractor.”

Gilles de Rais answered his question.

“I was summoned by a Contractor who preferred using Humans and fought against him.”

“How was he?”

“He was a man who fought without form.”

“I see.”

“You understand what I mean?”

“I understand.”

A hint of admiration appeared on Gilles de Rais’s face.

Lee Shin spoke.

“Can you imitate that style exactly?”

“Yes, I can. Although it’s a style I don’t particularly enjoy.”

Lee Shin nodded.

There were a few monstrous players in the e-sports pro league who used that kind of style.

That kind of style lacked stability, so it always ended up being a high-risk, tightrope-walking kind of match.

And so, the practice began.

Gilles de Rais was indeed quite skilled.

As a former Contractor who specialized in monsters, he was extremely proficient.

From the beginning, multiple Hellhounds were summoned, swiftly traversing the battlefield and pressuring Lee Shin.

They struck right at the weak point of Humans, who are vulnerable early on and must focus on defense, forcing a passive start.

As a result, Lee Shin frequently failed to overcome the early-game gap and ended up losing.

“Contractor, are you alright?”

Gilles de Rais asked with concern.

It was a question implying whether it was inevitable to keep losing when playing as a Human.

“This battlefield is disadvantageous for Humans.”

“Indeed. There are two paths leading to the main base, so defending against monsters will be difficult.”

That was true.

Unusually, the 5th battlefield, Evil Hall, had two exits leading out from the main base.

And outside those two exits were two mana stone gathering fields.

To put it in Space Craft terms, it meant that the natural and back expansions were directly attached to the main base.

Thanks to this, monsters could easily expand to two bases and grow rapidly in the early game.

Then, while Humans were forced to invest in early defense, the mana gap would grow significantly, leading to overwhelming fights.

Against average opponents, Lee Shin’s management skills would have been enough to overcome the gap. But Gilles de Rais, a former Contractor of a high-ranking Demon Lord, was far from average.

“Sanada Masayuki isn’t an easy opponent either.”

“Why not temporarily switch races, then?”

“There are upper-ranking Contractors who choose Humans, right?”

Lee Shin countered.

Gilles de Rais nodded.

“Yes, there are.”

“Do they also choose different races when fighting monsters on this 5th battlefield?”

“...I don’t think so.”

“Then that’s enough. There must be a way. I just haven’t found it yet.”

From Lee Shin’s perspective, the training had only just begun.

Like a pro gamer preparing for an important match by playing dozens or hundreds of practice games, there was no reason to panic yet.

‘First, I need to time my weapon upgrades as early as possible.’

Lee Shin began adjusting his build order to fit the characteristics of the 5th battlefield.

Gradually, the win-loss score, which had overwhelmingly favored Gilles de Rais, began to shift as Lee Shin's victories increased.

Eventually, it became difficult for Gilles de Rais to beat Lee Shin at all.

Even as Gilles de Rais tried switching up his patterns and responding differently, Lee Shin’s strategies adapted fluidly every time.

Gilles de Rais couldn’t keep up with Lee Shin’s improvisation.

“At this point, I don’t think anyone can beat you on this battlefield, Contractor.”

“We won’t know until I actually face him.”

Lee Shin did not draw conclusions hastily.

“But we’ve done all the preparation we can.”

“Yes.”

“Just in case, let’s practice on other battlefields too.”

“Understood.”

And so, Lee Shin immersed himself in practice without rest.

A tall, handsome white man was galloping across the plains on horseback.

When someone began approaching from the distance, he gradually slowed his pace.

Once the person drew close enough for him to recognize their face, a peculiar expression crossed the white man’s face.

“Now that’s an unexpected guest.”

The white man brought his horse to a stop.

The approaching figure also slowed down, trotting toward him at a calm pace.

He was an Asian man with black hair, a head shorter than the white man. His neatly groomed beard contrasted with his sharp, nervous-looking eyes.

“It’s been a while, Joachim Murat.”

The Asian man spoke.

The white man, Joachim Murat, grinned broadly.

“Hey there, Sanada Masayuki. It’s been a while since our last bout, hasn’t it?”

The Asian man was none other than Sanada Masayuki, a general from Japan’s Sengoku period.

The reason two men from different eras, lands, and languages could meet and talk was because this was the Demon Realm.

Sanada Masayuki’s brows furrowed.

In a past ranking match, he had been defeated by Joachim Murat.

“I never imagined I’d be up against a guy who charged in like a wild boar.”

“Hah! That wild boar fought his way up to become a king.”

“Hmph, I lost, so I can’t deny that strength.”

“You’re not here to flatter me, are you?”

“I came to ask something.”

“It’s about Gremory’s Contractor, isn’t it?”

“So you know.”

“Come to think of it, Gremory had 119,000 mana, right? How much does your Demon Lord, Flauros, have?”

“121,000.”

“Not much difference. You must be worried.”

“I don’t want a long speech. Just get to the point. What kind of guy was Gremory’s Contractor?”

“Hmm? I don’t quite remember.”

“I’ll give you 50 mana if you recall.”

“Oh! Incredible! A whole 50 mana!”

Joachim Murat exaggerated theatrically. Sanada Masayuki’s brows knit together.

“100 mana. But you have to tell me the full story of the ranking match.”

“Hmm, what should I do?”

“It’s not a bad deal, is it?”

“I’m not so sure. I actually want Gremory’s Contractor to win.”

“...What do you mean?”

“I’m waiting for that guy to hurry up and win, then move up to the higher ranks and get out of here.”

“......”

“I really don’t want to fight him again. He gives off a scent similar to Bonaparte.”

“Now I really want to hear more.”

Sanada Masayuki’s eyes glinted sharply.

“Well then, fork over the 100 mana first.”

Sanada Masayuki handed over a portion of his mana to Joachim Murat.

Though it was a story of his own defeat, Joachim Murat began recounting it cheerfully.