Inside the Demon King's Castle.

"Demon Lord, why let the new Hero leave?" a demon priest asked. "He’s only been here a short time. His loyalty isn’t solid yet. If he escapes like the last Hero, all our efforts would be wasted."

"No worries," the Dark Lord replied without a trace of concern. "Evelyn is with him. She’ll handle it."

Just then, another subordinate—a werewolf-like demon, though it was unclear if he was canine—spoke up. "But why gift the full Hero equipment set to him, my lord? Even a non-cultivator Hero could defeat many mid-to-high tier Demonfolk with that gear. It’s too risky. Evelyn isn’t combat-specialized. With such equipment, escaping wouldn’t be hard."

The Dark Lord kept his cold demeanor, voice flat. "Hero equipment is cheap. Past Heroes left plenty behind. One set means nothing. I know you distrust him—he’s only been here ten days. You fear he distrusts us too. But don’t you trust me?"

"Your subordinate dares not."

"Your subordinate dares not."

...

The surrounding Demonfolk hurriedly replied. Though the Dark Lord hadn’t conquered the world in all these years, they still feared speaking ill of him. Even after living countless centuries, they cherished their lives.

"This is a gamble," the Dark Lord continued. "You see me giving him equipment. But I’ve also placed the Heart of the Hero on Evelyn. It’s the most crucial weapon I’ll entrust to him."

All present were loyal subordinates. They knew the Heart of the Hero had been in the Dark Lord’s possession for years. They hadn’t expected him to give it to a Hero here less than a week.

Before they could voice concerns, the Dark Lord cut them off with a command.

"I’m tired. Dismissed."

How could the Dark Lord tire? As one of the world’s strongest beings, he stayed energetic for months without sleep—except after Hero battles.

They knew he’d ended the discussion. They bowed and retreated, though they’d surely debate this later.

Watching them leave the throne room, the Dark Lord removed his helmet. Unlike what Chu Xueyue had seen before, his head was now completely shrouded in black mist.

"You’ve all treated the Heart of the Hero as mere divine gear," he murmured. "Because it’s Hero-exclusive, you never studied it. It’s far more than that."

As he finished, the room plunged into total darkness.

Cut to the campus.

This place was packed—almost as chaotic as the Spring Festival travel rush. Chu Xueyue knew this academy was famous, but this was insane. It was an open day, yet few kids were around. Was this really an open day? And why so many stalls? Normally for children, but the variety here was overwhelming.

Most importantly—where were the cute girls? Stalls needed cute girls to draw crowds, right? If not girls, cute boys would do—I wouldn’t mind. Failing that, at least a handsome guy. None here?

Sighing, Chu Xueyue approached a stall run by a boy his age. No cute girls, and this stall had few customers. Buying something might let him gather intel.

He picked up a book from the stall. He only recognized the word "magic" on the cover; the rest was unreadable. Guess he still needed to learn this world’s script.

"How much?" Chu Xueyue asked.

"Fifty silver coins," the boy replied flatly. No wonder business was slow.

Chu Xueyue glanced around. Surprisingly, few items remained—thanks to the crowd.

"Here." He counted out fifty silver coins. He didn’t know the book’s content, but Albert said magic texts often cost gold coins. Silver coins felt like a steal.

"By the way, can I ask something?"

"Sure. What?" The boy’s tone warmed after the sale. Money really was the root of all evil.

"I’m new here today. Is it always this busy during events? Visitors aren’t kids, and why so many merchant stalls?"

"You’re new to the city? No wonder," the boy answered. "This is meant for kids to tour the magic academy. Students like us sell unused magic items."

"Oh. So something changed?"

"You’ve heard the Demon Lord revived, right?"

"Of course. I know." More than know—I’ve met him.

"That’s why merchants flooded in. The open day became a temporary market. Extra tickets were issued this year. Everyone’s here to trade."

"With the Demon Lord awake, people think weapons guarantee survival. Not surprising. But hey, your stuff sells better now, right?" Chu Xueyue remarked.

War was coming. More power meant a better shot at living, right?