Frieren: Reincarnated As a Demon

Chapter 150: The exam turns into a transaction

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Holding Lawine, who had unexpectedly quieted down, Ash walked through the narrow corridor until they reached a spacious hall.

At the entrance to the next passage, two gargoyle statues stood poised to transform. However, before they could, several glowing orbs of light appeared beside them. The orbs unleashed a barrage of powerful magic, blasting the gargoyles and the wall behind them into rubble.

Amid the deafening noise and swirling smoke, Ash strolled forward with an air of nonchalance. His steps remained steady and unrushed, as though the destruction around him were nothing unusual.

Lawine, held securely in his arms, unconsciously stared at him in awe. After a moment, she murmured,

"Uncle, you're really amazing..."

"It's okay to praise me more, you know," Ash replied with a smirk.

"Hmph... I don't want to." Although her tone was still sharp, her attitude had softened significantly compared to before. After a brief pause, she asked, "Honestly, you're so strong... why are you even taking the exam?"

"Because I want the privileges," Ash replied simply.

"...No, really, why would someone as strong as you even need privileges? I'm starting to think you might want to kill gods or conquer the world..."

"Actually, I do want to conquer the world," Ash said casually, as if it were the most natural thing.

"Ah?" Lawine blinked, dumbfounded. "Why?"

"There are a lot of reasons. Some are personal goals I've had for a while. Others are things my friends wanted before they passed... and, well, future plans. At this point, there's no turning back."

"Even a friend's last wish...?"

Although his tone was serious, Lawine frowned slightly. She suspected he might be making it up to tease her.

No... wait. He hasn't really lied to me before. But still, this can't be serious, can it? Lawine looked up at him, trying to decipher his expression. After a long moment of fruitless thinking, she gave up with a sigh.

They hadn't walked much farther when they unexpectedly came across Ubel, Wirbel, and Kanne. The trio was being chased by Denken, Richter, and the clone of a tall female magician.

When the group spotted Ash, their eyes lit up with hope. However, Ash simply turned around and walked away with Lawine still in his arms, leaving the group completely stunned.

Lawine widened her eyes in disbelief. "…You really don't plan to help them?"

"They don't seem to be in any real danger of dying," Ash replied casually. "I've already said excessive interference isn't a good thing."

"I thought you'd at least take special care of Kanne," Lawine muttered.

"I like Kanne, but over-pampering her wouldn't be good for her growth."

"..."

The word "like," spoken so casually, made Lawine pause, unsure how to respond. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly decided against it. After all, she knew there was no strange meaning behind his words.

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As they ventured deeper underground, they encountered many others. Some were being chased by clones and monsters, others were locked in combat, while some were trying to escape traps.

Ash, however, ignored all of it, pressing forward without pause until they reached the deepest part of the dungeon.

There, they found Denken's team, the plump female magician Edel, and several others gathered.

Feeling the weight of her embarrassment in front of so many people, Lawine's shame surged. She wriggled free from Ash's arms, determined to stand on her own even if it hurt.

Fortunately, someone at the scene had a holy book and enthusiastically offered to heal her wounds. After all, the larger the group, the greater their combined strength—a necessity because...

"Sense's clone is guarding the inner chamber..." Denken muttered with a frustrated expression. He pressed himself against the wall, cautiously observing the clone girl standing at the heart of the ruined land inside.

Edel, along with her two companions, was also present, their tense faces reflecting the gravity of the situation.

Now, seeing the familiar replica again, Edel pointed at it in frustration:

"—Didn't we agree that you would get rid of that guy? Why is she still here?"

"You said at the time that I was just supposed to deal with it. I helped you escape smoothly by keeping her distracted, didn't I?"

"—You're cheating! You're cutting corners!"

"Think about it yourself. Everything's been smooth so far. All you need to do is get past Sense, and you'll pass. Plus, I already helped you bypass Sense's clone once. That's definitely a big advantage, right?"

"But you still haven't solved the problem! That guy is a monster!"

It was hard for Edel to completely refute his reasoning, but she wasn't going to let him shift the blame. Sense's mere presence was daunting.

Even just standing there, Sense's oppressive aura was overwhelming. Denken, who was widely recognized as the strongest person present besides Ash, had no confidence in winning against her. Even if the entire group joined forces, the outcome didn't seem promising.

As everyone stood there, paralyzed with uncertainty, Denken suddenly turned to Ash and said, "You're always collecting magic, right?"

"…You're planning to make a deal too?" Ash asked, his tone skeptical.

"How about the Wind Flame Magic and the Light of Judgment?"

"Although I really want to say I'm a principled person who wouldn't accept bribes and ruin my reputation, sometimes..." Ash sighed, lowering his head as if in deep thought. "Sometimes, reputation and principles aren't as important as making sure everyone gets through safely. But, Denken, is this enough for you? Even if you pass this round, there's still the third test. If you're not careful, you could die."

"No matter how powerful a magician is, if all they know is how to fight, they are still weak. I've seen too many stronger magicians than me persecuted after they lost their power," Denken replied firmly.

"What are you trying to say?"

"The method doesn't matter. As long as I can achieve a good result, that's enough. A court magician will fight and struggle, no matter how ugly it looks, until the very end. I will pass this exam, even if it's by the third test," Denken said with unwavering belief. He didn't care about the means, fully confident in his ability to succeed.

Since Denken had made his stance clear, Ash naturally had no way to stop him. He turned to the rest of the group and asked, "What about the rest of you? Are you thinking the same thing?"

"Wait a minute… you're not planning to make deals with everyone, are you?" Edel asked, her tone full of suspicion. "I don't have anything left to trade! Don't go too far!"

"…Wasn't it you who begged me to trade in the first place?" Ash replied, shaking his head and sighing. "Don't worry, I won't repeat the same transaction. Those of you who traded with me in the last exam will pass directly. But for the others, I can't just ignore my principles and let them through for free. That wouldn't be fair to you or Denken, would it?"

"…To be honest, I'm starting to worry whether the Magic Association will punish you for this," Richter in the crowd muttered. Even so, he handed over the magic book containing his earth magic without hesitation.

After all, this exam required risking one's life, and as long as they could pass, everything else was worth the cost.

Following Richter's lead, the others began handing over the magic books they had brought, one after another.

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Note: With this Extra chapters are done, from tomorrow 3 chapter a day

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Mission: "The Power Stones Ascent"

Objective: Climb as high as possible in the power ranking system and maintain the spot for a week.

Rewards:

Rank 1-5: 3 chapters a day

Rank 6-12: 2 chapters a day

Rank 13-20: 4 extra chapters

Punishment: If we fail to reach at least the top 20, you'll only get 1 chapter a day.

Current Ranking: 6-12

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