Gonna Be a Demon King!
Chapter 98: The Prestigious Facility

Chapter 98: The Prestigious Facility

The two demons exchanged a glance before the one closer to the radio raised it again and spoke.

[Use your demonic energy or magic power. Circulate it through your body to resist the force. Resist like your life is on the line, because it is. If you can’t resist, your body will be crushed under the pressure.

This is basic gravitational resistance training.]

As he spoke, his partner reached for the dial beside the control panel and began to slowly turn it. By the time it had rotated forty-five degrees, even Xaren could feel it.

He could also feel his Unique Skill automatically draining his energy to make his body adapt.

As for the others, they responded to the instructions with nods and grunts, already dripping with sweat as they focused on controlling their breathing and resisting the crushing force.

The session continued for the next hour, with the demons cranking up the gravity every fifteen minutes.

All the while, Naephas and the muscular demon were deep in conversation nearby, casually discussing various topics without once glancing toward the chamber opposite them where the young demons struggled repeatedly fell and got back up.

Once the chamber had run its course, it wound down, and the artificial gravity returned to normal.

[This is what you’ll be doing for three hours every day until you reach your destination. It’s nothing like the Low-Level planet you came from, so if you skip this, the ambient energy concentration might just kill you the moment you arrive.

Take it seriously. Not that you really have a choice.]

At that, the door slid open, and the five stepped out, drenched in sweat, breathing heavily, clothes clinging to their skin.

When they looked to their left, they saw another group of five had just exited the chamber next to theirs, a silent explanation of why that other High-Rank demon was present.

The two demons who operated the Adaptation Chamber snapped their fingers, casting quick spells to clean them up before turning to Naephas and the broad-shouldered demon.

"Briefing would be in Conference Hall Eight."

The two nodded and got up, heading down the corridor without a word. Naturally, the Low-Ranks they’d brought here followed them like ducklings following their mother hens.

As they moved, another group approached from the opposite end—five more demons led by a tall, violet-skinned High-Rank Demon with pointed ears and scarred arms, a smirk on his face as he caught sight of Naephas.

"Well, well, Naephas. Finally of that dump, aren’t we? How’s it feel to be going home after five years in that pit?"

Naephas didn’t even slow down as he turned left at the intersection of the corridors.

"Don’t call your training ground a dump, you idiot," he said flatly, then smacked the back of the violet-skinned demon’s hand with a flick of his own.

The other demon just laughed, shrugging, and the two groups walked down the corridor together without a word.

Eventually, they arrived at a large circular hall, lined with evenly spaced doors. Without pause, they made their way to the one marked with a bold number 8 across the double doors.

Upon entering, they found seven other High-Rank Demons, each with five of their own recruits standing behind them.

When Naephas and his group entered, the total rose to ten High-Ranks and fifty recruits.

Almost immediately after they stepped into the hall, another High-Rank Demon, dressed in a brown variant of their standard uniform, entered through a side door and strode to the centre, eyes sweeping the room.

"Good. Everyone’s here."

The man barely had a second to continue speaking before Naephas stepped forward and asked.

"Why was the schedule moved up? They haven’t even been briefed yet."

The demon responded without delay. "There are going to be complications along the interstellar route. We need to leave earlier and get you out of here before things heat up."

Naephas frowned at this. "Complications?"

"The giants are up to something," the other demon replied.

His response made Naephas’ frown deepen.

"First it was the angels. Now the giants?"

At those words, the other High-Rank Demons all snapped their gazes toward him, their narrowed eyes betraying their curiosity.

One of them voiced the question that was clearly in the minds of all the others. "What do you mean, ’first it was the angels’?"

Naephas didn’t even spare them a glance as he responded.

"Galactic Command would send out a memo in a few days. You’ll know then."

The tension in the room thickened as the others stared at him, but he ignored their gazes and turned back to the brown-uniformed demon before asking.

"So you’re doing the briefing?"

"Yes," came his reply. "As for the ten of you High-Ranks, your own briefing will take place in Conference Hall 7. Proceed there."

With that, the High-Rank demons moved. Some bade their recruits farewell, while others didn’t even bother sending a glance back as they left.

As for Naephas, he turned to his group and pointed at the brown-uniformed demon.

"Listen to what this one tells you. You’re in his hands now."

Then he turned and walked off with the others.

Once the ten of them were gone, the brown-uniformed demon clasped his hands behind his back and began addressing the group.

"Now then, you’re all probably confused. You probably don’t even understand what’s going on. So, I’ll be kind enough to explain it to you."

With a snap of his fingers, a hologram of the planet Zorix flickered into view before him as he began speaking.

"You’re leaving the planet Zorix. Or rather, you already have. Your destination is somewhere else in the galaxy.

If you don’t know what a galaxy is, I’m not here to teach you. You’ll be taught that where you’re going—Area 1."

He paused, letting the hologram fade before continuing.

"I’m sure you’ve heard that name being thrown around, and now, I’ll tell you what it is.

It is one of, if not the most prestigious training facility in this galaxy that’s under the Demon Race’s control.

It is quite literally a school. However, entry is not something that’s open to just anyone."

Walking closer, he continued.

"You’re here because the owner of Area 1 selected you.

Not a dean, headmaster or principal like a typical school, but the owner. And in his eyes, you fifty, from this backwater planet we’re currently hovering above, are worth the time."

He moved between the rows of recruits, eyes surveying them one by one.

"There, you’ll be trained. Educated. You’ll be moulded into fine combatants for the Demon Race.

Of course, you won’t be spending your time doing practice swings all day. You’ll be sent on missions—most of which involve warfare on other planets.

The usual pace is one mission per quarter—four per year. But that’s just the baseline. How things turn out for your batch depends on Lord Xynax."

He put a lot of emphasis on the name, his eyes narrowing as he continued.

"Lord Xynax is the owner of Area 1. In his eyes, you are uncut diamonds. Raw, rough stones to be cut, refined and polished to shine across the galaxy and across the greater universe."

He came to a stop behind them, his tone hardening.

"The maximum amount of time you can spend in Area 1 is five years. But do not, that is the maximum.

Not everyone gets that far.

Lord Xynax makes every decision about who stays and who leaves. If you fall short, if you fail to adapt, if you cannot meet the standard—you’ll be evicted.

And it will go on your galactic record that you were evicted from Area 1. But don’t worry—most of the time, those who manage to get into Area 1 in the first place but end up evicted don’t have it too bad.

Depending on how long you spend there and the reasons for your eviction, it can either be a blight on your record... or it might actually enhance it."

Making his way to the front of the group, he clapped his hands, summoning a group of Mid-Rank demons who entered from outside the conference hall. As they stepped in, he moved toward his conclusion.

"For those of you who manage to complete the five-year course—good for you. That’s all I’ll say.

You’ll be enlightened about the benefits of completing the course when you’re there."

With a gesture toward the Mid-Ranks who had entered at his summons, the brown-uniformed demon wrapped up his speech.

"These guys will direct you to your rooms. Rest while you can."

And with that, the journey to Area 1 officially began.