Today's the day I'll be thrown into this nasty world after being sheltered my whole life.
I am so pitiful.
Deceived by my late grandma. Betrayed by my parents. And now cursed with the title of Demon Lord. As if life wasn't already difficult enough.
I was slouched in misery when Aarav slapped my shoulder hard enough to straighten my spine, shoved me into the car, and dragged me off to the Hunter's Association to take the test.
On the way, I considered jumping out of the car... but then remembered—there's nowhere in this world I could run from the DA Group.
EHHHH…
Why was I born into such an influential, filthy rich, famous, and idealistic family? And why as the sole heir?
Noticing that I had started slouching again, Aarav patted my shoulder and said with a forced smile—because the driver was watching from the mirror, "Don't make me cut your supply of Hico Chocolates. I'll also tell the chef to stop using MSG in your food if you keep sulking like this."
"Y-You're so cruel!" I cried. "You devil, demon, chocolate thief!"
The driver chuckled at the last part, but quickly corrected his expression and focused on the road again.
Aarav raised his eyebrows and said, "Yes, I am the Demon Lord!"
I froze in panic. "How do you know that?! Who else knows? I'm doomed!"
"What?! What are you talking about? I was joking!" Aarav blinked. "You seriously took that seriously? Don't we always joke like that?"
Realizing how close I was to exposing myself, I quickly covered up. "Haha, yes, yes! I was joking too. Why are you panicking?"
"Oh, I am?" Aarav raised a brow and then burst out laughing.
I pouted. "I was going to help you, but not anymore! You're so mean. I'm going to torment you as my secretary until death does us part!"
He clutched his stomach, laughing harder. Wiping away a tear, he said, "What is that? Are you proposing to me now? Mwahaha!"
"You meanie," I mumbled. "Just let me fail. I'll drag you down with me."
I stared out the window, wondering what kind of test I'd have to take to become a hunter. I secretly hoped it involved fighting. I might get injured, but at least failing would be easier that way.
---
The Test Begins
Lost in thought, I didn't even notice when we reached the building. Aarav opened the door for me, and I stepped out, following him inside.
We were greeted by the director of the Hunter Association, who bowed respectfully and escorted us straight to the written exam room.
Honestly, I expected something nightmarishly difficult. But to my dismay, the questions were the kind of stuff I solved in elementary school. I couldn't fail even if I wanted to. At that point, it was a matter of pride.
No worries, I thought. I'll flunk the next part and get eliminated.
Next, they sent me into a large, white room. A voice from the speaker instructed me to place my hand on the black crystal orb in front of me.
I remembered Dad once saying that red and yellow were the best colors anyone had gotten in the last few decades. I prayed I wouldn't get either of them.
Maybe the heavens pitied me, because the orb turned white.
I was overjoyed. I wanted to dance. But I put on a miserable face and walked out with slumped shoulders.
For some reason, Aarav was grinning like an idiot. Strange… Maybe he was just trying to cheer me up.
---
The "Congratulations" Nobody Asked For
The director led us to his office and offered us beverages and snacks. There was chocolate, so obviously, I took it.
As I was happily munching away, someone knocked on the door. A pretty lady walked in holding a card. She extended it to me and said:
"Congratulations, Mr. Yug. From now on, you are a C-Rank Hunter. You may form parties, create guilds, purchase dungeons, commission customized weapons, and access special benefits."
I choked.
The chocolate bar fell from my hands.
"What the—?! How did I pass?! Don't new hunters start at E-rank?! What kind of corrupt scheme is this?! How much did you get paid, huh?! Tell me!"
As I flailed and ranted, Aarav calmly placed his hand over my mouth, bowed to the director, and dragged me out.
---
Common Sense Is Not So Common
"Let go of me!" I protested. "I thought you were righteous! How could you let them pull something like this?!"
Aarav sighed and motioned for me to sit beside him in the car.
Then he said, "Your dad was right. You have absolutely no common sense when it comes to the Hunter System. You never actually studied it, did you?"
I pouted. "I did! I always passed my tests!"
Aarav rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. You, your parents, and I all know that you hypnotized your teacher into giving you good grades. The written test you thought was 'easy' was actually really hard for everyone else. Didn't you notice the other candidates around you? Those questions are part of graduate and doctoral-level training!"
My mouth hung open.
"And the white color?" Aarav continued. "That's the highest possible mana level. You didn't just deserve C-rank—you probably qualified for B-rank too."