Forsaken By The Gods, I Made A Contract With the Demon King

Was it an illusion? An innate ability? Or just the advanced technology of Earth? Levi couldn't tell.

What unfolded before him was a scene of dense jungle—nothing like the eerie, barren landscapes of Paradise. Lush green vegetation surrounded him, the air was thick with moisture, and the atmosphere was damp. It was almost as if he had been teleported to a different place entirely.

Levi had a thought seeing this.

'Should I use Lunacy now?'

His Lunacy not only aided in offense but also provided protection against mind attacks. Perhaps it could fend off the illusion, at least to some extent.

But he decided against it.

Fending off an illusion designed as part of the test wouldn't help him here.

So, Levi waited.

Suddenly, something appeared before him.

> Pick a Weapon

The mechanical voice returned.

A projection screen materialized, displaying countless weapon options, with a scrolling bar indicating more to explore.

Levi, curious, began scrolling through the choices. From basic swords to complex whips, the selection was vast.

Then, something caught his eye.

His interest was piqued, and he selected it.

The projection vanished, and in its place, a pair of long handles materialized. They were long enough to fit into the hand.

Levi grabbed them, and the weapon began to form.

Two short sickles sprouted from one end of each handle, while a long chain connected them from the other end.

'Whoa… this is interesting,' Levi thought as he swung the weapon experimentally.

Though only the handles were physically real, it felt like he was wielding an actual weapon. The rest, though part of the illusion, responded as if tangible.

Before he could dwell on it, the mechanical voice spoke again.

> Defeat the monster that will appear within 10 minutes.

The ground rumbled beneath him.

What materialized next was grotesque—an unnatural fusion of a horse and a crocodile. It had the muscular body of a horse, with hooves so large and menacing

Levi was sure one stomp would kill him twice. But from where the horse's neck should have been, the long, gaping maw of a crocodile took its place. The tail wasn't soft fur, but a spiked reptilian appendage.

'Disgusting,' Levi thought.

'And frightening, a bit.'

Wasn't this too much for a test?

Though the power level of the creature wasn't overwhelming—it seemed to be at the peak of essence, if Levi was correct—it still felt excessive for a regular student.

No matter.

Levi decided this was as good a time as any to try out his new weapon.

The creature locked eyes with Levi and charged.

Levi calmly watched as the grotesque creature charged, its heavy hooves making the ground tremble beneath him.

Despite its intimidating size and power, Levi wasn't particularly concerned. He had fought stronger monsters before, including a pseudo-fallen rank, and although he now lacked the artifacts that usually buffed his abilities, his confidence remained all the same.

Gripping the handles of his newly formed weapon—a pair of short sickles connected by a retractable chain—Levi swung them experimentally. The weapon's speed and flexibility impressed him, but there was no denying his unfamiliarity with it.

A finesse was required to wield the weapon that he simply didn't have.

By then the beast was upon him, lunging with terrifying speed.

Levi sidestepped, swinging one of the sickles toward the creature's neck. The blade bit into its thick, leathery hide but did little more than scratch the surface.

'Do I need to put more strength?' he wondered.

Retrieving the sickle, Levi quickly decided to change tactics.

He aimed for the beast's legs, intending to use the chain to immobilize it.

With a swift motion, he hurled one of the sickles. The chain unraveled in a deadly arc, but his unfamiliarity with the weapon betrayed him.

It wrapped around the monster's leg but failed to fully entangle it. The beast roared in rage, kicking furiously and dislodging the weapon from Levi's grip entirely.

"This is harder than I thought!"

Levi cursed under his breath, watching as the beast's wild thrashing sent the chain weapon flying.

The beast, now enraged, stomped and thrashed, the chain whipping around as it went on a rampage. Levi had no choice but to release the other handle, watching as his weapon was lost in the chaos. Now, he stood with both hands empty, staring at the enraged creature that had just crushed his weapon underfoot.

"Well, this is fine too," he muttered.

He hadn't been relying on the weapon to win this fight anyway. He was merely curious about how it worked.

The beast fixed its eyes on him again, its massive crocodilian maw snapping as it prepared for another charge. Levi, however, remained unphased.

'This thing isn't strong enough for me to need a weapon,' he thought.

As the beast lunged once more, Levi didn't bother dodging. Instead, he ran toward it, matching its momentum with reckless confidence.

At the last second, he jumped, planting his foot on the creature's shoulder and vaulting onto its back. The monster bucked wildly, trying to throw him off, but Levi held on tight, his legs wrapped firmly around its torso.

With a grin, Levi raised his fist and smashed it down onto the creature's head. A loud crack echoed as bone shattered under his strength. The beast let out a strangled cry, convulsing beneath him. But Levi wasn't finished.

Again and again, he slammed his fist into the creature's skull, each hit accompanied by a sickening crunch.

His knuckles ached, but the creature's resistance waned with every blow.

'How does everything feel so real within this illusion?' Levi wondered.

'Maybe this creature is a summoned entity or maybe an Avatar? Definitely not just an illusion.'

He didn't have time to dwell on the thought. Blood splattered across his face and arms as the monster's movements grew more erratic and weaker. Finally, with one last devastating punch, the beast collapsed, lifeless.

Panting slightly but otherwise calm, Levi sat atop the dead creature.

The jungle illusion remained eerily vivid around him, though he knew the battle was over. Standing, he wiped the blood from his face and surveyed the scene one last time.

As expected, the mechanical voice returned.

>Assessment complete.

>Time: 1 minute and 47 seconds.

>You have passed the second assessment.

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