Chapter 73: A fearsome curse
Chapter 73: A fearsome curse
Still, as he left, Riser regretted his decision to come to the human world since he didn't expect his visit to become so troublesome.
However, he didn't regret his previous cruel decision since if he let Issei talk as he wished, then where would his reputation be?
As for becoming Sirzech's enemy, weren't they an enemy in the first place?
Moreover, Riser knew that he needed to appear strong, or else he would be looked down upon.
Lastly, if he appeared weak, then the treatment and provocation he received would be even worse, especially when Issei was just a low-class devil.
If Riser could still smile under the mocks of Issei, then everyone would think of him as trash.
[You understand now, right?]
[What I am doing for you, in the beginning, is for your good.]
[In this world, no good people can have a good life.]
[Remember that cute blonde girl? She is a good girl, but in the end, she is killed and is reincarnated into a devil.]
[Then, that petite girl. She is a naive and cute girl, but in the end, due to the cruelty of the world, she becomes a deadpan and expressionless girl as if afraid to show a single weakness.]
[There is more example.]
"....."
[The only one who can live well as a devil is the bad guy.]
[So, be a villain!]
[Be proud of your conduct!]
[You have done a good job]
[I am proud of you.]
"....."
Riser had to say that he felt a bit comfortable, but at the same time, he knew that he couldn't get used to this.
Being overbearing, proud, and cold definitely wasn't his character.
If possible, he wanted to go back to the Underworld again.
Still, if he did that, he would be looked down upon.
Nevertheless, he wasn't swayed by the words of the system, and he believed this should be the only trouble that he had in the human world.
After this, there shouldn't be any more trouble.
Yes, he believed so!
Riser was going to become a good and obedient boy!
—or a lazy guy who spent all day at home playing games, reading manga, and having a paradise like every day.
Still, before that, let's see what the system was going to reward him.
[Of course, I am going to reward you.]
[Congratulations, you have received three random rewards.]
'Three? Is that okay?'
Riser felt even strange when he saw his rewards since the only time he got three random rewards was when he took care of all of his harems and also married Sona.
[It's the beginning of your villain-like life.]
'What if I don't want to?'
[It's okay. You don't kill that perverted dragon after all, so that guy might come back and provoke you, considering his lack of brain.]
"..."
Riser wanted to argue, but he couldn't
Still, should he have killed Issei?
Frankly, he had to admit that what Grayfia did to Issei was a little too much, but at the same time, he also knew the necessity to protect his dignity and name.
Moreover, while he thought it was a little too much, he knew what Issei had done; it wouldn't be weird for him to be killed.
[Let me give you some advice.]
Advice?
[Being cruel to your opponent means to be kind to yourselves.]
[Being kind to your opponent means to be cruel to yourselves.]
"......."
Riser fell in silence before he shook his head.
He had defeated Issei, whether it was before or now, and for those who had been defeated by him, he had never thought of them as his opponents.
Like a slot machine, an almost infinite number of lists of various things kept turning until it stopped showing the three rewards he received.
[Congratulations, you have received "Black Flash," "Sewing Mastery," and "Overtime"]
"..."
Were they good rewards?
Riser wasn't sure, so he decided to check them.
The first was the "Black Flash."
As it had such a name, he thought it would be a movement technique, but that didn't seem to be the case. Instead, it was a phenomenon of Japanese sorcery from a different world.
Now, what is "Black Flash?"
"Black Flash" is a distortion in space that occurs when energy is applied within 0.000001 seconds of a physical hit. When one is able to achieve this, their energy flashes black, and the destructive power of their strike is equal to a normal hit to the power of 2.5.
According to the explanation, unleashing "Black Flash" requires incredible concentration, and no one is capable of using it at will, yet he could do it at ease and will.
'In other words, with "Black Flash," my normal hit equals the power of 2.5?'
Frankly, it was a bit plain, but the effect was quite good.
After all, no matter what, all of his attacks now would equal 2.5 times the original as long as he applied "Black Flash."
Still, this wasn't all the effect of the "Black Flash" since, as long as he was using it, it would generate the feeling of omnipotence as if everything revolved around him.
If he had to explain it easier, it was like he experienced the "Zone," a state of mind that most of the professionals there had experienced in their lives, allowing him to operate at 120% of his maximum potential.
This "Zone" state might be the best thing for him as he didn't like to fight, so when he was in this state, he could forget all of his worries and distractions in his mind to focus on his fight.
Still, his second reward was a bit strange.
"Sewing Mastery."
So, he was a master of tailor and weaver now?
Still, as he received this ability, he also had the knowledge to easily and quickly make clothes, tools, accessories, etc. He could even perfectly and without a single flaw or mistake sew anything they wanted with zero effort and in a short amount of time.
So, was it a good reward?
Riser wasn't sure, but he knew he couldn't use this reward in the battle, so he focused on his last reward, whose name was rather weird.
Overtime.
It is a phenomenon where any hours someone works exceed their normally scheduled working hours.
In this case, it would be from nine to five on weekdays.
When those times passed, it would be counted as overtime, and during that overtime, his power would be doubled.
Yes, it doubled.
So, if he fought at night or early in the morning, his power would be doubled.
Naturally, it also included a holiday and weekends.
As long as he fought on those times and days when he was supposed to take a break, his power would be doubled.
"....."
Frankly, this reward was good, but at the same time, he also felt weird.
It felt like this ability would bring him a bad omen.
Though, once again, he had to say this reward was good since having double his power was great, right?
It might not be as great as "Boosted Gear," which could double the user's power every ten seconds, but unlike Issei, his base wasn't zero.
Moreover, this improvement would be natural in his body without affecting anything.
"By the way, did you do something to Hyoudou Issei before?"
"Why did you say that?"
He stopped thinking when Sona suddenly asked him a question.
"No, I am just curious. What did you do by snapping your fingers before?" Sona looked at her husband and asked, "So, did you do something?" Frankly, it wouldn't be weird for Riser to kill Issei, especially when this pervert also provoked him twice. She also didn't like Issei, but as expected, Issei was still Rias's peerage member, and even if their relationship was quite strange now, she still cared about her best friend.
Others also perked their ears, trying to listen.
After all, they felt that the ending was quite anticlimactic.
Riser was quite speechless since he noticed how curious they were. "I didn't do much. I just gave him a little curse."
"Curse? What kind?"
"A small curse."
"Small?"
"Yes, I just made part of his body small."
"...part of his body? Which part?"
Nimura, who was bubbly, couldn't help but ask curiously, but then everyone was staring at her blankly.
"Ah, um, I am sorry!"
Nimura quickly apologized as she bowed her head. She almost forgot what kind of demon King Riser was, though she couldn't be blamed since, unlike when he faced Issei, he was usually quite gentle.
The rest also thought so and knew that as long as he wasn't being provoked, he was relatively gentle.
"It's okay." Riser waved his hand, telling Nimura that he didn't mind, then looked at Saji and asked, "Saji, what do you think is the most important part of man?"
"Eh?" Saji was startled and fell into doubt.
Yet, not only Saji but everyone also started to think, trying to link the puzzle except for the stupid one who could only wait for the answer.
"..don't tell me?" Sona, his wife, who was the smartest among them, quickly realized what her husband had done.
Not only Sona but Shinra Tsubaki, Momo Hanakai, Reya Kusaka, and Tsubasa Yuri quickly realized what shocked them.
Even Saji...
"Ri-Riser-sama, don't tell me...?!"
Saji's expression was so pale as he squeezed his legs tightly.
"Eh? Eh?" 2x
Tomoe Meguri and Nimura felt confused.
"What is it? What is it?" 2x
Still—
"...just how small has it become?"
The quiet, gently braided young woman, Reya Kusaka, asked curiously with a blush since she knew how dirty her question was, but she was curious, okay? After all, it was her first time hearing such a curse.
"....."
Riser looked at Kusaka for a moment, causing her to lower her head shyly.
"Well, it should be as big as a grain now."
"....." Everyone.
Only Saji realized that Riser, the wife of his master, was definitely someone he couldn't turn into an enemy.
No matter what!