I am no longer human!

Chapter 20 The Ladder of Will, Reaching the Top!

The College of Babylon, the Abyss of the Climbers.

"call..."

Seeing the black-haired boy, who had previously stopped at the fifth floor, start running again, the magician Sean, standing at the top of the valley, let out a long sigh of relief.

That was close; my head almost got kicked like a ball.

Sean turned around and looked at the two teachers behind him who were dumbfounded. He grinned, a smile with a hint of childlike smugness.

The magician then gracefully removed his top hat and bowed deeply.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the performance has begun!"

...

On the other side, when the group of demon newbies below the Heavenly Ladder saw Damian run again after reaching the fifth floor and reach the sixth floor at an extremely fast speed, they felt as if a string called reason had snapped in their minds.

"What...what a joke! Am I dreaming? Can someone slap me?" A minotaur demon stared wide-eyed, his mouth agape enough to fit a fist.

"Slap! Slap! Here's another slap for you, don't hold back." The demon who looked like a monkey next to him slapped him twice without any politeness.

The bull-headed demon wasn't annoyed; it simply plucked two clumps of grass from the ground and slowly chewed them, as if only in this way could it stay awake.

"He's passed the sixth floor and is heading towards the seventh. He, he, he's even running!"

The expressions on the demons' faces could no longer be described as mere astonishment; rather, they were utterly and completely shocked, their eyes wide open and their eyelids forgotten to blink.

The hierarchy of Hell is divided into ten levels, and each level exerts comprehensive pressure on the level below it.

To withstand the pressure of a fourth-tier ministerial demon like Raphael, who was only a mortal demon, and reach the fourth level, can be described as a genius with unimaginable willpower.

Damian has now reached the seventh floor... no, he just ran to the eighth floor!

The eighth level symbolizes the oppressive aura of the Marquis Demon Lord, which can no longer be described as mere genius.

Damian—he's the legendary Demon Lord, capable of defying all reason!

at the same time.

Damian, atop the Ladder of Will, couldn't hear the near-frenzied discussions of the demons below, nor see the shock on their faces. He simply kept running, running...

"Huff, huff, huff..."

Only when the pressure on his shoulders became so heavy that his bones were cracking did he finally bend over and gasp for breath.

He was now on the path from the eighth to the ninth level, meaning he was facing the oppressive aura of the ninth-ranked Demon Grand Duke.

Even though Damian had successfully resisted Alicia's oppressive aura, it didn't mean he could still run easily on his own two feet.

Just like a marathon runner, even if you successfully complete the entire race, the pain you can endure is still present during the journey.

It's not that it doesn't hurt anymore, it's just that I've gotten used to it.

"We can't stop..."

Step, step, step.

If you can't run, then walk.

Damian gritted his teeth and continued walking forward. After a long time, he finally reached the ninth floor.

Now, he can lie down and rest properly.

But as the black-haired boy gazed at the last step, which seemed so close yet so far, his dark eyes gleamed as if flames were burning within them.

"Damian, has your desire stopped here?"

It's not over yet!

Damian, who was standing on the ninth floor, walked towards the top tenth floor.

The moment Damian stepped onto the stairs, an unprecedented sense of oppression completely enveloped him.

The boy felt as if he were walking not in the air, but in the unfathomable depths of the ocean.

He couldn't breathe, and every part of his body felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible gravity; even his brain felt like it was being drilled by a buzzing machine...

But that's not enough.

No matter how much physical pain there is, how can it compare to the torment of the mind?

He wants to start a new life, he wants to make friends, he wants to fall in love, he wants to have his own family... He doesn't want to be alone anymore!

Step, step, step.

With each step the boy took, a deep footprint would be left on the originally black, jade-like steps.

All the demons in the valley had forgotten to think; they simply held their breath and stared blankly at the scene.

Don't leave!

The seemingly calm and collected magician was actually screaming wildly in his heart.

His telepathic dialogue with Damian was only meant to get him to the ninth level, but now it seems he went too far. What if Damian actually steps onto the tenth level of the ladder...?

Should we call him back or summon him down directly?

Forget it, that's too unspirited and I'd easily be resented for life.

After much deliberation, Sean reluctantly gave up this tempting idea.

...

After 38 seconds of intense suffering.

The black-haired boy successfully reached the top and stood on the tenth floor of the Ladder of Will.

Having escaped the suffocating pain, Damian felt a sense of relief wash over him and could no longer contain his emotions. He roared to the sky:

"ah--!"

The howl also awakened the stunned newborn demons at the bottom of the valley.

Damian, a mere mortal demon, withstood the pressure of a tenth-tier demon king and reached the very top of the Heavenly Ladder?!

After everyone finally processed this fact, the entire valley erupted in cheers.

"Damian...no, Lord Damian is so wonderful!"

"Could it be that the Heavenly Ladder of Will is malfunctioning? After all, it's too exaggerated for a mortal demon to resist the power of a demon king. Even those fantasy novels about Babylon wouldn't dare to make something like this..."

"Fool, don't forget that the referee for this duel is the high-ranking demon Sean! Have you ever seen a high-ranking demon dare to break a contract!"

"I want to be Lord Damian's dog!"

...

The demons rushed to express their opinions, but without exception, their gazes toward the black-haired boy on the ladder of heaven held a newfound respect and fervor.

I really want to meet such an awesome devil!

Being a dog is fine too!

After all, demons have no sense of shame; they do whatever they want, and respecting the strong is their true nature.

Veronica gazed intently at the sky, having already made up her mind.

Lord Damian was the only person she could borrow blood from at Babylon Academy. She was determined to make Damian the father of her future child, the sole heir of the incredibly wealthy and powerful Owen family!

The individuals listed among the Seven Deadly Sins also displayed various expressions.

Julian, the Sin of Wrath, now looked at Damian with admiration and appreciation in his normally indifferent gray-blue eyes.

As for Devillo, who is guilty of the sin of jealousy, the eyes on her stunningly beautiful face beneath the veil burned with a intensity that seemed capable of devouring Damian alive.

"What a devil with immense potential!"

"How happy, how joyful, how wonderful it would be if I could make him fall madly in love with me!"

The female demon murmured to herself, and even began to plot and think.