A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 2 Missions and Rewards

With his face pressed against the cold ground, pain spread throughout his body. Qin Chuan was trembling and unable to speak.

It was not just because of fear, but also because of the terrifying pressure pouring down from all directions, making it a luxury for him to even open his mouth.

The demon king named Ruby stepped on him like an ant.

Devil.

As an atheist earthling, Qin Chuan's knowledge of this term is limited to fairy tales and anime works, and he does not have much specific concept.

But his body was shaking uncontrollably, and the language forced into his mind made him feel a great fear of this term, as if it was a natural enemy rooted in the memory of civilization. All the words describing death were prepared for her.

Qin Chuan took a hard breath and tried to calm himself down.

The more dangerous the moment, the more important it is to control one's emotions. Fear and escape are of no help to the current situation. Only by keeping thinking can one strive for a turnaround. This is the most important thing he has learned in his 24 years of life.

According to the previous conversation, the Demon King of this other world knew about the existence of the Earth and even mastered some Chinese. It was she who summoned her.
If that's the case, then she must have some ulterior motive. This should be a warning, similar to an act of establishing authority.

She just said, "Before completing the mission of killing the hero."
Could it be that I was summoned by the devil to deal with the time travelers?

Original soup and original food, right?

Qin Chuan immediately stopped struggling and gave up fighting against the heavy pressure on his body. He lay down and let others step on him to listen to what the devil wanted to say.

Sure enough, the strange pressure stopped just before Qin Chuan was about to lose consciousness. Ruby said:

"Submit, or die?"

He held Ruby's feet with his head and said sullenly, "Is there a choice?"

Ruby smiled slightly.

"Of course not. My summoning ritual includes a contract. Since you have traveled here, you are naturally my servant."

Qin Chuan didn't remember signing any contract, but he didn't dare to ask more.

I felt like a black slave in the 16th century, sleeping soundly at home and suddenly boarding a slave ship.

"So, you summoned me to deal with the hero?"

Ruby's eyes were filled with deep disgust, and she even stepped a little harder on Qin Chuan's head, as if she wanted to crack his skull.

"Although we are all lowly humans, I have to admit that you Earthlings are far more cunning, insidious, treacherous, ruthless, and have no moral bottom line compared to the humans in our world."

"For 1,400 years, no matter how hard the Demon Kings of all generations have tried, they have all been defeated by the heroes. It's as if it were destined that the Demon Kings will never be able to defeat the heroes."

Qin Chuan listened quietly, obtaining information and analyzing the current situation.

"So I understand one thing: the Demon King's efforts have their limits. History has taught me that the more you strive to defeat the Hero, the more likely you are to fail due to unexpected circumstances. You must not rely on the Demon King's power."

"What exactly do you want to say?" Qin Chuan felt that this line was strangely familiar.

"Since the Demon King's power isn't enough, why don't I summon a demon warrior?" Ruby loosened her grip and said with a smile, "As a fellow human, you'll surely understand what the human warrior is thinking. You'll be able to find him, defeat him, kill him, and clear the way for me. That's what you'll do."

Qin Chuan suddenly realized.

"You want me to kill the brave man who is also a time traveler?"

"Yes. Can you do it?"

Qin Chuan did not answer, but asked:
"What can I get if I help you kill someone?"

Ruby sneered and said, "This is an order, not a deal."

Qin Chuan suddenly felt a sense of obedience in his heart.

For no reason, he just wanted to obey her orders, and his subconscious mind made him not want to resist.

Qin Chuan was secretly shocked. Could this be the "contract" she mentioned?
Fortunately, this sense of obedience is not strong. It may be more effective on people with less strong will, but it has little impact on Qin Chuan.

In his opinion, it was just like the work tasks assigned by the boss. If he obeyed them, it would be a way to save his salary. If he didn't obey, the worst that could happen was that he would be fired.

"I don't get anything in return, so why should I help you?"

Although Qin Chuan was lying at the feet of the Demon King, he was in a completely negotiating attitude. It wasn't that he wasn't afraid, but he knew he had to fight for something for himself.

As soon as he finished speaking, a far more terrifying pressure than before suddenly descended. This time, there was no longer any restraint as before. It was as if it was filled with anger and wanted to crush this madman who dared to disobey and disrespect into meat paste.

"Are you negotiating with me?" Ruby's voice was chilling.

Qin Chuan's internal organs seemed to be crushed, flesh and blood about to burst out of the skin, and his spine and joints made a creepy sound under the heavy load. He endured the severe pain, opened his mouth full of blood, and squeezed out intermittent words:

"Anyway, if you catch me, I can't go back and I'll just end up dead—"

Ruby raised an eyebrow.

She was silent for about three seconds, then moved her foot away, and the heavy pressure disappeared.

"I promise you, if you help me kill the hero, I will let you return to Earth."

Qin Chuan felt like his body was about to fall apart. He raised his head with difficulty, and everything in front of him was blurry.

The power was so terrifying that no one knew where it came from. It was completely beyond scientific common sense.

He saw a small, white, tender foot; His Majesty the Demon King was actually barefoot.

If there wasn't a slight disparity in strength, she would have taken a bite to get revenge and let her taste Zhoupi's sharp teeth.

"You were the one who kidnapped me here in the first place, so isn't it only natural that you should send me back?" Qin Chuan smiled with difficulty, trying to remain calm. "If you hire someone to kill someone, you should at least pay them, right?"

".Ah."

Ruby seemed to have thought of something and laughed sarcastically. "I thought only heroes were like this, but it turns out all Earthlings are like this. Once there's something to gain, they pounce on it like ghouls on rotting flesh, their greed insatiable."

She paused, "But I can satisfy you, what do you want?"

Her question immediately stumped Qin Chuan.

Qin Chuan was not planning to ask for any reward, he just wanted to raise his own value by proposing conditions and test the Demon King at the same time.

He didn't expect the other party to be willing to give it, but what kind of reward can a demon king from another world give? Or what kind of reward can he choose?
Qin Chuan immediately thought of strength.

But then he thought of the legends of devil sacrifice in Europe. There is a price to pay for asking the devil for power. He doesn't want to become a monster that is neither human nor ghost. It is better not to act rashly before he understands this world.

So, as a superficial modern person, Qin Chuan asked cautiously: "Money?"

"I don't have Diqui's currency, but if you want the 'money' of my world—" Ruby reached out and gently clenched her hand. A hazy ball of light emitting a dim gray glow appeared between her fingers, like a cloud formed by countless tiny points of light. "This is the soul residue left after human death, called 'soul fragments'."

"As a reward for killing the brave man, I can reward you with the soul fragments of an entire nation, approximately ten million people, after their deaths. How about that?"

Qin Chuan thought, isn’t your world a little too weird?

"Well, I'm afraid this isn't very common on Earth. Are there any other options, like precious metals?"

"Precious metals?"

“For example, gold.”

Ruby gave him a look of disdain, as if to say, 'Is that all you want?'

She snapped her fingers crisply.

Qin Chuan suddenly felt dizzy, as if he was riding a roller coaster, but he returned to normal immediately, but the scene in front of him had changed:
He walked from the giant sacrificial site into the interior. The gray fog and the palaces disappeared, replaced by a golden light that was almost blinding.

In front of the dazed Qin Chuan were piles of gold mountains piled up like a desert. Every grain of "sand" in them was a gold coin engraved with exquisite patterns. The number of them was as vast as stars, almost drowning his vision.

"These are of no use to the demons now. You can take them." Ruby looked down at Qin Chuan who was sitting on the golden mountain like a dog and said with a warm smile, "As long as you can find that brave man and kill him."

Qin Chuan briefly recalled the skyrocketing gold prices in recent years.

He also roughly estimated the volume of these countless golden mountains.

So, he bowed down to Ruby and said the famous words of the loyal minister Lu Bu:

"Qin Chuan has been wandering for half his life, and he only regrets that he has never met a wise master. If the Demon King does not abandon him, Chuan is willing to be his adoptive mother!"

(End of this chapter)