Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!

Simentora Guanglun, the Supreme Commander of the Tren Republic, repeatedly read Yang Yu’s name. It felt increasingly familiar to him.

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head. He remembered where he had heard the name before.

Isn’t this the name of this year’s Dragon God Conference winner?

The Martial Arts Faction in the Tren Republic is the weakest faction within the country.

The Tren Republic has always adhered to the principle of ”If others don’t offend me, I won’t offend others.” During peaceful times, it believes that instead of spending money on building an army, it’s better to invest more in improving production and economic development. So, the number of soldiers in the Tren Republic has always hovered at a rather delicate figure.

The army usually just handles some troublesome demons and magic beasts. There’s no need for more than that.

Upon receiving the prophecy that the Demon King is about to descend upon this world, the Tren Republic’s army finally saw significant expansion.

Unfortunately, the Tren Republic values literature over martial prowess, and there’s no strong presence of demons or magic beasts. Those who seek to become stronger or develop their skills often leave the Tren Republic for other nations... resulting in a severe talent drain.

Now, even if Simentora Guanglun wants to assemble a powerful army, it’s difficult to recruit individuals with exceptional strength.

In terms of combat power, the Tren Republic is undoubtedly the weakest among all human nations.

This weakness cannot be compensated for with just one or two steps...

If the Tren Republic’s combat power is compared to a measly five, then the Luo Ze Empire, which has tangled with the Wansheng Republic for many years, has a combat power of twenty-five. Serti’s combat power hovers around fourteen. The All Things Library, which is neutral, has combat power at least a point or two higher than the Tren Republic.

Although the upper echelons of the Tren Republic have already notified the other two human nations, promising mutual support if any side encounters trouble...

When it really comes down to it, everyone is too busy with their own issues to honor the promise of ”one side in trouble, all sides come to support.” It would be good enough if they don’t kick someone when they’re down, giving themselves more time for defense.

Simentora Guanglun understands that only a nation’s own army can be relied upon during crucial times.

So, after expanding the army, he has been constantly trying to increase its combat strength, recruit high-combat-power talents, and minimize troop losses.

Simentora Guanglun is the Tren Republic official most eager to resolve the current event with the least number of troops possible.

In an effort to strengthen the army, Simentora Guanglun had also extended an olive branch to the winners of this year’s Dragon God Conference.

When he heard that the champion of this year’s Dragon God Conference was from the Tren Republic, he secretly felt a glimmer of hope in his heart.

He so longed for the Dragon God Conference winner to accept his invitation and stand by their side when the Demon King descends.

However, the invitations he extended to Yang Yu, like all the others, vanished without a trace.

And now, the winner of the Dragon God Conference sat right in front of him.

Simentora Guanglun looked serious, contemplating how to persuade Yang Yu to join them. But then he thought, since Yang Yu appeared in the ”Corpse Collection Coffin” position, it meant he shared the same views with that sect.

Simentora Guanglun wanted to recruit Yang Yu but also did not want the army to suffer too many losses during the campaign against the Curse Sect, leaving him in a strategic dilemma.

As the first and second people to recognize Yang Yu appeared, naturally there would be a third and fourth that would recognize him too...

Even those who hadn’t yet recalled who Yang Yu was noticed the change in others’ expressions, began to ask questions, and soon learned Yang Yu’s identity.

The conference room gradually became noisy, but Yang Yu said nothing. He just sat quietly in his seat, allowing others to discuss.

Introducing oneself with a complex set of identities has always been seen as a rather lowly act.

Even if he were to list all his past achievements, others might see it as the king boasting about one’s melons.

However, if others realize it on their own, it’s different.

The more unique one is, the more essential it is to remain low-key and maintain an aura of mystery.

People have a tremendous ability to fill in the gaps. When they realize someone is incredible, they will subconsciously fill in the blanks, imagining them to be even more formidable.

Without proper context for comparison, as the perceived gap widens, these mental extrapolations will only grow more extravagant.

In Yang Yu’s original world, many years ago, there had been a breed of online persona known as the ”public intellectual” who ran rampant; however, with the advancement of the internet, as the information disparity between people diminished, these so-called public intellectuals became like rats scorned by everyone.

This was the solution Yang Yu had envisioned — a way to break the deadlock without needing any evidence.

His adventurer’s attire, which starkly contrasted with the formal attire of everyone else in the room, was designed to focus all their attention on him.

Yang Yu didn’t expect the situation to develop according to his best-case scenario so quickly.

Initially, Yang Yu had considered using certain remarks to guide everyone to recall his identity, or perhaps arouse enough interest during the conference so they would investigate his background afterwards, unveiling who he was.

But, as it seemed, that was no longer necessary.

To be honest, if his fame hadn’t been high enough — or if the officers of the Tren Republic were completely uninterested in outside affairs and knew nothing of his feats — all his efforts would have been nothing but in vain, leaving him with the awkwardness all over his figurative legs.

Since many had already recognized his true identity, Yang Yu’s task became much simpler.

What Yang Yu was about to do now was fundamentally no different than what those ”public intellectuals” once did online, although their actions differed in purpose.

Just like science and technology, rhetoric has no inherent quality of good or evil. Its moral standing is determined by the user’s intent and the objectives achieved through its use.

The scene grew increasingly chaotic as Red Tree Jiklot raised his hand, preparing to clear his throat, when Yang Yu gently placed his hands on the table, interlocked his fingers, and put on an unusually serious expression, etched with tension.

With this movement from Yang Yu, the conference room was engulfed in a peculiar atmosphere.

The once noisy conference room, chattering about Yang Yu’s identity, fell silent in an instant, as if everyone was waiting for Yang Yu to speak.

Ussiger and several others, who were unaware of the situation, felt an odd and bewildering sensation. How could this man before them suddenly become so commanding?

Just as Ussiger was about to ask Bishop Moss what was going on and who Yang Yu truly was, Yang Yu began speaking in a deep, measured voice:

”To be honest, I’m very disappointed with your performance up to now.”

Yang Yu spoke slowly, each word delivered with a different kind of pressure, sweeping across the room entirely.

This was no illusion — Yang Yu had switched his body into battle mode, and what he was emitting now was killing intent.