The maid squad is too strong, what use is there for me, the Demon King?

Gray quickly left the burning area and rushed to a place where the fire wouldn't spread anytime soon, setting her down amidst Leah's reluctant gaze.

I was in such a hurry to leave the Forest Fire area that I didn't even check how many points were recorded on the magic stone.

.

Excluding the monsters killed at the beginning, there are a total of 252 nest rats in this wave.

"So many already!" Lia exclaimed with delight. "Can I imagine winning first place and receiving the blessing of the Holy Light?"

Now is fantasy time!

In the Holy Light Pilgrimage, strength is not the only factor that determines victory; luck, strategy, and planning also play a role.

Gray's team had a very good start, but it's still unclear how many points they'll get for killing higher-level monsters, and they can't tell if they're far ahead in terms of progress.

After slaying so many swarms of demon rats, Gray's team was already exhausted; at least, Lia was truly worn out from killing rats.

Moreover, Lia only managed to deal with those swarming demon rats by taking advantage of the environment. If it were an environment with sparser vegetation, Lia would probably have been overwhelmed by this large group of second-tier swarming demon rats.

Gray's team was considered quite strong; if it were a weaker team facing the rat swarm, their Holy Light Pilgrimage would probably have ended before it even began.

The Holy Light Pilgrimage lasts for three days, providing ample time for hunting, but many other factors must also be considered.

For example, there are issues related to diet and rest.

It's unrealistic to expect contestants to hunt monsters at high intensity for three days without eating or drinking. This world isn't some world of cultivation where cultivators can abstain from food.

Three days might not starve a professional whose physical attributes have been enhanced by magic, but it would greatly reduce their combat power.

Fighting on an empty stomach puts you at a disadvantage from the start.

The Church of Holy Light had already considered these issues and would set up supply zones in various locations within the secret realm, where food could be obtained by consuming a small amount of points.

Compared to food, rest is a much more difficult problem to solve.

Most of the secret realm is in the wild, and even if it weren't for the fact that monsters roam freely, it would be impossible for anyone to sleep peacefully.

Some might ask, "Then why don't I just stay in the supply area?"

The supply area will only provide food and won't let you stay there for long.

The supply area is considered absolutely safe, so there are time limits on how long you can stay there, and people will be asked to leave immediately when the time is up.

Furthermore, the bug-like behavior of leaving first and then going back or staying in a different supply area will not work. The magic stone will record how long you stay in the supply area, and once you reach the daily limit, you will not be allowed to enter again. This time refreshes at midnight every day.

As for how to figure out the time within the secret realm, it doesn't actually need to be too specific.

Anyway, once it gets light, it's definitely the next day. Just know that the time has been reset.

I believe some people have already noticed a really annoying problem with the Holy Light Pilgrimage.

How can I know when the Holy Light Pilgrimage ends if I don't know the specific time?

This tests the contestants' ability to estimate time and their operational capabilities.

If the Holy Light Pilgrimage is almost over and people are still leisurely resting, that would be a very bad situation.

Gray's team seemed a bit fatigued from the start, but they still managed to get a lot of points, so it's hard to say whether this is a good or bad thing.

To maintain his persona as a third-tier swordsman, Gray pretended to be exhausted and had done his best. Otherwise, it would be too unreasonable for a third-tier noob swordsman like himself to kill so many monsters that even a fourth-tier mage like Lia was struggling to deal with, and still look completely unharmed.

Well, he maintains the persona of an adopted son who is both somewhat useful and somewhat useless on a daily basis.

At this point, some people started causing trouble.

Lia's best friend, Funi, is not an honest member of the Ten Shadows of the Shadow Court, Ipsilon.

She had absolutely no interest in getting a good ranking in the Holy Light Pilgrimage; for her, this was a rare opportunity to have a date with Lord Shadow.

"Grey, are you a little tired? Let me help you walk."

Ipsilon was "very disrespectful" to address Gray by his first name, a privilege that should have been reserved for Eota...

There's really nothing special about it; it's just that the different ways they get along and meet make Aiota feel closer to Grey Brandt's apparent identity compared to the other Ten Kage.

Although Ipsylon said it as a question, she had already taken Gray's arm.

What a clever tactic of acting first and informing later!

But, linking arms, who's actually helping whom?

Lia didn't notice this small detail; she just glared at Ipsilon and, after failing to pry Ipsilon's hand off, grabbed Gray's other arm without backing down.

Gray, caught in this hellish situation, just wanted to ask...

So? Do you guys remember that we're at the Holy Light Pilgrimage site right now?

Gray looked helpless: "Hey you two, isn't it more tiring to have two extra accessories on me for no reason? Sister, and Miss Eve... I beg you not to add to my burden."

Since Gray had already told her to let go, Ipsilon would naturally obey.

In order to ensure the smooth progress of her team's Holy Light pilgrimage, Lia would not further burden Gray.

Seeing that the two girls were obedient, Gray breathed a sigh of relief.

Wait a minute, isn't Lia the one who values ​​the Holy Light Pilgrimage the most here? How come I'm the one who's worrying about the team the most now?

Since his fatigue was feigned, Gray gave the following instructions.

"I'm fine. Walking is enough to rest. There's no need to stop and waste time. Miss Funi, you use the least magic power, so the task of detecting nearby monsters is entrusted to you."

Lia was tired because she had used up too much magic and needed a little time to absorb magic from the environment to recover. Naturally, she was happy to rest for a while and let Ipsilon do more work.

The three of them slowly walked deeper into the forest, searching for the monster while recovering their strength.

Along the way, they encountered some monsters of different classes and also met a team. However, since neither side knew the other's background, they each gave way to avoid conflict.

This is the score currently displayed on the magic stone.

"First-tier monsters are worth 10 points, second-tier monsters are worth 100 points, third-tier monsters are worth 1000 points. The points gained from hunting each tier of monster are ten times that of the previous tier. So, fourth-tier monsters are... and fifth-tier monsters are..."

The rewards for hunting at each level vary greatly. If a team manages to hunt a level 5 monster, their progress will leave other teams far behind.

From this perspective, less than 30,000 points really isn't much.