01x04 - The Hero's New Challenge

[bunniefuu]

- [ Zenia chuckles]

Your Grace.

Here, this is the item

that you requested.

- Excellent work

procuring this, Zenia.

[chuckles]

If this all goes

according to plan,

it shall bring the demon race

one step closer

to conquering the entirety

of the Human Realm!

Ta-da!

Rejoice, Hero, I have

some good news for you!

- The hell's this?

Let's see,

"Demon Family Alluring

Beauty's Portrait Album?"

- [laughs] It's an act of

benevolence to show sympathies.

You should thank me.

- What are you talking about?

- Back in the day,

you were in high demand,

but now you have

no romantic prospects.

You lack a woman's presence.

- [Ghost] That's not true,

he's got me.

- [Max] Nah, no girlfriends

for me, thanks.

- [groans] Don't be like that.

Deny it all you want,

but you've gotta be lonely.

This album contains profiles

of only the most

beautiful bombshells,

handpicked from my underlings.

I had Zenia compile it for me.

Choose whichever one

you like best,

and I'll handle everything

else to make it happen.

- Huh?

You're outta your mind

if you think I'd date a demon.

- Hmm? Why not?

- Well, for one thing,

I'm the dude who went around

slaughtering them for years.

How are they gonna feel

about that?

- Is that all it is?

That's no big deal.

I might have mentioned it,

but I'm sure you know,

we demons have seven lives.

So you know, life and death,

we're not all that concerned.

- I think you're

missing the point.

- Come on, there's no harm

in just looking.

Trust me, men would k*ll

to get their hands on

any of these girls.

[Max groans]

[dramatic music]

[Demon Lord chuckles]

- Ah, of course it's

that she-devil!

- I'd say Zenia's not a bad

option, don't you think?

- Well, uh?

She take all these

photos of herself?

Oh! The hell was going

through her dumb head?

- [Demon Lord] She was

attempting to

tickle your fancy, no doubt.

Ooh, looky there.

- [Max] A woman who

gets drunk, gets violent,

and then chases me down the

street naked. I'll pass.

- [Demon Lord] Ha, as long as

she doesn't drink alcohol

she's a very wholesome girl.

- [Max] Between these poses

and the outfit,

I'm not entirely convinced

that's true.

- Then why don't you

have a look at

the other potential candidates!

There are plenty to choose from.

You won't regret it, I swear!

- [Rebecca] Oink.

- That is a pig with a ponytail.

- Excuse me?

What do you mean pig?

Rebecca is one of the orcs'

fiercest warriors

and a member of the

Elite Demon Beast Corps.

- [Max] Okay, but she's

literally a hog.

Probably eats out of a trough!

- Rebecca is an

extraordinary woman,

and she's good with her hands.

See, she forged her own

set of armor all by herself.

The embodiment of femininity!

- Impressive,

but I'm not so sure

that forging homemade armor

really counts as feminine.

Uh, okay, here we go,

this one seems pretty normal.

- [Demon Lord] Oh, Destelle, eh?

You've got good taste.

She's clever,

proficient at magic,

and an exceptional warrior.

There's an easygoing

lackadaisical air about her,

it's part of her charm.

- Uh huh.

- [Demon Lord] In combat,

she uses her coiled lower half

to strangle her enemies,

so she has a feisty side too!

- [Max] Ah, for God's sake, why?

- And on top of that,

she's really good at sports.

She's athletic and fit,

pretty attractive, right?

- [Max] It's not the issue,

why does she have to

be half snake?

Why can't she be whole human?

- All right then

what about this girl?

She's a full-blooded human.

- [Max] Yeah, maybe she

used to be.

Anyone can tell you that's

not the case anymore?

- Geez, Max, way to be picky.

- This is stupid.

- Look, this book is full of

fantastic women,

I'm sure you'll find

one you like.

- I remember fighting this

dragon and that giant squid.

They were both strong as hell.

Huh, so they were female,

but what was the point of

including them in this thing?

- [Demon Lord] So,

which one caught your eye?

- [Max] None of 'em, moron.

This is just a bunch of

weirdos and freaks.

- I swear, is there anybody

good enough for you?

Enlighten me, what kind of

women do you like?

- I feel it ain't gonna make

a difference even if I tell you,

But first and foremost,

she's gotta at least look human.

- [Demon Lord] Uh-huh,

in other words,

bipedal with arms and legs.

- Yep.

- [Demon Lord] Her head

can be detachable, right?

- [Max] No, it cannot!

- [Demon Lord] Well then,

I'm kinda coming back

to Zenia again, hmm?

- I'd prefer someone who's

not as painfully unpleasant.

[Zenia groans]

She's gotta be smart.

And not only that,

she's gotta be real chill.

She's gotta be a babe

and a good cook.

She's gotta have a banging

figure and dark silky hair.

If you tick those boxes,

I'll think about it.

[Max farts]

- Somebody sure is picky.

In that case, which of

my soldiers could I? Nah.

Ah!

Metamorphose!

- Hmm?

Uh?

Uh

- Voila!

What do you think now,

is this more like it.

[upbeat music]

You're looking at the

secret identity I like to use.

Behold, I've got

the soft, glossy hair

and luscious body you so desire.

Do I look like your

dream girl or what?

And as you're aware,

my cooking is delicious,

I excel at cleaning

and doing laundry,

I'd make the perfect wife

and mother,

and don't forget my refreshingly

frank and honest personality.

Oh my, what a conundrum.

You and I are supposed

to be such bitter rivals,

but if we were to get

married or something,

I could make

powerful connections.

I'd be great in the

Human Realm, wouldn't I?

Um, so?

[Max stammers]

[Demon Lord stammers]

[soft music]

[doorbell rings]

That must be Zenia!

Coming! Gimme a second!

- Good afternoon to you, milord.

Uh, is something the matter?

Your face is bright red.

Are you coming down with a cold?

- No, my face isn't red,

I'm fine!

Nothing happened, okay!

Everything's cool!

Everything's just great!

[Ghost grumbles]

[dramatic music]

[thunder rumbling]

- Will you join my ranks, Hero?

You shall live seven lifetimes

just as I.

You could savor the gift

of your immortality

standing at my side

where you belong.

- You must be joking.

Throw away my dignity as

a human to become a demon?

I'd rather die, beast!

- Have it your way.

Sink into the lowest depths

of eternal oblivion!

- Will you join my ranks, Hero?

Be reincarnated as a demon

and receive staggering power.

You shall live seven lifetimes,

just as I.

- What?

Didn't you try that same

bullshit on me 10 years ago?

- I did, and at that time

it was obvious

that you'd refuse

my generous offer.

But what do you say now?

- Kidding me?

- No, I'm serious.

- No fricking way, so cut the

crap, I ain't joining you.

- You didn't even gimme

a chance to explain.

Will you at least

hear me out first?

- You're being weirdly

persistent about this.

- Now you too can be a demon!

Demonic Reincarnation 101, yay!

- [Max] Why does this feel

like an infomercial?

- You might be asking yourself,

"What are the benefits of

giving up my humanity

and being reborn as a demon?"

Well, I'm gonna lay it all

down on the table for ya!

Let's start at

the very first perk.

It's none other than

a competitive salary.

- [Max] Wait, what?

I would get paid?

- Your friend wasn't lying,

was he?

He said, all of your savings

are nearly wiped out.

If you join my ranks your

financial problems will be over.

- Yeah, well, I do have

a bid of cash saved up.

I earned it a really

long time ago.

I ain't worried about where

my next meal's coming from.

- Maybe not tomorrow

or the next day,

but what are you gonna do

10 or 20 years from now?

- Get off my back, would ya?

I'm gonna be dead by then,

so it won't even matter.

- Oh my God! I can't believe

you would say that.

Do you have any idea

how stubborn and

unreasonable you sound?

- That's right.

You sound like a bum.

If you were to work

at my castle,

your monthly salary would be

480,000 after taxes.

Add a semi-annual bonus, raises

from promotions, a pension.

Of course, this is all for

the average soldiers

so we'll take your skillset

and previous experience

into consideration.

I'd estimate a threefold

increase at the very-

- Whoa, wait a minute.

What's that?

Slow down, how much

did you just say?

- Too low, huh?

Okay then, what if we

bump it up to 2.5 million?

- [Max] You can't be serious.

You're gonna piss off the

whole human labor force!

- Hold it, Your Grace.

A generous income might be nice,

but one cannot live

a luxurious life

without ample vacation time.

- Not to worry!

The demons in our service

are always guaranteed a

comfortable working environment.

Each work day is

five hours maximum,

we never require overtime

and we run on a

three-day work week.

- A three-day work week?

- That sounds splendid!

Maintaining a healthy

work-life balance

will be a piece of cake.

In fact, I won't even know what

to do with all my free time.

- Is that like a privilege

for working at the castle?

- What? No sir.

That would be extremely

unfair to everyone else.

It goes for those in the private

sector and for public servants.

It's a universal right

for all demons.

- And society still functions?

- It sure does,

and quite smoothly too.

- Wait, milord!

If there aren't any

employee benefits,

then why should job seekers

choose to work for you?

- Oh, but there are plenty

of employee benefits.

We guarantee the right

to own a home

within the castle's

residential district

as well as the town!

Educational assistance

along with maternity

and childcare leave

also provided.

Plus, we have systems in place

to make sure our lower level

employees receive support.

- Demons get maternity leave?

- Let's see, what am I missing?

In addition to

a disease-free body,

a mind that won't deteriorate,

and an abundance of

awesome magical powers,

you'll receive

an immortal soul

that even if you die will

once again be resurrected.

- Don't just mention

the immortality part

like it's normal business!

Uh

- If you become our ally,

you shall be freed from

all the pain and suffering

that human beings endure,

including the fear of

experiencing permanent death.

Come along with me and

walk the path of eternal life.

Please, Max.

[Max sighing]

- I'm sorry,

I'm afraid I can't do it.

- But why not?

Do you not want me as your boss?

You'd be my subordinate,

but it's just a formality.

Our relationship wouldn't

actually change.

Or is it your "human dignity"

that you mentioned

back during our battle?

I guess "being human" must be

really important to you.

So, what is

"human dignity" anyway?

- Don't ask me big philosophical

questions, look at me.

- You are the one

who brought it up, okay?

- I was young and immature.

I used to say sh*t like that

without knowing what it meant.

Just "being human" or whatever

ain't even the part I really

care about so much anymore.

Okay, how do I put this?

It's the "being me" part.

I can't give up

on that so easily.

- Oh no, don't worry.

When you get reincarnated

you don't lose your memories.

- "Turn into a demon, get money

and power, live forever."

If I do any of that,

then I ain't me anymore.

I would be something different,

even though, yeah,

compared to me

from 10 years ago,

I guess I'm a

different person now.

But for real,

not being able to die sounds

pretty annoying if you ask me.

Immortality is a bit much.

For a broke a*s human, anyway.

[soft music]

I appreciate your

generous offer,

but I must decline at this time.

- But I

I wanted you by my side forever.

- [Max] Huh?

- Oh, nevermind.

- [Zenia] That's a shame,

Your Grace.

- Yeah, but I guess

it's progress.

That's the first time I've ever

seen him think something over.

- Max, I'll just put

this away for safekeeping.

Should you decide to

reincarnate, just let me know.

- Is this just another

Tuesday for you?

- Make no mistake, Hero!

Now that you have

rejected my proposal,

it's up to you to

get your life together!

So start by setting

some goals for yourself

and no more of all this

"I'll be dead 10 years

from now stuff."

- Yeah, you're right.

I can do better.

Okay then

Let's do this.

I'll find a way to make money.

- Huh?

- Huh?

- You'll see!

I'll rake in more dough than

any damn demon's ever seen!

- Wow!

A hero in all his glory!

[upbeat music]

What's all this for?

- Making videos.

- Videos?

- First you make a video,

you post it online,

and you get paid cashola.

- I don't think I understand.

- Ain't you ever heard of them?

They're called PooCubers.

Some of these b*stards earn

over a hundred million a year.

- A hundred million?

Are you serious?

- And you don't even have to

do all that much either.

Some people get

a million views

and all they do is

just play games

and scream into the camera.

At one buck of view that alone

gets you a million.

It's easy money!

- Um, really?

Are you sure it's that simple?

- [Max] All right,

let's do this!

What kind of video

should I make?

I'm thinking a Let's Play.

- I'm not so sure about this.

- [Zenia] A PooCuber? Max?

- [Demon Lord] That's right.

He got all excited

about it yesterday.

- It's not nearly as easy

as it looks, you know.

- I was thinking the same thing.

How much money does

a PooCuber normally make

off this stuff anyway?

He told me that one view is

equivalent to $1 or something.

- Absolutely not.

It's much lower than that.

According to this, you would

need to upload videos

that garner 100,000 views

on nearly a daily basis

just to scrape by.

That sounds like it would be

a ton of work, right?

- [Zenia] Certainly not

a job for a slacker.

So if I'm completely honest,

Max may not be cut out for this.

- Ugh, you're right.

But at least he's finally

beginning to take

some kind of initiative.

- You're being far too

lenient with him, milord.

Shouldn't you give him the

proverbial kick in the pants?

- I guess, but, ugh,

it's just

It's been a long time

since I last saw the guy

take something

like this seriously.

It kind of reminds me when we

faced each other 10 years ago.

- Yeah, not quite.

- [Demon Lord] How's it going?

- You keep it down over there!

The mic's gonna

pick up your voice.

- Oh, jeez!

- [Demon Lord] Are you on

your way to a million views?

- Well, it ain't just gonna

happen overnight.

I only just started, you know?

- [Demon Lord] But what

if it does?

- [Max] Then we're gold, baby!

[laughs]

[Max groans]

- What's the matter?

- My video ain't doing so well.

- What kind of video

did you make?

At least let me watch-

- Hey, knock it off!

Don't look, it's

embarrassing, okay? Come on!

- Oh, shut up!

You already posted it

where the whole world

can see.

All right, how do I do this?

Oh, there it goes!

- [Max] Uh, hello there,

my name is Mackey and-

- That's you, that's your voice.

So, who's "Mackey"?

- Shut up. Don't talk to me!

So, today I'll be

playing this game.

It's an open source,

free-to-play game I'm gonna,

that I'm gonna play, I mean-

- What's with all the

blabbing and mumbling?

You could have at least

tried to enunciate.

- [Max] So, that's

my plan anyway.

Heh, sounds cool, right?

[chuckles]

And so this video,

it's my first one,

I hope you guys schtick with me

from this point on. [laughs]

Right?

- Did you stay

"Schtick with me?"

- [Max] The letters in the top,

I mean the logo,

It's like, it's like,

wham, in your face.

Below that, it's got "New Game,

Continue, and End" options.

- Hurry up and start the game.

- [Max] Maybe I'll choose

"End" first.

I'm just kidding, I'll start

with "New Game." [laughs]

Right, so let's jump into it,

shall we?

- Is it finally starting?

- [Max] Oh, I get it, so this is

how you beat the enemies.

They keep comin' I like it!

Take that, ya b*stards!

That's how you take 'em

all down, my dawgs.

Okay, let's move on.

Bang, bang! Pop, pop!

More enemies, huh? Bang, bang!

[chuckles] You know

Oh yeah, you want some too?

Bang! Smash! Kapow! Hell yeah!

- You're not even saying

real words anymore.

- [Max] Oh, is this the boss?

It's the boss.

You're the boss, ain't ya?

All right, I'm gonna

kick his a*s.

Time to get serious!

Bang! Shaboo! Boom!

Ah sh*t, ah sh*t.

Bang, bang, ladesh! Get it?

[mouse clicks]

- [Demon Lord] 14 views.

- [Max] [chuckles] I'm surprised

it even got that many.

- Don't let it

discourage you, Hero.

You gave it your best shot.

You stayed up late and

worked really hard.

That deserves praise in

and of itself, right?

- You're right.

I can't let this tiny setback

get me down.

If my Let's Play

doesn't work out

then I just have to try

something else!

Some people like product

reviews and taste tests.

Let's do this!

Uh, okay, so I picked up

some cheap snacks and candies

and figured I'd review 'em to

decide which one's the tastiest.

Now I can't really show

you my face, so uh

[Max munching]

Oh, that's pretty damn good!

They all win!

Seems like a lot of singers

are starting out as

PooCubers these days.

Time for my pop star debut!

[Singing badly]

"I want a love

that shines like

the stars up above!"

[Max coughing]

Hold on. Start over,

wait a second.

The internet loves a good

news commentary show.

I'll be raking in

the cash in no time!

[somber music]

Maybe I'm not cut out to be

a PooCuber after all, whatever.

- I guess it's a much more

challenging job than it looks.

If you decided to quit,

I wouldn't blame you.

No point in forcing yourself.

- [Max] [groans] Goddammit.

- Why don't you try

making one last video?

Give it your best shot.

And if it doesn't go viral,

then you can just move on.

I mean, it's your decision,

but I could maybe even lend you

a hand if you need me to.

- [gasps]

You mean you would really

help me out with this?

- Of course I would.

I'll be your cameraman

or whatever, let's do it.

[Max chuckles]

Huh?

Is this thing even on?

- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

- Okay. I guess it's working.

Good evening, My name's

The Three-Eyed King.

So yeah, I figured I would give

this whole "live streaming"

thing a try.

But to be perfectly honest

with you,

I don't even know if

anyone's watching this.

Anyway, it's nice to meet you.

I don't know what I'm doing.

It seems like we've got

a few people in the chat,

so that's a good sign!

Huh?

Wait, the way that I talk?

Is it really that strange?

[laughs]

Oh, my clothes?

It's a school uniform.

A sailor school uniform.

It's very human-like, I mean,

it's peasant chic,

don't you think?

You see?

I told you, just an

ordinary school uniform.

[whimsical music]

You think it's cute?

Oh, you're making me blush.

Having so many people respond.

It's a lot more fun

than I thought it'd be.

Huh?

Oh yeah, that's right.

Max told me to eat one

during the, I mean,

I might as well

have a snack, right?

So, review time.

I'm gonna critique

this popsicle treat.

Let's get into this.

[Demon Lord munches]

Hmm, it's sweet,

cold and refreshing.

Huh? Okay.

[Demon Lord slurping]

Wow, there's so many

people tuning in.

Oh, and everyone seems

to be so excited to-

Oh goodness!

I got a little of it

on my uniform.

[Max stammers]

Plus, it's a little

hot in here

I, I guess I should

take this off

[Max gulps]

[tense music]

[Max stammers]

[Demon Lord sighs]

[soft music]

- We're freaking idiots.

- We're freaking idiots.

["Mirai=Teleport"

by Nenne plays]