The mask Simon took was a dark mask with thin, sharp eye slits angled downward, a light smile at the bottom, but a crack ran across from the eyebrow down to the smile.
The crack caused the smile to seem broken and a little bit more... devilish.
’The crack does not seem to be from a weapon but was created with it.’
Simon thought as he ran his finger across the crack and observed it.
The mask was not artifact. It was just a normal mask, and Simon knew that an attack that was powerful enough could shatter the mask.
’I guess I’ll pick this.’
There was nothing special about the mask, but for some reason, he just loved the crack that ran across the face of the mask down to the smile.
The crack made the smile to seem broken, and this resonated deeply with him.
In his past life, he could say with certainty that despite the difficulties and challenges that came with being the Hero of Earth and also the greatest King on Earth, he was happy.
He could smile genuinely whenever the situation arose, and he was satisfied with the life he had lived.
Though he had his regrets, he could live with them.
However, he was betrayed by those he trusted with his life.
When he reincarnated in the demon realm, he had lost his smile because of the betrayal he experienced.
This was one of the reasons why he never made friends or interacted with kids his age or even their neighbors in the tribe.
Because of the betrayal, he no longer had any bit of happiness in him, and his mother noticed this back then.
She was worried at first, but then she just assumed that it was his nature to be quiet and reserved, only speaking a few times.
But with time, his mother brought a smile to his face.
The darkness and pain in his heart when he was a baby and a child was chipped away little by little by his mother.
The crack that was in his heart was mended slowly by his mother, and for a moment, he believed that it was not so bad.
He believed that his second life was not so bad, and that as long as he was careful, he would rise beyond his previous peak.
However, his mother betrayed him, and this was a betrayal that gave him a permanent crack in his heart and soul.
Even when his comrades betrayed him, he never shouted or raged at them. He was calm and accepted his death with a scoff and a smile.
But his mother?
He could remember the shock, disbelief, and fury he felt back then.
If he could, he might... he just might have beaten her or killed her out of anger.
The crack which she slowly mended was instantly greater than before.
He could not trust anybody anymore.
He could not give a true smile anymore.
He could not give a true laugh anymore.
Every smile, laugh, and cheerful expression or chatter he made was fake.
The crack in his heart and soul from the two betrayals was permanently etched in them, just like the mask he held.
Aside from the emotional crack both betrayals caused him, there was also the mental crack which the demon pig- Pellin, did to him.
This was more obvious because of the torture he went through.
He was broken mentally and physically by Pellin, and Simon knew that he had subconsciously developed a trauma.
A trauma that only attacked him when he heard the words- "Let’s play a game."
A man that has been broken emotionally, broken spiritually, broken physically, and broken mentally.
That was the current Simon, a broken man who was about to pick a broken mask.
"Yeah. I’ll pick this."
As Simon recalled the past while moving his finger across the crack and the mask, he decided that he was going to take the dark broken smile mask.
He looked around, and he saw Thorgan looking around with a perplexed frown.
’He has not chosen his mask yet.’
Simon then looked for the female candidate who was ranked third in the second trial, but he didn’t see her.
He frowned, then he looked in the direction of the female Veilmaster and the two other Veilmasters.
He saw that some Initiates were already standing behind them with their masks on their faces, and Simon instantly recognized the third placed female Initiate.
’Hmm. I still haven’t seen her face.’ He frowned slightly, then he looked to his left.
He saw Jorra and Merath also looking at the masks on the wall with frowns on their faces.
They both sensed his gaze, and Merath smiled sweetly at him while waving at him.
Jorra indifferently shifted his gaze back to the wall.
Simon smiled and waved at Merath, not minding Jorra’s attitude.
’Since they’ve proven themselves to be strong, I can’t completely ignore them. It’ll be beneficial to not be on bad terms with them. They might be useful in the future.’
Simon turned and walked, then his smile slowly receded as he approached the Veilmasters.
A few seconds later, he stood before the female Veilmaster.
"I’ve chosen my mask."
The female Veilmaster glanced at Simon’s mask, then she nodded.
"Not bad. Not too flashy, and easy to be ignored." The female Veilmaster said, then she gestured behind her.
"Wear your mask, and go there."
Simon nodded, then he calmly and slowly placed the black mask with a broken smile on his face.
He felt a pull on his demonic energy, and he knew that as long as he had even an iota of demonic energy, the mask would never fall off his face even in battle.
’The quantity of demonic energy used is negligible. Not bad.’
Simon went behind the female Veilmaster, and he glanced at the female Initiate who was wearing a plain white mask.
He only used a fraction of a second to look at her before taking his gaze away.
A second later, she also looked at him, but for a full three seconds before calmly looking away.