"Do you need to register or just ask some questions?" the receptionist asked calmly.
"We'd like you to explain how everything works first," Nanami said, smiling.
"I understand."
The receptionist kept her serious expression and began to speak in an almost mechanical but clear tone:
"First of all, the registration. When you register, you'll receive a rank based on your level: from level 10 to 30 is rank F, from 30 to 50 is rank E, and so on until reaching rank SSS. Currently, there aren't many people above level 20, so we don't have an exact record of their real strength yet; the system might be adjusted later. Remember, it was only just implemented."
"How do you know our level?" Saito asked, curious.
"For now, we use people with analysis skills. In the future, we plan to replace that with a faster and more precise method. If something goes wrong or we find an error in the registration, we might ask you to register again. We apologize in advance."
The receptionist paused briefly, then continued:
"Depending on your rank, you'll be able to take different kinds of missions. You can see them on the boards around the hall… or, more practically, download our app. You can do that by scanning the QR codes on the boards or searching for it in any online store."
"What kind of missions are there?" Nanami asked.
"For now, only rank F missions and a few rank E missions. Although no one has taken a rank E mission yet."
"And the rewards?" Saito wanted to know.
"When you complete missions, you'll receive guild points, which you can exchange for rewards. This must be done directly here; the app only lets you view them and request them."
The receptionist took a breath and concluded:
"That's everything. If you like, you can read these details and more in the app. Any questions?"
Nanami stayed silent for a moment, surprised by the monotone tone, but quickly reacted:
"We'd like to register, then."
The receptionist nodded, stood up from her seat, and stood in front of them:
"Please follow me."
---
They followed her upstairs to the second floor. They walked down a hallway until they reached a door at the end. The receptionist knocked gently before opening it.
"Makima, strange to see you here. Did something happen?" asked a tall, broad-shouldered blond man with a short beard, sitting behind a desk.
"I brought some kids here to register."
"Some kids? They must be special if you brought them yourself."
The man glanced at Kaito and the others. Though he didn't see anything strange at first glance, he started using his ability to analyze them.
Nanami, a bit nervous at seeing his expression, asked,
"Is something wrong?"
The man shook his head, relaxing his expression:
"No, it's fine. Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Victor Asano, head of this guild branch. As you can see, I'm half-foreign, so you can just call me Victor. I'll do your registration right away."
He took out some papers, wrote down a few details, then quickly typed on the computer in front of him.
"Done. You're now in the system and can take missions."
The three of them stayed silent for a second.
"That easy?" Saito asked.
"That easy" Victor replied, smiling.
After thanking him, they left the office, leaving Victor and Makima alone.
"Well, what's the matter? They look normal" Victor asked, crossing his arms.
"The boy in the center, I felt drawn to him the moment he showed up," Makima admitted calmly.
"You brought him just because you liked him?" Victor teased.
For a moment, an almost imperceptible blush colored Makima's cheeks, but she quickly recovered her cold expression.
"I don't mean it like that. It's deeper… I felt like I had to serve him. As if he was superior to me… something I felt even on an instinctive level."
"Do you have any theory?"
"I think he could be a higher kind of demon."
Victor's expression turned serious.
"You're the demon of control, right? A rank 4 demon… and the only registered Lord with a demon class who has reached such a high level. If he really is superior, he could be dangerous. Do you think he's rank 3?"
"If he were just rank 3, it wouldn't be enough to make me feel that need to obey… unless he was one of those who created the very concept of control. But finding someone like that… sounds like too much of a coincidence."
Victor sighed, resting his elbows on the desk.
"Let's hope it's just that, because if he turns out to be rank 2, we wouldn't stand a chance."
---
Meanwhile, Kaito, Saito, and Nanami downloaded the guild app. After registering with their real identities, their profiles showed up: name, level, race, current rank, and their guild points balance… which, of course, was zero.
In another tab, they could see the missions. Most were reconstruction missions after the chaos caused by the Lords; some helped public safety, and others came from the government to study the Lords' abilities. Among them, there were also more personal requests posted by citizens using their own points.
Without thinking too much, they chose a simple mission: helping rebuild a nearby area.
---
When they arrived, each of them used what they did best: Kaito used his speed, Saito his strength, and Nanami her agility. Thanks to that, the work advanced quickly and was finished in just a few hours.
Back at the guild, they received their reward: 100 guild points each. Enough to ask for two days off, since each day only cost 50.
"That completes your first mission. Congratulations" Makima said, showing a professional smile.
"If you need anything else, you can ask me or any of the receptionists" she added.
The three nodded and said goodbye.
As Kaito was leaving, he noticed Makima looking at him. He decided to ignore her: just as she had felt he was a demon, Kaito also sensed a similar energy in her although much weaker.
---
At the station, the three parted ways.
"Bye. Tomorrow I'll have to spend most of the day in Gaia so I don't get punished for the hours I missed today," Saito said.
Kaito and Nanami agreed: they would also have to make up for lost time.
---
Once home, Kaito logged in. After all, he could sleep inside Gaia and keep counting hours.
As soon as he entered, he checked notifications he hadn't seen the night before: several conquests, quite a lot of gold, quite a lot of experience but the most important were two messages:
[You have conquered Nareth and all its surrounding villages]
[Your territory increases by 10,000 meters]
[You have obtained a silver chest]
[You have conquered Veldris and all its surrounding villages]
[Your territory increases by 10,000 meters]
[You have obtained a silver chest]
Nyssara and Ryselle had returned and taken command again, which officially activated the conquest.
Kaito immediately opened the chests:
[You have opened a silver chest:
• Race Evolution Tower
• 500,000 XP
• 1,000,000 gold]
[You have opened a silver chest:
• Experience Tower
• 500,000 XP
• 1,000,000 gold
• 1 skill point ]
Although the amount of gold and experience seemed low, he got excited when he read the descriptions of the towers.
The Race Evolution Tower allowed members of a race chosen by Kaito to enter and, after clearing ten floors, evolve their race to a higher version. If they died inside, they would be expelled safely, though they would have to wait three days before trying again.
It was only a matter of time before his units became stronger.
The Experience Tower worked similarly, but didn't limit the race: anyone could enter to gain experience. Even though the enemies inside had fixed levels, it was perfect for his weaker demons to rise to mid-class.
For someone like Kaito, at a high level, it didn't help much… but for his army, it was incredibly valuable.
Without wasting time, he placed both towers near his mansion.
The mansion, by the way, had leveled up after completing the second floor. Now it had more rooms, an extra floor and a basement, larger and sturdier spaces, better insulation… all built with tougher materials than before.
Kaito looked over his territory, satisfied and ready for everything that was coming next.
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+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)