Ah. I figured it was bound to happen, but I didn’t expect this so early on in the game.

You see, instead of clumping together in masses, the spiders have begun to split apart, each one occupying their own area. They even build web-shelters and stuff to reduce some of the incoming damage.

These guys are smarter than the credit I gave them. Now, [Vampirism] can’t fully recover my mana after every void bomb.

I’m not complaining though. I’ve somehow managed to push all the way to level 55, and I also maxed out [Pain Resistance].

I shot myself with some dark to test out its effectiveness. And, to be completely honest, the results were far better than I expected. For a mere one level jump, the outcome is amazing.

Basically, I couldn’t feel any pain at all. I may have shot a hole through my hand – not that it mattered, since it healed up in a few seconds – but, I didn’t recoil, let alone flinch.

I felt squirmy, but that’s all. It’s not like I’m unaware of any pain though. Pain receptors exist for a reason.

Removing them would do more harm than good.

It’s more like I know that I got hurt, but the pain doesn’t register.

So, I ‘d totally realise if someone stuck a sword up my spine or whatever. I would notice the foreign object. But I won’t scream in pain - unless I’m acting or something.

With all the spiders at the bottom, I can’t just jump in and collect the corpses, which is a shame. Luckily, I’ve still got four spider corpses in my inventory, so I meet the three abdomen criteria.

Most of my attacks are barely hitting now, so should I just leave? Grr, but I kind of still want to farm –

Pittshhh!

I feel a sharp object slash my arm.

Oh. Looks like the spiders noticed me.

With impeccable teamwork, the spiders make loud clicking sounds, as if communicating to one another. Moments later, each one strings up multiple threads, forming a ladder – using the ceiling as a foundation.

Not on my watch!

Shooting a dark bullet, I destroy the webs. Part of the attack lops sideways, and a chunk of the ceiling crumbles, as a mist of rock hinders my vision.

There.

Done. Easy.

“???”

I expect the spiders to collapse and fall down without any more thread, but as if denying my expectations, the threat remains intact, barely affected by my attack.

Uh-oh. The spider army is advancing at a rapid pace.

…

Well, peace out, I guess?

Flashing two fingers, I hop into my dungeon, and exit the spider dungeon.

Anticlimactic ending, but there was no way I could have beaten all those spiders, alright? The only reason I remained calm was because I knew I could retreat at a moment’s notice.

Walking out the sketchy basement, I step into the Adventurer’s Guild.

As the trapdoor creaks shut – rather loudly – most adventurers cease their conversations, looking at me in silence.

Even Okamis stares blankly.

Look, I didn’t choose the gorey, blood-splattered robe, okay? If I wanted to switch to something more eye pleasing, I would.

But, I didn’t bring any back-ups with me.

Okamis directs me to her office, and I notice Doper sending glances my way.

Sure is glad he didn’t have to deal with a Mithril, huh?

As we enter Okamis’ office, she quickly browses some draws, before tossing me a change of clothes.

Really though, they’re just more cloaks.

“It would be nice if you changed,” comments Okamis, as she scrunches her nose in an exaggerated manner. “You stink.”

Makes sense though. I quickly take off my robe – the one that’s been through 7 wars (not really) – and change into a newer one.

“Quite a nice fit,” I say, as I admire the soft texture of the silk.

Ah, yes. Silk.

…

Silk?!

Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. Isn’t silk a rarity? Like, a prized material even among nobles and stuff?

So why is Okamis just casually handing it to me?

I tilt my head in confusion, unable to understand her gesture. “Can I really have this?” I ask in a hushed tone, as I tug on the loose fabric.

Okamis just waves it off like nothing. “Sure.”

Maybe it’s an investment of sorts, since I have Mithril potential?

Or is this just special treatment?

If Okamis has faith in me or whatever, then I suppose there’s no harm cutting to the chase!

Opening up my storage system, I dump two spider corpses, following up with the other two in my inventory.

Hey – I figured I might as well use my inventory some time, since it’s been gathering dust for quite a while.

If you include the time I spent in my dungeon, then I haven’t used my inventory for over a year, and considering most people rely on their inventories, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry.

I mean, you could stuff an entire bag , then dump the bag into your inventory. A pretty convenient method for moving goods.

Of course, there’s some sort of limit to how much the inventory can store – something my storage isn’t subject to!

You still see merchants riding around with huge carts in tow.

If you could fit an entire carriage into your inventory, It’d just be downright weird. And, cart companies would totally go bankrupt!

Also, there seems to be a restriction, meaning that you can’t put living things into your inventory. Which is fair enough, if you think about it.

Imagine the sheer atrocity of kidnapping if you could put other people into your inventory!

“Oh, hello officer. No, I haven’t seen the hostage”

“Open your inventory”

“…”

Corpses and the like are exceptions though, since although they were living, they aren’t living anymore.

Okamis rubs her eyes in disbelief, as she closely examines the spider corpses with an [Inspection] stone.

Yeah, I get my methods were… slightly only slightly brutal.

Implsions? Molecular erosion? Who would even imagine doing such a cruel thing?

Not me, for sure…

After a few minutes of analysation, Okamis gives me a firm nod.

“Shino, you are definitely suited for a Mithril-badge. Please sign the allocated paperwork, and you can come to the front desk to sell these spider parts!”

I gaze at Okamis, my eyes phasing right through her.

“Shino?”

Startled, I slightly jump in my seat, before giving a quick response. “Yeah?”

“You hear what I said, right?”

“Sure.”

Oops. I nearly forgot that I’m Shino. I wasn’t actually listening at all, but {Omniscience} records everything, so I do a quick replay.

Hmm… Ah. Okay, got it.

I’m making money off these spiders though? I thought it would only benefit me in the form of a Mithril-badge, but making some pocket money is also nice.

Why am I getting paid if the Guild owns the dungeon though?

Maybe it’s like hiring an exterminator?

Sure, the Guild has control over the dungeon, but from its state, I can tell the spider dungeon isn’t used much.

The Guild has ownership over it, but what good would that do if no one actually goes in and monopolises the place?

It’s pretty clear there aren’t enough Mithril-badge freelancers to continually occupy the dungeon.

So I’m sort of getting paid as a contracted mercenary?

Not really, but I don’t have a better way to describe it. If you know, you know.

Well, Okamis and I go through some boring customs, and lot of paperwork, blah blah blah, before I get a high-diamond badge.

I even used the cell-killing [Dark Magic] move to remove some chromosomes from my DNA, making my blood signature different from the one I originally gave under my real name, ‘Rena’.

Sure, I could have edited the genes differently, but removing chromosomes was the easiest to do.

Apparently, you need at least some level of credit and achievement before going Mithril. So, no matter how strong you are, if you’re starting off, the maximum beginning rank is high-Diamond.

But, hey, In theory, I still am Mithril!

The Guilds method of scaling is pretty much used by everyone, even if they aren’t an adventurer - probably since the rankings are really accurate and precise at guising strength. I mean, kids can go around, saying stuff like “Haha! Your only bronze! I’m low silver!” or something.

Sure, they aren’t adventurers, but the scaling system has basically found its way into day-to-day language.

Impressive, if I do say so myself.

Alright, I’m now officially a high-diamond, with potential to rise to Mithril as long as I get practical, field work achievements.

…But, I don’t actually want to be an adventurer

I just did the test for the thrills. At the very least, since I gave fake information – name, blood, and stuff, there’s no way they’ll be able to locate me!

I’m pretty sure Okamis didn’t even see my face correctly, thanks to the shadow I cast all over my face.

Meaning, I actually got a fancy, silk cloak for free, as well as a bunch of gold coins in return for the spider parts.

Actually, I think I’d feel pretty guilty if I just left without anything in return, so I’ll find some way to pay Okamis back.

I remember mentioning something about infiltrating the Adventurer’s Guild, but… Yeah.

I’m not bothered to do that either.

It sounded easy and the simplest solution when I first thought of it, but it actually seems like the one that takes the most effort. And a huge pain in the back.

I value efficiency over anything else, okay?

…

Alright. I feel stupid. I found an alleyway – one of my favourite hiding spots – and camped there till dawn.

I was going to sneak in and grab ahold of the adventurer documents or whatever they’re called.

Then, {Omniscience} told me something along the lines of ‘you really want to do that? You know I’ve scanned the documents already, right? Idiot’

Don’t quote me on that though.

To break it down, when I entered Okamis’ office, {Omniscience} did some crazy stuff with echolocation, electromagnetic scanning and other fancy functions that I don’t even want to list, and managed to create file uploads of every single adventurer in this Guild.

All without me knowing.

I was halfway through the act when I got that notification.

Geez, the loud voice scared the crap out of me. I thought I had been caught, but it was just {Omniscience}.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

That skill really is something else. It could at least tell me when it does something, because I feel like half the stuff {omniscience} does…

I feel like I’m not aware of half the things {Omniscience} does!

Well, after awkwardly retreating back into my dungeon, here I am.

I browse through the files, before coming to a stop at the name Yache.

I tried to look for the J_des, but as expected, they weren’t there.

I still hit the jackpot, though. It seems the files kept in Okamis’ desk only included the adventurers in her Guild.

Which means, by some stroke of luck, I’ve found the exact town Yache is currently residing in!

Er…

Uh, I haven't thought of what to do next. Sure, I’ve found Yache – maybe an effect of my luck stat. Hey, luck is actually helpful. – but what now?

Do I greet him, or stay silent? I greeted Harwel, but her case is different, since I literally had to ransom her back. Yache is still living a free life.

Gah, what should I do now?

Ugh, forget about it. Contemplating is so stupid. I might as well get this over and done with.

I step outside my dungeon, and pop out in Yache’s room. The inn he’s staying in is sort of sad, actually. The paints are peeling off the walls, and I see mold growing on the corner of chairs and tables.

I quickly glance around the room, before furrowing a brow.

Seems like Yache isn’t home. In fact, why does this inn room feel so… unused? Apart from the mold, I also see layers of dust covering everything up. Even the wood is rotting.

Well, it’s pretty obvious Yache isn’t here. Where is the guy?

As my mind begins to wonder, thinking about why the room is empty, I hear the distinct sound of laughter in the room beside me.

In fact, the laughter sounds… rather familiar.

That’s Yache’s laughing animation, right?

…Seriously? I messed up my dungeon warp, and teleported into the adjacent room?

Well, … Jumpscare time!

Quickly, I shift into my shadow, and slink through a few cracks in the wall, before reappearing before Yache, and some guy holding a pitchfork.

“Rarrghh??” sputters the farmer looking guy with a pitchfork, as he reflexively pokes at me with his massive weapon.

I dodge every shot, of course.

Wait a moment… why does this farmer look… familiar?

I swear I’ve seen him before!

Come on, brain, work!

After a brief second of confusion, my gears click in place with a loud snap.

Aha! Him!

Geoffrey. That was his name, right? You know, the guy who flunked out of the silver-badge examinations before?

What is he doing here?

In fact, after a quick [Appraisal] – why is he relatively strong?!

This guy somehow got a massive stat-boost. I’d say, roughly high-Silver now?

How did he even survive Porky and the mandatory conscription?

“W-who are you? Get out!” whimpers Geoffrey, after noticing that his rapid attacks are having no effect.

He sort of cowers away, while trying to stab me.

Uh, Yache? A little help here?

As if answering my prayer, Yache extends a hand, and signals for Geoffrey to stop attacking. Reluctantly, Geoffrey comes to a stop, and obediently puts his… pitchfork down.

Yache stares at me, his eyes narrowing.

“I gotta confirm just one thing, Geoffrey. Wait it out, yeah?” Yache requests. Geoffrey nods his head –albeit rather hesitantly.

Turning his whole body towards me, Yache utters a single word. “R… Rena?” he questions, his voice quivering.

Yache looks at me, his voice both serious and unsure. I notice his eyes wavering.

Yeah. Sorry to break the mood, but don’t you think you’re being a little too emotive, Yache? Stop giving Harwel vibes!

Bah, I can complain later.

“Who’s Rena?” I reply, in a jestering tone, as if mocking him.

Yache breaks into a small grin. Even Geoffrey seems to remember the name ‘Rena,’ probably from the examinations, since I aced everything.

And believe it or not, my inner esp was correct!

“Hey, Yache. By Rena, do you mean… the one back in Windport?”

“Mhmm…” comments Yache, his attention mostly out the window.

“Rena… Y’know, I thought you went and died back then,” he comments, his gaze turned towards the coffee table. “They say curiosity killed the cat, huh? Jude and his siblings all listened to ya, and left. But me? I got curious, and went back to Windport.”

O-oh. No wonder why Yache seems so shaken up. He had family there.

Turns out, they died.

Yahce, upon returning to Windport, had seen the entire place destroyed, up in flames. He rushed to his sister’s house.

It was burned to a crisp. And, he saw her dead, defiled body rotting in the flames. Along with his parents.

He assumed I had ran back in an attempt to rescue everyone, but died in the process.

Just days after Windport’s destruction, Doug’s army gained a massive amount of footsoldiers, and Porky was crowned [Demon Lord].

Yache, feeling something was off, connected the dots.

No way Rena was gonna beat a [Demon Lord].

Apparently, that was what he thought.

So, in angst, Yache made a break for it, and took a voyage to a local town.

And now, here we are. What a depressing, sob story.

I know I’m pretty insensitive, but at least I show respect by giving him a moment of silence.

Though, I mentally yawn. I thought I had a strong mental fortitude, but am I just neglectful of human emotion?

I mean, Yache, Harwel and I all suffered pretty traumatising aftermaths.

Yache had his whole family slaughtered. Harwel was… sexually abused, and I was isolated for an entire year.

Yet, out of us three, only I come out unscathed. Actually, I would even go as far as saying Porky attacking Windport was a good thing. Sure, a bunch of people died, but it helped give me a metaphorical growth spurt.

I won’t say I’ve lost all shred of humanity, though.

Just …rather insensitive?

Anyway, after finishing his story, Yache ends with a solemn expression.

So, we’ve heard Yache’s story, but what about the goober over there? Pointing a finger at Geoffrey, I ask him. “Well, what about you?”

Geoffrey, after quickly glancing around the room, burrows his head in his hands. Though, it seems more to be embarrassment than grief.

And, after he tells his story, I got to say…

How stupid!

Essentially, the guy was beefing with Kester as usual. So, Geoffrey crashed out and had a massive mental breakdown.

So, being the fabulous farmer he is – sorry. So, being the fabulous farmer he was, Geoffrey marched outside of Windport, and went to collect some sort of apple to blow off some steam.

Yeah. And when he was away, Windport went BOOM!.

Talk about the devil’s luck. Apparently, the Kester guy died, but Goeffrey doesn’t seem to care. Which is weird, since they seemed like homies at first glance.

Maybe their relationship is more complicated than I thought?

Eh, doesn’t matter, since Kester (or as Geoffrey said, ‘Kessie Grill,’) died and all.

So, he ran away. Geoffrey cultivated crops in the jungle – the one with the Patau ants – for a while, living with nature.

From assumptions, that time period was probably when his stats shot up. I mean, living off berries and stuff?

Neanderthal vibes right there.

But, apparently this one time, he mistook a poisonous monster’s dung as a mushroom and gobbled it up.

As expected, he got a grumbling stomach, and went to the nearby stream to drink water.

…The exact same water he had previously used as a toilet.

So, Geoffrey fainted, and got carried downstream, where some rural villagers found him, and… that’s how he got here, before he took a second attempt at the adventurer’s examination.

Pfftt!

Can you really blame me?

That story was way more entertaining! I mean – the stupidity of it…

Give this man a gold medal!

Uh-oh. Am I turning out to be a sociopath? Some signs are feigning ignorance on the emotions of others, right?

And, like, willing to monopolise war for more stats by wiping out armies?

I’m not a sociopath, am I?

I mean, if you look at it from a neutral person's point of view, committing mass-murder on the battlefield isn’t bad – it gives your side an upper hand.

But, what if the neutral person also knew humans and demons are actually the same species?

Then, would it seem immoral?

Like, I have a solution to peace, but I keep quiet for my personal gain.

…

Humanity is overrated anyway. I still have humanity though.

I hate to say it, but I’m actually pretty clingy, just like Harwel.

Say a normal person gives 20% attention to random strangers, and 80% attention to their friends. For me, it's more like 5% and 95%.

I see value, not in masses as a whole, but in singular individuals that I’ve actually bonded with. Hey guys, unfortunately, I can’t keep up with the sombre mood. Sorry!

Though, mental waffling aside, I’m managing to keep a straight, dead-serious face.

After yet another moment of respectful silence, Yache starts up. “Well, Rena? What about you? I wanna know this story. How did’ya survive? Where did’ya go?”

You really got to ask?

I haven’t thought of a cover story yet. Seriously, I was sort of expecting this, since we were taking turns and all, but…

{Omniscience}! Help me out here!

Wait, wait, wait…

Rewind…

Did {Omniscience} just say what I think it did?

Because, If I didn’t mishear, {Omniscience} was talking very, very, very colloquial!

What happened to the AI-sounding formalities?

Huuh?

Alright, nothing I can do but try again.

Hey, {Omniscience}, help give me an excuse!

I sure love increased mental processing speeds. I’ve been talking, or… thinking, per se, for quite a while now, but barely any time has passed in real life.

Based on an acute analysation of human psychology, the following are proposed -

And then it dumps some information file into my head.

Did I just dream {Omniscience} talking all gangsta before? Because, as far as I can tell, this response is not only big-brain, but also proper, formal and academic!

Should I give them the excuse {Omniscience} offered, or should I stick with the truth?

I mean, in five or so days, I’ll be nationally announced as a new [Demon Lord] anyways. No point hiding it then, huh?

Maybe I should just tell the truth… except, what happened is pretty hard to believe.

I got beat up, went through a training arc, beat up Porky, tried to random but got invited to join the [Demon Lords] instead?

Yeeaaahhh… If it were me, I wouldn’t buy that. Not in a million years.

Maybe I can give an altered version of the story where I conveniently leave some parts out?

That sounds like it’ll suffice.

Tapping his finger on the table in a systematic beat, Geoffrey speaks up, unable to bear the silence any longer. “Well?” he inquires, flicking a bug around, “What's your story?”

Why is this guy getting overly-familiar with me?

You don’t belong here. Get out!

I’m surprised Geoffrey even survived. Seriously, talk about the devil's luck.

Giving a slight nod, I begin telling my propaganda, over-glazed story.

“So Yache, remember when I left for Windport?” I ask. Yache responds with an affirmative gesture.

And so, the story begins. Don’t quote me on it, though.

Once upon a time, a piggy attacked town, so the super secret and super strong heroine Rena went to save the day. The battle was close, and was drawn out for five years. The piggy won, only because he got extremely lucky.

So, the amazing Rena went to train, and got stronger,before beating up the piggy. The [Demon Lords] were so impressed by her strength, that they decided to recruit her.

Obviously, I didn’t tell them that, but it was something along those lines.

Hey – I didn’t glaze that much, okay? But I made myself sound super powerful.

I’m sure they were expecting another sob story, but that isn’t my style. Instead, Yache got a story about me gloating.

As soon as I finish, Yache immediately places down a question. “Hey Rena, I ain't sayin you lying, but don’t ya think you contradict yourself a bit?”

“How?” I ask, slightly slanting my head to the side.

“Well. My main question is how ya got so strong so fast. When I first met ya, I’m sure you weren’t this powerful, even if ya were hiding your power.”

Ah, right. That must have slipped past my explanation.

“Well, as you know, only [Demon Lords] have access to the sin skills, right? And also the dark based magics.” I curtly respond. “I have [Absorption], a Greed line skill that allows my stats to grow at a rapid pace.”

However, Yache seems confused.

“Sin skills? Yeah, I know ‘bout that, but I thought dark magics were available to everyone, just rare?”

“Yeah. I remember Guild Master Koya saying that your [Dark Magic] was just a rare skill, not an exclusive one!” intercepts Geoffrey, as he passionately voices his thoughts.

Maybe a bit too passionately. I think that Geoffreys is getting too comfy.

Aah. I guess I haven’t explained it properly, have I?

“You see, the general demon populous is rather ill informed. Branches of dark magic can only be unlocked through the title [Demon Lord]”

“But, Rena, why would the [Demon Lords] keep this a secret?”

“It never was a secret. People just make assumptions based off what they see before them.”

“H-hey Lady, can you tell me about the [Demon Lords]?”

Oof. I managed to clear things up, but we ended up yammering for quite a while. Hey, at least I left them with quite a large sum of money as a parting gift. It isn’t like I need cash anyway.

But really though, even I didn’t know about the exclusivity of [Dark Magic] until a while ago.

Before, I was just as clueless as Yache and Geoffrey.

…

Well, why not take a blast in the past?

Though, by ‘past,’ I really just mean a day ago. Back when I went to chat with Lin, and asked for some super cool daggers.

Some time earlier…

“Wait,” Lin called out, his gaze still transfixed on the governing paperwork.

Rena, halfway through leaving, stopped in her tracks, and turned to face Lin, her expression a mix of curiosity and annoyance.

“What is it?” asked Rena, a large question-mark hovering above her head.

“Before I begin, I would like to confirm one thing. You are also the [Demon Lord] of Gluttony, I presume?”

“Sure.”

Lin tapped his feather pen once more, before coming to a halt. He raised an eyebrow, and strummed, deep in thought.

“If so, would it be possible to shy from the fact and announce you as a [Demon Lord] of just Greed?”

Rena stopped, before –

Arrghh!

Damn it, story-telling is hard! I mean, sure, I can sound fancy and all, but I couldn’t be bothered to put in that effort.

I really should also be [Demon Lord] of Sloth, huh?

Because, I feel like being lazy is one of my biggest character traits – more than my greed, or hunger.

Except, [Stockpile] was stolen, so it's not like I got it by qualifying to be a glutton.

In fact, after my traumatic restaurant experience, I don’t think I’ll ever be eating again. Unless I can somehow go poof and eat instant noodles again.

And instant-noodle flavoured potato chips.

And… well, more instant noodle stuff.

Come on, I know it isn’t healthy, but in both my memory sets, I fondly remember the succulent taste of the noodles. The soft, tender texture that would explode with flavour inside my mouth, and the MSG filled soup that probably knocked off a decade of my life with every sip.

Live fast, die young!

Sorry for getting off track. As I was saying, Lin went off ranting, explaining about how crowning me as [Demon Lord] of Gluttony would cause civil unrest or whatever.

To sum it up, Porky was announced as the [Demon Lord] of both Gluttony and Lust, right?

That was roughly five weeks ago.

So,what if, after those five weeks, a new [Demon Lord] of Gluttony was accepted?

That could lead to one of two things. Either the ordinary civilians feel panicky, since they think there's infighting among the [Demon Lords], or they begin to doubt the current [Demon Lords].

To break it down simply, if they think there's infighting going on, well… the consequence of that would be pretty obvious.

But what if they don’t suspect infighting and foul play?

Instead, what if the citizens think one [Demon Lord] of Gluttony is fake, and that the current [Demon Lords] are lying?

I mean, if you don’t have a trustful relationship even over your own subjects, how can you rule or whatever?

I suppose it could be possible with tyranny, but that doesn’t sound like Lin's style.

I mean, he practically lords, over the entire demon territory by himself, since all the other [Demon Lords] are responsibility-pushing.

Including me, I guess.

And after that, the conversation somehow turned into Lin asking me which sub-branch of dark magics I had.

…

Turns out, [Dark Magic] is the primal, originator of other elemental based dark magics. I was wondering why it was so overpowered for just a few hundred SP.

So yeah.

Talk about overpowered.