Whew!

After I return to Windport, I wave Harwel goodbye.

I want to sell my monster parts, but I feel like if I sell it at this Guild, people will suss me out. I mean, really? Silver killing A-rank?

That’s low key unheard of.

And so, a brilliant light bulb popped up in my mind.

The Adventurer’s Guild respects secrecy, right?

If I just go to a different Guild, I can sell my Mantis parts without raising much suspicion.

I ask [Appraisal], and turns out, the nearest town with an Adventurer’s Guild is, well…in human territory.

Welp, so long for that plan.

Instead, I go directly to Gyras’ shop, asking him to upgrade my daggers. I also hand him the Mantis stomach, questioning if he can layer it onto my daggers.

Gyras seems a bit surprised that I managed to get my hands on literal A grade monster parts, but like any good businessman, he just waves it off.

He says it’ll be ready in four or so days.

He doesn’t ask for money right now though.

The best thing is that I don’t have to pay straight away!

Apparently, all blacksmiths get paid after they make their weapons.

If I give you some items, and you turn out to flop and fail, giving me back chum, I would’ve just wasted money if I paid beforehand, right?

So, its sort like customer protection and warranty.

I give my stuff to Gyras before leaving.

I can go anywhere I want to with my dungeon, right? I can simply go to another Guild in demon territory.

It’s just… crossing borders feels so weird!

Since demons and humans all look identical, I’m sure a random adventurer popping out of nowhere and selling parts from a super strong monster would seem suspicious.

I might get tied up too a stake and get burned to a crisp for witchcraft or whatever

I actually have no idea what happens to demon spies, but… I’m sure it isn’t anything good.

There IS a reason no one has heard from the ones that don’t come back, okay?

So… the closest demon town with a Guild is…one moment…

…

Its where ‘Lord Wrath,’ who I’m assuming is the demon lord of Wrath lives. I do some more background checks with back-to-back [Appraisal], and what I find isn’t very promising.

Yikes. Everyone in that vicinity is conscripted and force to join this Wrath guys army.

He even forced the politically neutral Guild in his area to join!

…Nope, that doesn’t seem like a good place to drop by.

From what I’ve read just then, Wrath seems like the type of guy to force me into the army after he sees me with an A-rank corpse!

Well, Mr. [Appraisal], what else is there for me to see?

There are a bunch more Guilds around me, buut…

I kind of want the thrill of going to human territory, despite the risks!

And so, on a whim, I decide to sell my stuff in the human kingdom Alzania.

I step inside my dungeon.

Might as well check up on my slimes.

I open the three doors one by one, before firing two abyssal bullets, and…

Oh. All 200 slimes died just like that.

A quick [Appraisal] shows that my stats all jumped above 2,000 save for defence, but my level of progress seems to be slowing down a bit.

I’d say I got roughly 20% less stats from these slimes than the wave before?

Logically, I do see the sense In that.

If there were no limit, I would get too strong, too fast.

In a month, I’ve grown to 3 all the way up to 2,000!

It would only make sense to slow down the progression a bit.

I’ve levelled up a bit more, so I have some customisation points to spend. Might as well use them now. What should I fix up?

My ‘lounge’ looks pretty sad.

And, stuffy. Really stuffy. Although my dungeon is set in a separate dimension, it feels as if I were underground.

So naturally, there would be no ventilation, but…

Luckily for me, with customisation points, I can magically ventilate this place!

I pour all my customisation points into ‘dungeon ventilation,’ and wait for some miraculous effect.

Nothing happens.

I should probably wait a bit longer, and let the dungeon do its thing. I do hear some faint, almost unnoticeable humming though. Is the ventilation system already at work?

Guess I’ll come back and check on it later.

I set my dungeon to open in Dniwport, the town bordering human territory.

To be honest, that name is stupid. Its literally just ‘Windport’ backwards! How original. I’m guessing since the two towns are so close to each other, they’re heavily influenced by one another?

I mean, no matter how much tension, there must be something to absorb from a neighbouring town.

Like, a merchant walks through the gates, and introduces new culture, food, music or something?

The blue portal slowly opens up, and I peek my head through, making sure no one is looking.

Coast clear

I jump out of my dungeon, casually whistling as I walk onto a more populated street.

This place feels the same as Windport!

I was expecting some massive difference between the two races, but I suppose not.

The biggest difference is probably social structure.

Demons function sort of like a constitutional democracy?

Not exactly, since the people don’t elect their leaders.

BUT, the system does! The system elects someone to gain a deadly sin skill and with that skill and the [Demon Lord] title, they have the potential to govern the entirety of demons… well, at least a portion of demon land.

However, it doesn’t mean anyone with a deadly sin-based skill can become a demon lord. Even if you have one, the other demon lords have to accept you before you get any real governing power.

And, that power is still limited by the Demonic Constitution.

These [Demon Lords] govern the demon population as a whole, single body.

On the flip side, humans rely mostly on monarchy.

The children of royals become future kings and queens, who govern and rule their country.

Another difference to demons, demon land is known simply as ‘demon territory’. There aren’t any borders or whatever, just one whole, united nation.

However, [Demon Lords] are also the demons main fighting force.

Human kings and queens don’t fight. Instead, each country has a court mage – which acts the main fighting force, and [Heroes] can be summoned as backup.

Due to the aristocratic nature of humans, a large portion of humans live in slums. Maybe… 50%?

The other 40% are part of the working class, and the other 10% are poshos.

Still, pretty boring stuff, politics and all.

I walk to the Guild.

As I slowly enter, my heart hits my chest like a sledgehammer.

Calm down, Rena. Don’t draw attention to yourself!

I walk towards the receptionist desk slowly, trying my best to act normal. Stop it knees, don’t buckle! Hey hand, stay still!

As I approach, the receptionist notices me, and she tilts her head.

“Hello, ma’am, how may I be of assistance?”

I almost take a double take. This is not what I’m used to! Damn, is she professional! Puts foul mouthed douchebags like Charles in shame!

“I’d like to sell some monster parts,” I say, trying to stop my voice from wavering in nervousness.

“Right away, miss. May I see the monster parts?”

“Sure”

I dematerialise the Mantis corpse from my inventory, and the woman looks a bit taken aback. Oh. I guess it does look…grotesque.

However, the woman seems to push her personal feelings away and goes back to being the ideal receptionist.

“If you please, may I assess the quality of the material?”

“Why not?”

She picks up some stone, which [Appraisal] recognises as a rock with the [Inspect] skill embedded into it.

Why does everyone have one of those?!

Well, not me, I don’t!

She critiques my items for a bit, before doing some financing and handing me a pouchful of coins.

“For that, the Adventurer’s Guild can offer you 50 gold coins. Is that fine by you?”

For I moment, I feel as if my ears are playing tricks on me.

“…Come again?”

“Ma’am, as I previously mentioned, the carcass can sell for 50 gold coins. Do you oblige?”

So, I didn’t mishear?

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

A WHOLE 50 gold coins! I’m rich!

Wahaha! How many fluffy beanbags could I buy with that?

Five? Ten? Twenty?

“Ma’am?”

Oops. I got lost in thought.

“Yeah, I’ll take the money”

And just like that, I get handed a pouchful of coins, and the lady gets some bulky looking men to take the corpse away.

Whew!

That was… much easier than I anticipated.

Nothing suspicious happened, nothing at all!

I go back into my dungeon, returning to Windport.

*

“I may have found a demon spy”

“What makes you say so?”

“This Stinam corpse can only be found in Ophia caves. which resides in demon territory”

“And you still let her get away?”

“Yes. I sent some men to follow her, hoping she would lead us to the other spies”

“And then?”

“She disappeared in thin air. It wasn’t illusionary magic; I checked for myself. Every trace vanished as soon as she walked into that alleyway”

“Interesting…”

*

I went to the furniture shop and bought a bunch of fluffy beanbags. I’ve only got 7 bronze coins left…

Who said anything about being financially responsible?!

I feel like those gambling-addicts now.... Blowing away money as soon as I get it…

Who cares about the future?

Live in the present!

As I enter my dungeon, I dump them on the floor, and I manage to make a sea of… delights. Now, no matter where I jump, I’ll be greeted by a soft cushioning!

Well, the dragon hunt starts in a few days.

At this point, if I join, I’ll probably hard-carry again. I am considered a middle Diamond-badge in technicality after all.

Besides, I want to get my hands on rare dragon parts. I can sell those for more money, and in turn, get more beanbags!

What do you mean I have pathetic motivational standards?

Stat-wise, the dragon is B-rank, but it might reach A-rank if you include skills.

You see, some monsters such as dragons and the somethingcorn have special racial skills.

But really, somethingcorns really only include unicorns, since some dude went on a genocide mission to wipe out doucorns and ceiscorns a thousand years ago.

Talk about a deep racial hatred.

Each dragon has a different ‘racial skill,’ which is considered an ‘extra skill’.

So, usually your average joe has 5 skills, right?

An ‘extra skill’ is an additional skill that isn’t part of the base 5 skills, meaning dragons really get six skill slots.

Its these skills that cause higher ranked dragons to inherently hold such widespread fear.

According to [Appraisal], roughly 300 years ago, an S-ranked dragon went on a rampage and attacked the elf village.

It’s called a village, but the entire populous of elves live there.

Usually, an S-rank would be enough to throw a town into chaos. They can destroy entire cities if strong adventurers aren’t dispatched fast enough.

So, how did this dragon nearly drive the elves to extinction?

Its unique racial skill, [Frost Body]. The frost dragon – Nia – was literally made up of ice.

Any sword or arrow that even contacted its body would freeze dry instantly, and crumble into pieces. Even I’onit couldn’t penetrate it!

So, these usually self-secluded elves had to run all the way to human territory, and beg for help.

The humans summoned two [Heroes] alongside the usual five court mages. And guess what?

Out of that force of seven, only a single court mage survived.

Yeah, the dragon was just that dangerous. Its mere existence led to permafrost, and violent weather.

[Appraisal] says that even now, that patch on land in the Elven Forests cannot bear any life, sort of like a nuclear bomb?

Talk about a living disaster.

This dragon though – the one in the quest, is nothing to write home about.

Its racial skill has been identified as something that lets the dragon heal when in fire.

How original.

----------------------------------------

It had been a long, tedious month. All he had done was relentlessly train. He started with a light head start, but he would have to amass even more strength and status. His fellow members hadn't accepted him yet, but soon, they would have to officially recognise him.

They were all monsters by their own accord, forming strict, and tight inner circles. It really was a miracle he had been found.

But really, it was quite the...impactful meeting.

He had been locked away, sent to rot in a prison cell after being charged for eleven cases of murder, over thirty cases of voluntary manslaughter and two cases of daylight rape.

He enjoyed toying with the lives of the sick, elderly, and young.

He had been nicknamed "The Child Endangerer"

He was quite the pathetic man, only preying on those weaker than him.

He had fought.

He lost.

Eventually, he died.

The man floated around, in an endless state of limbo afterwards. For as long as he could remember, he was in that endless, ivory room.

That was until a hand - or something he believed to be an incarnation of divine intervention - ripped him out of that endless abyss.

He looked around. He was in a new room, where he could see the confines of space.

He wasn’t fully aware yet. Confusion still clouded his vision.

Then – his body, withered by age, had been reembarked. Youth ran along his palm, and Prime circled his soul.

He was in a state of shock for a while, standing there, admiring his body. Even his once semi-awake conscience had returned to him.

He didn't feel like he was in a dream-like state anymore. No - he felt like he had finally grazed reality once again.

A white, translucent trapdoor suddenly opened beneath his feet. Unable to latch onto anything, he fell straight down, painfully clunking onto a hard, matte table.

He looked around. The room seemed...whimsical. Strange, gnarly...forbidden, yet still somehow aloof.

Runic writing was sprawled across the wall. Looking at it, he somehow managed to decrypt the foreign language, even without any prior or associating knowledge.

Conference Room

Compared to the almost blinding, endless void of ivory, this dark, dimly lit room juxtaposed perfectly.

His eyes slowly adjusted to the faint lighting. He lay in the centre of a round table, surrounded by seven large chairs, decorated with etched wings. The chairs smelled of ancient oak.

Looking around, he suddenly noticed that out of the seven thrones, four were... preoccupied.

He still remembered that day. It was a miracle Lord Wrath had not killed him on the spot.

But soon, he would be able to address that heartless man as just “Wrath'.

For this man - Jinda Zschu - was a [Demon Lord] of not just one, but two deadly sins.

Despite being short statured and on the chubby side, his overwhelming stats easily made up for such a trivial matter.

When he arrives on Travia, the system automatically distributed [Stockpile] to him, the skill of the Gluttony line.

Then, the system also allocated [Obsession], the Lust line skill to him purely based off his own achievements.

Jinda - the soon to be Lord Gluttony and Lust - stood at the doorway.

At least Mistress Sloth had been kind enough to let him attend the meetings now, although for now, he was just a placeholder with no actual say… for now.

It had taken a month just to gain approval from all four [Demon Lords].

As he stepped in, he found to no surprise that Mistress Envy and Lord Wrath were in the midst of a full-blown, heated argument.

"Envy, I TOLD you to be more fucking strict about the conscription laws! The humans have just announced all four [Heroes] today! We need manpower!"

"NO! My citizens will obey ME and no one else!"

Jinda furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. When he became the strongest [Demon Lord], he would erase those two for good.

No. He would torture Wrath and make Envy his woman.

Unlike those squabbling buffoons, he was special. He was a 'reincarnation,' and had managed to climb up to half of their amassed strength in mere weeks.

Mind you, those idiots had spent their whole lives training.

Although he was officially under Wraths command, he hated the guy. He was too arrogant, and didn't have that touch of finesse when delivering suffering.

He was all brawn, no brains.

Jinda just needed to complete one more mission under Wraths command before he would become a proper [Demon Lord].

A loud, commanding voice butted in, interrupting the argument of the fools. Envy was only good as eye candy. At least she could be of some use to him, unlike that darned Wrath.

Mistress Sloth stared at Envy and Wrath with a stern eye. Apart from Lord Pride - one he wouldn't mind being a henchman of - Mistress Sloth was the second strongest, and therefore, second most respected.

The hierarchy of [Demon Lords] was purely based on power alone.

That was also why Envy and Wrath were constantly bickering - every time they sparred, they would always tie. None had more control over the other.

"I usually don't cut in, but you two are utterly hopeless," mutters Mistress Sloth, stifling a yawn. "Just let me say my part, and you two can fight all you want."

Envy complains, "But-"

Mistress Sloth stops concealing her aura - something anyone Mithril or above automatically gets due to a title.

Being the weakest here, I feel nauseous in front of such power. The only reason I do not faint is likely because the skill is not directed at me. Even Wrath wavers, shutting up.

"As I was saying, don't you find it strange? The humans announced four [Heroes]. Let’s assume one of the human countries misfired their spell, causing them to summon a [Demon Lord] rather than a [Hero]," Mistress Sloth points at me, "Then why would we still be missing a sin? Jinda is the [Demon Lord] of Gluttony and Lust. But what happened to the late Lord Greed?"

Now, Mistress Sloth also inquires my interest. I open my mouth, asking my question.

"Mistress Sloth, what are you implying?"

"Well, in the history of Travia, [Demon Lords] are only known to disappear when those foolish human court mages misfire their summoning spells and accidently summons a [Demon Lord], right?"

Envy grouching gets up from the floor, nodding.

"And Lord Greed wouldn't leave without notice, meaning that-"

"-There is a reincarnated [Demon Lord] of Greed out there somewhere," finishes Wrath.

"Exactly. But here’s when things start go let interesting. There are five major human kingdoms, each one governing a country. If four of them summoned [Heroes], then Jinda here would be the only [Demon Lord]. So why is there another reincarnated [Demon Lord] out there somewhere?"

Envy manages to catch on, despite her stupidity.

"One of the human countries faked a summon. One of the four [Heroes] are fake..."

Wrath joins in too, but this comment is rather hopeless.

"Why does that matter? We still gotta KILL those stupid humans, right?"

I know I'm supposed to be his subordinate, but I cut in, unable to maintain my composure.

"What if we expose that? Think of the discord it would cause. Isn't that right, Mistress Sloth?"

The only response I get is a loud grumble. I look back, only to see Mistress Sloth fall asleep again.

Without her supervision, Envy and Wrath start to bicker again.

Such morons.

There really is no point in this meeting if Lord Pride is not here.

He alone essentially governs the entirety of the demon territory.

The other [Demon Lords] are more like figureheads.

I bow my head in disgrace, ashamed of my deed. "Lord Wrath, what is your final mission for me?"

Wrath silences Envy, before responding to my question.

"I’ll tell you later, Jinda"

Envy breaks out of his grip, and attacks Wrath. The comedy duo starts again, but I am too weak to do anything worthwhile right now.

But soon...those two shall be my goons.

A lightning bolt flies past me, grazing Mistress Sloth’s head. I stare at Envy, who looks contort with a worried expression.

She gives a light smile, chuckling, perhaps out of fear.

Mistress Sloths eyes snap open. She glares at Envy.

Moments later, Envy collapses onto the ground, not a single scratch on her body.

This is the overwhelming power of 'aura'. The sloth line's skill, [Idle] apparently increases mana and health regeneration by tenfold, as well as severely slowing down mana and stamina consumption.

I am not sure what Envy can do, but Wrath's wrath-based skill strengthens him as he takes damage.

Self-destructive and careless, just like him.

I lord over three exclusive skills.

From my Lust line, stands [Obsession]. It essentially allows me to transform into anyone I have killed. I can also borrow that person or monsters’ stats, adding it onto my own.

From my Gluttony line - [Stockpile]. It allows me to withhold any boosts from passive skills to some extent. For example, [Reparation] heal 10 health points per second. I can withhold that for, say, a minute, then recover 600 health points instantly.

I am capped to 2,000 per attribute, but this skill is nothing light. It is the main source of my power.

And finally, my reincarnation skill - [Contemporary]. I become stronger when facing weaker opponents, and weaker while facing stronger opponents. This skill is perfectly suited to me. I prey on the weak and avoid kerfuffle’s with those stronger than me.

I do not perceive this as cowardice- instead, rationality.

Kill the helpless and the weak, run from the strong.

Soon, I am sure I could be equals with Lord Pride.

Mistress Sloth gets Wrath and Envy into pecking order.

Wrath thinks about something, despite having a hapless brain.

"Jinda. I've thought of your final mission."

Mistress Sloth cuts in. "Wrath, this better be reasonable, okay?"

Wrath nods vigorously.

"Well? When you come back, what should it be, Jinda? Lord Gluttony or Lord Lust?" asks Envy, teasingly.

Both of those names sound...very unappealing.

"How about none of the above?"

"Bah, you're ruining all the fun! Well, choose your final task. I'll give you two options. Either find this vessel of Greed, or conscript Windport."

"I though Windport had the Adventurer's Guild protecting them from conscription?"

"SHUT UP ENVY, he's my henchman, and only I order him around!"

I glare at Wrath again. Who does he think of me as?

I am nothing short of a walking calamity.

"Well, just destroy the Adventurer's Guild first before conscripting everyone. Besides, just like Jinda, Windport should be under my RULE!"

I sigh. Both options are bad, but I think the latter would be easier.

"I will conscript Windport"

"Well, what are you waiting for? You can use Envy’s dragon as transport."

Envy punches Wrath in the face, before raining a thunderbolt on him.

Bruised, Wrath glares at Envy.

"Bitch, you are SO done!"

Once again, Mistress Sloth cuts in, and makes both of them collapse onto the floor.

"You can use my dragon"

"I'll be off, then."

Windport. The town closest to human borders. Built around one of the Adventurer's Guilds sub-branches, it is governed by Wrath on paper.

But in reality, it is the Adventurer's Guild that administrates the town.

I will conscript the men, and the women...

Oh, the women…

An evil grin, driven by unfulfilled lust climbs across my face.

----------------------------------------

After Keqak had notified the council of his successful summoning, all five court mages where scheduled for a meeting in the kingdom of Gelis in two days.

Keqak was the pristine court mage of Alzania.

Dane, the court mage of Tasuta.

Quan, the court mage of Gelis.

Zari, the court mage of Kekid.

And finally, Muok, the court mage of Sonep.

Apart from the otherworldly [Heroes], these five formed the unstoppable force of the human army.

Each one reigned supreme enough to easily achieve Mithril badge.

In a sense, they were far more potent than the [Heroes] themselves.

Quam had summoned the first [Hero] - young boy no older than 14 - whom referred to himself as 'Raph'.

Mouk came next, summoning Mat, a hulk of a man who referred to himself as 'Mat'.

Afterwards, Zari, the youngest court mage in history, had managed to summon Melony, another [Hero].

Finally, Keqak, humanities strongest warrior, summoned a noble young man known as 'Ray'.

Unfortunately, Dane from Tatuta had failed to summon any [Hero]. He claims that when he tried to initiate the spell, the mana circles shattered instantaneously.

Keqak stepped into the conference room. He looked around, and saw all four sets of eyes locked onto him.

"Hoho, perhaps I am late?"

"No, there’s no need to be humble, Keqak. No problem at all," commented Dane.

Keqak looked around the room. This was supposed to be a conference meeting, but to him, it seemed like a tea party.

However, he understood the demeanour of his colleagues. Keqak had thought the idea of war to be some far-fetched fantasy not long ago either.

His king, Braiher had told him before this conference that it was likely for humans to declare war on demons soon.

He had already seen entire armies begin mobilisation.

Keqak sighed. He might as well take this slowly.

Keqak raised his voice, grabbing the attention of his fellow court mages. "My [Hero], Ray has requested for a meeting with other [Heroes]. He has just been summoned, and has yet to learn about our world, but would a meeting between them in a week suffice?"

Zari; the youngest court mage, speaks up. "Personally, I would advocate for such a development."

"Besides, they'll be closer to the demon borders, no? Considering a possible war, this would also be a good way to transport them to the front lines." adds Muok.

Everyone nods along, agreeing with the proposal.

"Then," continues Keqak, "I suppose you will all make appropriate arrangements?"

""""Absolutely""""

----------------------------------------

Flying overhead Windport, I see the city bustling with...

...My primal urges take over, but I force myself to push them back in.

I can enjoy myself afterwards.

I morph into an insectoid monster, flying into town avoidant of detections.