"Are you alright, master?" his lich asked as Alex's eyes opened.

"How long was I out?" he asked as he got up from the pile of leaves he was laying on. "Did anyone else try anything?"

"A few corrupted beasts appeared, but we have their crystals as proof of their transgress," his lich answered.

"Sure..." Alex looked around and noticed the destruction left in the area. "We need to get out of here."

Alex glanced to the side where the skeleton wolf was.

"Technically, you're the first undead I got myself," Alex patted it on the head. "I'll call you Alpha."

"When we get back, let's start making those scrolls," Alex said as they headed out of the demonic lair.

------

Zeke fell to his knees as they were transported back to their base. They were mere inches away from dying. It wasn't rare for demon hunters to turn on each other within a demonic lair, even more so for different factions.

"Investigate that guy-" Zeke was interrupted by a hand grabbing him in the neck.

"What kind of sorry state is this?" a man with long brown hair glared down at Zeke. "Did you retrieve the core?"

"Forgive me, family head-"

"RAHHH!" the man threw Zeke across the room. "You had one job!"

"Someone from the Gray family got in our way, family head," Zeke spoke.

"You don't think I know how your brain works?" the family head marched up towards Zeke. "I know about your little inferiority complex. The Gray family does not care about us unless you give them a reason to consider you a threat!"

The family head pointed towards one of the other members of the team.

"Tell me what happened!" the family head's eyes glowed.

The team member's eyes glowed as well. "We encountered the individual from the Gray family and questioned his identity. They had a small confrontation after hearing the man's identity," the team member told the story. "After we headed deeper into the demonic lair, the captain instructed us to observe the man from a distance, and that's when the man unleashed an attack."

"How certain are you that the man is from the Gray family?"

"The attack that was used against us was the Grayhound's claws."

"What was their name?"

"Alexander Gray."

The family head's eyes narrowed. "There's no one with that name in their direct lineage."

-----

Alex stepped out of the demonic lair and was greeted by over a hundred people with their guns pointed at him. There was a line of demon hunters forming a shield barricade around the entrance of the demonic lair.

Alex didn't know how to react to this. Every fiber in his body was telling him to go on a rampage. It was telling him that everyone was a threat. Oddly enough, it felt like his body knew where everyone was.

"Can I take them?" Alex muttered as a grin slowly crept into his face.

"Identify yourself!" someone yelled in the distance.

Alex hesitated for a moment but decided to comply. "Alexander Gray."

Someone wearing a white cloak with a hood covering their face exited the barricade and approached Alex. "Use this and prove your identity," the person handed Alex a familiar-looking scroll. The person's voice was distorted, making it hard to determine their gender and age.

"Is this an identification scroll?" Alex asked.

It looked similar to the scrolls Simon always gave him, but this one slightly looked better with the golden borders and red ribbon on it.

"That is a high-tier identification scroll," the cloaked person answered.

Alex shrugged. "Whatever you say," he activated the scroll and watched as the golden letters appeared in the air.

Name: Alexander Gray

Race: Human

Augmentation: Strength, Agility, Durability

Core:

Black magic: Necromancy - Tier 3 - stage 1

* Demonic core revival - Summons the demon sealed within your core. The strength of the demon is proportional to the stage of your core. Prevents the user from creating their core but enhances the absorption rate of demonic energy.

* Lich - Tier 3 - stage 1

* Death knight – Tier 3 – stage 1

* Lycanthrope - stage 10

* Earth spirit – stage 5

* Bone Armory - Allows you to create any weapon or armor using bones as material. The quality of the creation depends on the familiarity of the user and the tier of their core.

* Skeleton call - Allows you to summon skeletons (20) from the abyss to aid you in battle. The number of skeletons and the quality of the control will depend on the familiarity of the user and the tier of their core.

Legion

* ??? - Revenant – High-tier undead

* Alpha - Skeleton wolf – Common undead

Shapeshift: Beast - stage 10

* Bloodhound - Physical abilities and senses are greatly enhanced in proportion to the stage of your core.

* Grayhound – Your Aether adapts a metallic trait, increasing its defensive and offensive applications.

Enchanter: Healing – stage 5

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

* Self-preservation – Every 48 hours, your body sheds all negative statuses and recovers all injuries. (Does not affect severed limbs)

"Oh? It's been a while since I've seen this," Alex commented as he noticed a few changes.

The thing he noticed the most was the section that said legion. He could see Alpha and another undead. That would be the undead that drained all his energy just to summon.

"You're clear," the cloaked person waved their hand to signal everyone to ease up. "We detected the presence of a high-tier demon inside."

"Pardon?" Alex turned to the person in confusion.

"We're on high alert since the demon might have a similar shapeshifting ability as the first original demon that was born inside," the person explained.

"I understand," Alex just nodded.

With that disaster avoided Alex wondered if the group he almost killed caused any trouble. They didn't seem like the type to just let things go, so he needed to settle things with them.

When he returned to District Seven's base, he tried looking for Milly to hand over the materials but couldn't find her anywhere. Normally that wouldn't cause him any concern, but it so happened that he made some recent enemies.

"Find her," he summoned his werewolf.

The werewolf began sniffing around until it picked up her scent. It took off and Alex raced after it. Many demon hunters tried to block their way, but Alex managed to tell them it was his undead.

His werewolf stopped at one of the rooms in the isolated area of the base. Alex kicked the door open and was greeted by a misty room and wet floor. The mist cleared a bit to reveal Milly standing in a pool at the center of the room.

"..."

Both of them stared at each other for a few seconds before Milly broke the silence.

"Would you like to join me?"

------

Jared panted as he used his sword to remain standing. The on-site training had finally ended, and they received a week to prepare for the recruit exhibition.

In preparation, his family had given him another core and several demonic crystals. Anything else was up to him. He needed to both train and meditate for his body to handle the power it was about to receive.

He activated an identification scroll to check the progress of his training.

Name: Jared Garuda

Race: Human

Augmentation: Strength, Endurance, Durability

Core:

Personal - Tier 3 - stage 1

Elemental - Earth - Tier 2 - stage 5

- Stone skin - The user's skin turns to stone, increasing strength and defense. Elemental resistances also increased. All enhancements are dependent on the tier of their core.

- Medusa's Touch - Anything that comes in contact with the user's Aether is affected with temporary petrification. The duration is dependent on the tier of their core.

- Sandstorm - Generate a sandstorm around the user. The intensity and size of the sandstorm depend on the environment and tier of their core.

Enchanter: Healing – stage 2

- Healing aura - The user and their allies are periodically healed every minute. The power of the heal is dependent on the tier of the user's core.

Compared to his peers, Jared was ahead. The only person he could think of who was on the same level as him was Alex. But unlike him, Alex had no family providing him with resources. His strength came from struggle and hard work.

"I guess father was right," Jared muttered. "Hard work is nothing compared to someone who faces death daily."

"Either way, I don't plan on being left behind."

------

Milly was in her complete demonic form. She was over two meters tall with black wings and red horns. Her pale skin blended well in the mist and barely hid her features.

"I think this counts as holding my hostage..." Alex commented.

Despite the situation, it oddly felt like he was the one being humiliated. Milly had no problems showing off her body, and she didn't let it bother her that the only thing Alex could think about was her body.

Milly laughed. "Where's the person that thought of doing in so many different positions when we first met?"

"You adjust pretty quickly..."

"Those things didn't really bother. It was the affection that caught me off-guard," Milly stated. "Sexual acts aren't prevalent for demons to care about."

"Okay..." Alex replied.

For the rest of the time, both of them just silently enjoyed the warmth of the water. Alex didn't expect the organization to have a facility like this or the fact that there weren't many people here. This place was in the isolated part of the base, so it made him even more confused.

"Thank you for doing this for me," Milly said as she reverted to her less demonic appearance. "I'll make sure to properly compensate you."

"You're welcome."

"Once we get back. I'll give you a personal reward," Milly winked.

------

Renata had heard of Mildred's return, or Milly as she liked to be called. There weren't many demons who would decide to work with the demon-hunting organization, so it's not rare for the select few to form a kinship with one another or even feelings.

Milly was one of the few demons that were actually kind and not just suppressing their desire to kill. Working at a place that hunts down their kind just adds fuel to her annoyance, if she was being honest, but Milly was different.

"At least Mildred's doing well," Renata muttered.

Mildred had told her about how successful her trip was. She had obtained the supplies she needed. The only thing Mildred needed left was a location to build.

Renata had gone on several scouting missions to help her, but she had yet to find a suitable location. She won't let that stop her, though. She had several scouting missions lined up, so Renata had many opportunities to keep looking.

Since Milly wasn't in her office, Renata had to use her tracking skills to look for her. As Renata got closer and closer, the more her nerves got the better of her. Her tracking skills were pointing toward Milly being in one of the dorm rooms.

Renata kicked the door open to find Milly on the bed on top of a human. Her suit was on the floor, and the only thing she had on was her necktie. Milly and the human just stared at her with wide eyes.

"How dare you?!"

------

Alex never thought he'd have problems like this. After he returned to District Three's base with Milly, she helped him get to his dorm room since his motion sickness was even worse after his senses were enhanced.

When they arrived at his room, that's when Milly offered to give him his reward.

Only an idiot would refuse.

But in the middle of that reward, another demon had appeared. She had yellow skin and a long brown hair. She had cat-like features and a pair of avian wings. An odd combination to have, but Alex didn't want to judge.

She seemed to be very close with Milly and didn't like what she barged into.

"Why would you do that with a human?"

"It's okay. Alex isn't a bad guy, Rena," Milly tried assuring the other demon. "He was even the one that helped me with everything."

"He could have just done it to get you in bed!"

"To be fair, I carried him here," Milly mentioned. "Besides, demons don't even have sex for the same reasons as humans."

"This entire conversation is uncomfortable to hear..." Alex commented.

"Then you shouldn't have put your dick in her!" The demon named Rena growled.

Alex just raised his hands in surrender and left the room. It was his room, but arguing with a demon woman was something every man should avoid.

With a sigh, Alex began walking around the base. He hadn't really explored the base, so he might as well do it now.

The only parts of the base he's been to were the two training facilities, the cafeteria, the dispatch bay, and the equipment. He could also add Milly's office, but he didn't know if it counted as a facility.

"Maybe this place also had a bath," Alex muttered as he walked around.

Three hours later...

Alex did not find a bathhouse. "So much potential... wasted!"

His exploration of the base did not result in anything interesting. Most of the facilities he tried visiting did not allow him inside without a proper reason.

"Maybe I should get started on those scrolls..."

Alex summoned his lich. "Master," the lich bowed.

"What do we need to make the scrolls?"

"You only need to acquire parchment, blood, and demonic energy crystals," the lich listed.

"... blood?"

The lich nodded. "The blood will serve as the ink. Any blood will work, master."

"This day just keeps getting weirder."