Please select your demonic race. Choose wisely, as this choice cannot be undone.

Devil Path: Tiefling

A humanoid with goat-like features, such as horns and hooves, as well as a common demonic spade-tail.

True Demon Path: Oni

A large humanoid with a single horn. Like most True Demons, they excel more in physical strength and limited, innate magical abilities rather than spellcasting

Imp Path: Imp

The weakest form of demon, Imps are the grunts of Hell. However, where most other Demon Beings have to fight or tempt others, Imps gain levels by doing their jobs. If it is paperwork, it is probably done by an Imp

Fallen Path: Least Angel

A rare but powerful species of Demon, Fallen have all the powers of an Angel, but work for Hell instead. They are the first and strongest of all demons, but are slow to level.

Spirit Path: Poltergeist

Spirit-type demons are the ones most spoken of by the Church of the Lord of Canaan. They are harmed by salt, and suffer more damage from blessings and hymns than other demon types. They are, however, fantastic spellcasters. Poltergeists are specifically good at Force magic, applying telekinesis in various ways.

I took a breath, and made my choice.

Obviously, Fallen was the most powerful option, but the slower levelling means that I remain lower on the totem pole than I would have with another type. Imp was the weakest, and had ways to grow without conflict, but I hardly wanted to be a toady forever either. Spirit and True Demon paths locked me into a role, those being muscle or magic. My only remaining option, then, was the Devil Path, and thus the Tiefling.

Selecting my choice, I felt another burst of Corrupted Mana, and the accompanying pain. Unlike before, this pain, and thus the mana, lasted much longer, and I could feel my smoky form refining into a solid shape.

Eventually, though I could not tell you if it was ten minutes or ten years later, the pain stopped and the doors opened. With instincts I knew I didn’t have before, I walked out of the metal tube.

I was much taller than Screeches-at-Whelps, perhaps three times his height. I didn’t know where that put me in actual height, but my new instincts told me I was supposed to blend in with mortals, so probably between one and a half meters and two meters, five feet to six-and-a-half.

“A Tiefling, eh?” Screeches commented as I exited, “Surprisingly rare subtype, that. Most Devils become Incubus or Succubus. Anyway, follow me. We will talk as we walk.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

He turned around and left the room, picking up a clipboard on his way past. I followed, though given the “twice your level and you obey” rule that is unsurprising.

“First thing you need to do is think ‘Status’, to pull up your status page. This is where you will see most of your important information, from your True Name to your race to your level, stats, perks, and sins. Remember your true name, but don’t give it to anybody if you can help it. That is one of the few places that the obedience rule breaks down, you cannot be ordered to give your true name without the use of your true name. Come up with a Common Name, or request to have one assigned to you. Common Names are what we use to refer to each other.”

Doing as instructed, I was presented with another screen.

True Name: Falros the Horned

Demon type: Devil (Tiefling)

Common Name: N/A

Level: 1

Primary Sin: Greed

Title: Whelp

Strength: 5 (F)

Durability 5 (F)

Agility: 5 (F)

Power: 5 (F)

Intelligence: 5 (F)

Charisma 5 (F)

Unspent Points: 30

Souls: 1

Perks:

Infiltrator - You possess a limited shapeshifting ability, able to hide your demonic features and pass as a mortal.

“You will notice a letter next to your stats. That is your stat rating. Generally, we will care about your stat rating more than the actual number. You will have an F ranking below 51, an E ranking below 101, a D ranking below 251, a C ranking below 501, a B ranking below 1001, and an A ranking above that. If you somehow manage to reach the top 100 demons in a stat, you will receive an S ranking until you are no longer in the top 100. Number 1 in all stats is the Fallen Helel, and no one is close to beating them. The Morningstar kinda kills all challengers.”

As Screeches finished his words, we reached a solid black metal door, which we stopped to let open. On the other side was an area not dissimilar to a savanna, what with the tall grass and the sparse trees. On the other hand, the grass was a silver color and visibly reflected light, “blades of grass” may indeed be literal there. The trees were as black as the metal door, the few trees that bore leaves had them in the colors of fresh blood and washed bone.

The animals that moved in the hellish savanna were brutal mockeries of normal animals. Each one was a chimera, massive, partially rotted, or multiple of the previous. A classical chimera, a Lion and Goat head and a snake for a tail, was nearly skeletal in appearance as if malnourished, yet stalked an Orthus, two-headed hellhound, as if it was in its prime. As I watched, the chimera pounced on the orthus, who extended spikes like a porcupine and killed the lion hybrid in an instant.

“This is The Hellscape. One of the seven great districts of Hell, and by far the largest. The Racks, where we just left, are another of the great districts and were carved out of the Hellscape as part of the Purgatory Accords. Anyways, before I send you out hunting to get some levels, there is a bit more we need to talk about. First, the last part of your status; Souls. Souls are currency in Hell, but they also serve other purposes. You can sacrifice a soul to gain ten stat points, and you can use a soul to heal yourself completely. If you are going to die, you will automatically spend a Soul to revive yourself at full strength. You should have started with one soul, which would be your original Human soul. It has no greater worth for you than any other soul, so don’t worry about spending it.

“The second thing, I need your Common name, or a request for one to be assigned, before I send you out. Do you have one in mind?”

I nod to Screeches-at-Whelps. “I will be known as Gral Ros,” I say to him, “Don’t know why, but two-word names feel right to me.”

“Gral Ros. Knowing habits of newly-rebirthed, probably some aspect of your True Name mangled, but good enough. You will be welcomed into the Devil region of Hell when you have two stats at E rank, so over 50. Good luck and happy hunting!” Screeches-at-Whelps performs as his namesake, before returning to the building we left and closing the door.

Apparently, it is hunting time.