The merchant glanced at Azzel and carefully sized him up.

"Looking for work, huh? Well, I do have plenty of need for escorts, but I don't hire anyone off the street. Forgive me but I am just cautious during these uneasy times. Do you have any identification? A guild card? Concord badge? Something else to prove your experience?"

Azzel listened to his requirements and formed a deep frown.

"Identification? I… don't have any. I can handle myself just fine."

The merchant shook his head and was not impressed by his actions.

"Look, lad. I've dealt with the likes of you but we've got regulations and rules to follow. The guilds handle most of the hiring, and the Ascendant Concord keeps track of registered individuals with Enhanced abilities. It's too risky if we can't ascertain your identity and skills. You would not believe the types of people I have seen who have said the same thing as you did earlier."

There had been too many people approaching him lately, seeking refuge to secure their way out of Doba, or others too desperate to find official work and earn some money without proof of their said expertise.

Azzel clenched his fists, frustration welling up inside him. This was not what he had expected to happen.

"So… no work without identification?"

The merchant nodded.

"No identification, no work. Simple as it is. The city lord is on the edge lately and the town guards aren't helpful either. They're keeping watch of us for no good damn reason. Their actions are ironic, requiring identification for work but not when an individual passes the city gates?"

The merchant's expression turned dark. He reminisced about all the things the city guards hassled them for, even if it was something very insignificant.

"If we want to hire somebody, we need some approval or verification that you are part of a guild or a registered enhanced. Otherwise, we'll be in deep trouble."

After venting out a lot, he softened his voice and stared at Azzel pitifully. He knew what the young man felt but he could not just violate the rules so easily.

"If you're that serious, you can register yourself to the Santon Guild House or see if that scribe from the Concord nearby is open for assessments of unregistered enhanced individuals. It's the only way to get decent work here."

Azzel nodded and thanked him. He approached a few other vendors and hoped for a satisfying response, though their replies were largely the same.

"Sorry man, but I need some identification over here. Guards has been urging us lately so please don't make my life harder than it already is."

"Look, friend, the city guards have been racking their brains because of the Ashen Veil's sudden appearance. The taxes are rolling us in too, and I don't want much trouble unless I am assured that you are not out to harm me."

Azzel clenched his jaw in frustration as he stepped away from the city center.

He realized that this city barely had anything to offer unless he could register himself in the proper channels.

'Screw this dark magic!' he muttered under his breath, 'If I don't find anything soon, things will get worse from here.'

His dark magic prowess was crucial as it was the only thing he could use to secure his place in this strange yet new world.

But where could he find what he needed?

The thought of bribing the merchants to steer work crossed into his mind. Some might take the coin, and even pass along some job rumors. Yet the risk was too great.

Such an approach was a double-edged sword, and the moment the merchants indulged him, they might share information about an unregistered laborer to those who needed it.

It was a trade-off that could expose him to the wrong people: authorities, the guilds, or even worse. Doba City had many ears and money alone was insufficient to buy discretion.

Azzel considered the black market but hoped it would not arrive at that.

'Damn it, I need a guide of this world...'

His instincts have been honed from years of analyzing strategy and story-driven games which urged him to look for patterns, something he could work with.

It taught him to assess risks and observe before committing to a plan. In games, he could settle into a city, blend in, and seek quests to progress the story. But reality was different, and people acted on emotions, impulses, and hidden motives. The world was far more complex than scripts, where one unpredictable action could lead to countless unknowns and questions with no easy answer.

There was no reset, save, or load button he could use if he messed up, and no quest marker which could guide his way.

'No... I need to stop thinking about it this way or else I'll lose my mind.'

After venting his frustrations, Azzel cooled down and thought things through. He would find a way to get registered, and if that was not possible, the path of the underworld would be the only thing left for him.

Abaddon leaned closer and spoke quietly. "Master, you seem out of sorts…"

"Yeah, a few nightmares just resurfaced. They shouldn't bother me for long."

Azzel reassured him but his pale complexion gave it away.

"I remember some of my memory, master. This Concord is an important organization, they are a regulator of some type."

Azzel looked at him in surprise. Abaddon's memories were returning.

"Is that so? Is there a way around it?"

Abaddon shook his head.

"You've heard the merchant, master. The city is too strict and suppresses their ambitions. I doubt we can gain something… in an official manner."

Azzel frowned and took notice of the Concord booth nearby.

'Let's approach that Concord scribe over there. Might as well gather some information. I must be careful though and not commit myself too much in the conversation.'

Stolen novel; please report.

The Ascendant Concord's booth was located near the city center's entrance. Behind the booth was a young scribe dazedly looking at the empty sky.

Azzel's eyes were drawn to the shimmering circular silver badge pinned to her linen cloak, inscribed with crossed lines and a small glyph at the top illustrating an open eye.

The scribe noticed him approaching and glanced over, slightly disinterested.

"Welcome. Are you here to register with the Ascendant Concord?"

"Uh… yeah, I guess? I'm interested in learning more about it."

The scribe looked at him as if he was an idiot.

"I guess? Well, to start with, may I ask if you are an enhanced individual? And if so, which path of enhancement do you follow?"

Azzel frowned and was caught off guard by the term.

"Path… of what? I am not sure what you mean, miss."

The scribe raised her eyebrow and spoke slowly.

"The Concord recognizes individuals by their path of enhancement: physical, mental, or metaphysical. Each path is unique and… has its own set of capabilities."

She paused and carefully examined him. "You, don't tell me you are not aware of such distinctions?"

Azzel scratched his head. "Yeah, no. As I said… I'm new around here."

The scribe frowned slightly. "I see. You are also not aware of the Concord's role?"

Azzel nodded fervently, urging her in his mind to tell more.

She sighed and felt defeated.

"Let me simplify it for you. The Ascendant Concord is a global organization that oversees all enhanced individuals, monitoring their abilities and maintaining order across Alton. Registration is required to formalize your rank and ensure your abilities are recognized, and when necessary, regulated."

Azzel stared at her deeply, comprehending what she had just said.

"Right, of course. That makes sense, I think. What if I want to sign up now?"

Looking at his expression, the scribe understood that he may not have fully digested everything.

"Signing up is a bit complex. We require verification, often through an assessment or a guild referral, particularly for unregistered talents."

She paused and opened a small drawer underneath, retrieving a neatly folded pamphlet.

"Here. This pamphlet contains a summary of the Concord's purpose, classification of enhancements, and the registration process. I recommend reading it carefully as it may answer most of your questions."

Azzel embarrassingly took the pamphlet.

"Thank you. I'll look it over later."

The scribe smiled politely though skeptical about his words.

"Of course. Should you have any further questions, feel free to return here. And… welcome to Alton. Familiarizing yourself with the Concord will be in your best interests."

Azzel walked away, feeling both relieved and somewhat out of breath. He glanced at the pamphlet, finding the characters written to be very foreign yet familiar.

He could not explain the reason behind but the pamphlet's words were naturally formed in his mind, reading phrases like the "Path of Enhancement" and "Rank Structure".

The scribe's expression throughout the conversation left him tensed and realized that he'd need to digest the contents of this material carefully to avoid suspicion in future interactions.

He found a quiet spot in the marketplace near a crumbling stone wall.

Abaddon recognized his master's urgency for private space, so he distanced himself away and kept a close watch on his master's surroundings.

Azzel leaned against the wall and scanned its contents.

The pamphlet was organized, highlighting the distinct sections in bold. The first page starts with a short phrase: Welcome to the Ascendant Concord.

As Azzel read through each line, he learned that the Ascendant Concord serves as Alton's primary governing body for individuals known as the enhanced. They are tasked with maintaining balance, ensuring that those with special abilities do not disrupt society's order.

Azzel frowned and thought to himself.

'So they are like an enforcement group, monitoring people with powers. Makes sense in a world like this.'

He realized that with the presence of a governing body, the Concord might be strict in enforcing punishments if they perceived an enhanced individual as a threat.

On the next page, the pamphlet outlines the three primary paths of enhancement: the physical path, the mental path, and the metaphysical, or otherwise, mystical path.

The physical path is a category of enhanced individuals with superhuman physical speed, strength, and endurance. Individuals of this path are born to be warriors, soldiers, or sometimes, bodyguards, utilizing their enhanced physical attributes in battle or for protection.

The mental path is catered to individuals with enhanced cognitive abilities capable of extraordinary mental perception, strategy, or memory. Most individuals on this path became researchers, archivists, scholars, or spies. Their awareness is very acute, and if they are enhanced to a high level, they can directly read other's thoughts or even manipulate the thoughts or actions of others using their powerful minds.

The metaphysical path includes those with control of the laws of nature, bending the fabric of reality to their whims. They can control fire, lightning, water, or ice, and at the highest levels, could directly influence nature itself and change the local environment.

Azzel's eyes lingered on the last path and understood that his dark magic powers would likely fall into this category. He recollected his confrontation with the bandits, remembering his effortless methods of draining their life essence.

'So, I am classified as a manipulator of the world's nature. That seems ironic considering the destructive dark magic powers I wield.'

He mused.

Azzel turned to the next section which detailed the Rank Structure that the Concord has implemented to measure the strength of an enhanced individual starting from Novice, Initiate, Adept, Exemplar, Vanguard, Master, Grandmaster, and finally, Ascendant.

Each rank signified an individual's mastery level of their path ranging from individuals with basic skills to the most powerful beings in Alton.

'A novice is barely not different from a normal person, while those in the initiate rank have more leverage in their power, such as shaping small flames or being resistant to cuts.'

Azzel's mind wandered towards Abaddon, contemplating his follower's peak power before he had died.

'Is he a grandmaster? If I remember correctly, Abaddon's movements are too complete and flexible despite his low power level. I wonder how much dark essence I might feed him and to have him return into his prime.'

Azzel could only guess, and even then, unlocking a fraction of that power left him to imagine many things.

His eyes darted to the sides, a display of insignias where each symbol denoted a specific rank and path within the Concord.

Bronze and Iron badges represented those on the physical path, their designs straightforward and unadorned.

Silver and Platinum badges, with intricate, geometric etchings, hinting at the depth of insight and intellect required for an individual undertaking the mental path.

Finally, Gold and Black badges etched their surfaces with abstract, flowing symbols, as if to capture the very essence of nature's forces, illustrating the mysteriousness of the mystical path.

'I remember that scribe having a silver badge. She must be an enhanced individual partaking on the mental path... and her rank should be...' his fingers slid and reached down. 'Inscription of crossed lines, bordered by a thin ring of silver and a small glyph representing an eye at the top... an Initiate.'

Azzel was worried if that scribe took notice of his dark magic aura, but remembering her expression of someone skeptical, that might not be the case.

He arrived at the last section of the pamphlet which discussed more of the Ascendant Concord's role and the importance of registration.

The pamphlet warned that all enhanced individuals must be registered to the Concord's official channels, and any unregistered ones, regardless of reason, are treated as rogues subject to suspicion, possible detainment, and barred from official work.

Azzel realized the gravity of his current situation.

'If I remain unregistered, I will be held as a suspicious person and restricted from taking official work or using my abilities in public. This is like trying to finish a quest without meeting all the requirements.'

The pamphlet ended with a short formal message:

Only through the Ascendant Concord can an enhanced find purpose and stability in Alton.

Azzel snorted and rolled his eyes at the phrasing, finding it almost ironic but he knew that it was the truth.

In this world, a valid registration meant legitimacy, and legitimacy meant opening doors that would otherwise be closed to him.

Remaining unregistered would warrant scrutiny, but he needed to find the balance between acquiring legitimacy without compromising his prowess in dark magic.

Even if one were an idiot, this society, though structured differently from Earth, would be prejudiced against those wielding unorthodox powers.

'I need a way to get connected without giving away the fact that I am a dark magic user. There should be a backdoor in the system somewhere. I don't believe that this world would not have the likes of fixers.'

He folded the pamphlet and tucked it into his cloak.

'Now that I know how a part of the system works, a good old bookstore should supplement what the pamphlet lacks. I need to find an excuse to browse books about the enhanced just in case the bookstore owners get suspicious of me.'

Azzel followed the path leading to the nearest bookstore. It was on the edge of the city center, with several people loitering around the corner of the entrance.

He pushed the door open with Abaddon following behind.