In The Darkness

The Beginning, Part 2

The girl soon progressed out of the guild house, leaving the customers standing in front of her counter, waiting. The adventurers present in that counter, soon shifted to another, while carrying their belongings. Some of them grunted, while others sighed, "Not again..."

Soon after this drama, another man behind a counter called out to me. "You there! Get over here!"

As a demon lord, I found this tone highly offensive, but I soothed my mind thinking about what was at stake. One part of me wanted to end the human empire once and for all, while the other, wished for a more merciful approach. I walked towards the man, following the decisive action.

The man in front of me, was visibly young and vibrant. His short cut hair and his well trimmed beard showed his tidiness. His body was fit and well maintained from every muscle. Similar to the bearded corpse, he wore an attire similar to an adventurer. One look and I could tell, his armour was made from animal hide and rubber. He wore a cape as well, which rather dignified his overall look. After walking to the side of his desk, he spoke, "Sasha will fill your details in your identification card, and until then, you'll have to wait. I'll explain the basic details after the line of adventurers lowers in number. Two wooden chairs are present right next to the task board. You may be seated there for the time being."

I was called all the way here just to be pushed away. My wrath had passed the limit, however, my mercy was far empowering than my wrath. I walked towards the task board, and sat on the wooden chair. With the time that I had, I circulated the mana in my body to distract myself from the wrath of waiting. After a few minutes, I felt a pat on my shoulder. I looked back up to find that it was the same man at the counter. He spoke in a gravelly voice, "Phew. That didn't take as long as I thought it would. Anyway, did I introduce myself? I'm Dave."

I got up from the chair and replied in an overpowering voice, "And I'm Andres."

After clearing his throat, Dave spoke, "Well then, let's get started. The task board right next to us has several tasks pinned up. Each task will have five important details; the minimum rank required, the details of the task, the payment after the task is completed, the item to be obtained to prove that the task is completed and whether or not that task can be permanently executed. Other than that, whenever you wish to accept a particular task, you must inform one of us at the counters. There are four counters available, however two of them are new recruits. If you really wish to take up a task, contact me or Sasha. We will inform you in the case where another person has opted for the same task. After completing the task, you have to carry the necessary item with you, and for that I recommend you to buy a bag or a pouch. After obtaining the particular item, you have to hand it over to us for compensation. The number of completed tasks will be marked and recorded by us. Once we feel that you are capable of graduating to the next rank, we shall inform you. I hope you pass successfully through this journey! And as a side note, NEVER wake the receptionist no matter what is happening around you."

After a long narrative, Dave sat back at his counter. A moment later, the blonde entered the guild house, kept a glass of beer next to the receptionist, and took the registration form kept on the table. She then approached me and asked, "Are you the new recruit?"

I replied with a simple "Yes."

"It'll take me a moment to process your identification... I'll be back in a sec."

The blonde rushed to her counter, her braided hair dangled behind her. A minute later, she brought a rectangular piece of glass in her hand and stood in front of me. "Huff...Huff... Here's your Id."

She handed over the transparent rectangular glass and resumed speaking while bending down slightly due to the distance she ran, "Pour your blood over it huff...to make it work."

I held the glass between my thumb and my index finger, and took off the glove of the other hand with the help of the other three fingers. After doing so, I tossed the glove on the floor and cut the tip of my thumb on the blade of my dagger. After a single drop of blood, it showed a bunch of details.

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Name: Andres Mordecai

Rank: G

Gender: M

Status: ---

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"Your rank denotes the experience you have. Ranks increase from G to F to E all the way up to A. Your rank will increase to F after one quest. You can pick a quest right now if you wish to do so. Good luck, and have a safe journey!"

After saying this, she rushed once more to her desk. I picked up the glove on the floor, and put the identification card in the gap between the bracer and my hand. I then wore the glove as I left the guild house.

I found a hotel nearby and paid a single gold coin to the hotel manager. Coins were minted in a simple circular shape. This seemingly made it counterfeit, however, the difference between gold and other metals could easily be recognised. 10 bronze coins made 1 silver coin, and 10 silver coins made one gold. Therefore, the money I had payed was already enough to stay for an entire year.

As I entered my room, I saw my cotton bed positioned next to a wooden study table. The way the room was cramped was hard to look at, however, I could bear with it for a few years. In some sense, its simplicity was bountiful enough. A large cupboard was located a considerable distance away, while the bathroom was well maintained. With my armour on, I laid on the bed and rested for a while.