Nox was still seething with anger. How dare this stupid woman enslave his friend, who was more like a parent that had raised him from his egg? Lucifer was also surprised. Although Nox was protective by nature in the game, he typically only attacked those who provoked him or whom he chose to attack. But now, this owl had truly become something more than in the game, as if it had never been a game at all, but rather that the owl had been real forever.
Then Lucifer remembered something: if the owl was reacting so realistically, what about the demons he had set free? Would they be killing people mindlessly? No, he couldn't let that happen. Although he wasn't against killing, they still shouldn't harm innocents who hadn't done anything to him. He started to telepathically connect to his demons.
"Arrogantus, can you hear me? Hello?"
A deep, dark, resonating voice came from the other side. "Yeah, I can hear you." The voice was filled with pride and arrogance. Although Lucifer could control the demons, he couldn't just change their personalities or the way they were.
"Ah, I just wanted to ask: how many people have you killed in the couple of days I let you roam?"
Arrogantus thought for a second and replied, "Only a few thousand. I couldn't do much; sorry. But don't worry, we've captured around 300,000 people and beasts alive. Do you want us to kill them? if I knew I would have already done so master. Forgive me for my ingnorance"
Lucifer felt a sense of self-pity. What the heck he killed a few thousand and heck to even capture 300,000 alive and god knows what they are doing with them right now. In what stupid moment had he decided to let them free.
"Arrogantus, okay, I want to say something—no, it's a command. Although you're allowed to kill and capture as many people as you want, you are, under no circumstances, allowed to harm innocent people. If you've captured them, set them free. Also, give a message to Sedara." Then Lucifer told him his plan and what he was supposed to do.
"It will be done," Arrogantus replied with a sadistic smile that suggested he might do otherwise.
Lucifer then told Nox about his plan and asked him to roam through the forest near Silvara which was Twilight Vale and find the most powerful beast he could. Nox nodded in agreement. Lucifer and the party then exited the castle. He used his ring to return the castle to the Garden of Seraphina. Seraphina noticed the crushed flowers with a distressed expression and cursed Lucifer in her heart.
"So, princess, what do we need to do now?" he asked.
"Well, we can register you with the Adventurers Guild. Then, you'll need to do a lot of missions and reach a suitable rank before my father allows you to protect me."
"Okay, then. Let's go."
Seraphina had already arranged a carriage, knowing what would happen. Lucifer and Seraphina then headed toward the nearest Adventurers Guild, while Nox flew off into the Twilight Vale, a mythical forest teeming with various beasts. After a few hours of travel, they arrived at the guild building.
(You might be wondering why it took so long, but let me tell you: Atheria is around the size of our entire solar system, and only Zafyre is roughly the size of Earth. The capital city of Zafyre alone is the size of Australia, so it's no surprise the journey was lengthy.)
The guild building was massive, even larger than Seraphina's castle. As they approached the grand entrance of the Adventurers Guild, they were greeted by an imposing façade of stone and timber, adorned with intricate carvings depicting legendary battles and mythical creatures. The sheer size of the building loomed over them, dwarfing the surrounding landscape and making it clear this was a place of great importance and power.
As they stepped inside, Lucifer was slightly taken aback by the grandeur of the space. They walked toward the reception desk, which was only a few steps away. A friendly clerk stood behind the large desk.
"Welcome to the Adventurers Guild! How can I help you today?" the clerk asked with a smile.
Seraphina stepped forward. "We'd like to register this gentleman as a new member and learn about available missions," she said.
"Of course! Please fill out this form, and then we'll need to check your power level," the clerk replied, handing them a parchment and pen. Seraphina took them and handed them to Lucifer, who filled out his details and returned the form to the clerk. She took it and nodded.
After completing all the formalities, the clerk said, "Welcome, Sir Pompous Gloom! You're now almost a member of the Adventurers Guild. Though I have to say, you have a peculiar name." The clerk giggled slightly. "You now only need to go to the examination room and demonstrate your powers and elements."
Lucifer nodded with a hint of embarrassment. The name was chosen by Seraphina. He didn't like it but had no choice, as "Lucifer" was not a name he wanted to reveal to these people. In their history, Lucifer was also a demon, though not a god at first; he was a bloodthirsty, lustful demon who stopped at nothing to achieve his goals. He was eventually killed by a powerful adversary. No human in the world in their right mind name their child Lucifer.
Lucifer and Seraphina went in the direction the clerk had indicated, entering a large training ground. The area was alive with activity; adventurers practiced various skills, with warriors swinging their swords precisely and mages conjuring spells that illuminated the space with vibrant colors. The atmosphere was charged with energy.
As they entered the examination room, the space opened into a large arena surrounded by observation balconies. At the side, a tall instructor with a commanding presence sat behind a desk. He looked up from his notes as they approached.
"Welcome, new adventurer," he said in a deep, authoritative voice. "I'm Master Eldrin, and I'll be assessing your abilities today. Step forward and state your name."
Lucifer could feel his cheeks heat up as he had to tell him his ridiculous alias. "It's Pompous Gloom, but you can just say Gloom," he mumbled, wishing he could have used a better name than the one Seraphina had insisted upon. Her reasoning was that he should hide in plain sight.
"Mr. Pompous it is, then," Eldrin replied with a smirk, clearly amused. "We'll start with your elemental affinity. Please channel your magic into this crystal."
Lucifer was cursing in his heart to both this stupid instructor and himself Well he couldn't curse Seraphina so he did it to himself and silently stepped closer to the crystalline pedestal in the center of the arena, closed his eyes, and focused his energy. With a deep breath, he let his power flow, manifesting as a swirl of darkness. The crystal glowed with a darkened hue, shifting from dark to darker to darkest to almost void like color as it reacted to his magic.
The instructor was stupefied; never in his life had he seen a human with such a high affinity for dark magic. Even most demons did not possess this level of darkness affinity. He hid his disbelief as best as he could, though his emotions were transparent to Lucifer, who had the Eyes of Abyss. Although Seraphina wanted him to keep a low profile, he had other plans, so he decided to show his full prowess.
Seraphina, just within the required distance, saw this but said nothing; she knew she couldn't control him too much.
Eldrin took a slight step back, a flicker of unease momentarily crossing his features. "Remarkable," he finally said, steadying his voice. "You possess an extraordinary level of dark magic affinity, Sir Gloom. It's rare to see such a high affinity for darkness in someone who is not a demon."
Lucifer shrugged, noting the change in Eldrin's address from "Pompous" to "Sir Gloom." "I guess it is," he replied, hiding a smirk. Only if you knew, instructor. Only if you knew, Lucifer thought to himself.
Eldrin then gestured toward a series of training dummies at the far end of the arena. "Now, I'd like you to demonstrate your combat skills. Use any magic or weaponry you feel comfortable with. Show me your strength; affinity is just an assumption of your potential, but strength is what truly matters."
"Sure, I'll show you what I can do," Lucifer said, stepping toward the dummies. He focused for a moment, summoning a dark energy ball in his hand. With a swift motion, he hurled it at the closest dummy. The energy surged forward, exploding on impact and shattering the dummy into millions of tiny shards. He then conjured dozens of shadow blades, instantly obliterating all remaining dummies.
"Impressive," Eldrin said after the dummy fell. "You've certainly proven your combat prowess. Based on your performance, you'll be able to directly attain the Platinoir rank."
"Sure, as you say, Instructor," Lucifer replied calmly as he walked back toward Seraphina.
"Hey, I didn't ask before—what are the ranks in the Adventurers Guild?"
Seraphina told him in a low voice, "They're Bronzar, Argentium, Aurelium, Platinoir and lastly Diamythe. All ranks correspond to power levels except for Diamythe normally means an Origin realm person who is slightly more powerful. Higher ranks aren't usually discussed in empires of our stature. Only the upper-tier empires or dynasties know of them, as their existence is kept sacred. Only peak-tier empires, like those of mythical dragons or phoenixes, have connections to such powerhouses."
Lucifer nodded. "For now, I'll settle with Platinoir and slowly rank up."
Hello, everyone! With this, we reach the 8th chapter of Summoned as the Demon Lord, which also marks the point where I meet the minimum word requirement to sign a contract with Web novel. I'm incredibly grateful to each of you for reading my novel, and I'd truly appreciate it if you could leave a comment, review, or even a power stone if you feel inclined.
Your feedback—whether praise or constructive criticism—is invaluable to me. Knowing that my work is being enjoyed is rewarding in itself, and thoughtful suggestions or reviews will only help me improve and grow as a writer. Thank you for being part of this journey, and I look forward to bringing you more of Lucifer's adventures!