The next morning, Kael stepped out of his apartment.
"Let's start today's work," he said confidently before entering the elevator.
Just as the doors were about to close, Rieko slipped inside at the perfect moment.
"Good morning, Kael," she greeted energetically.
Kael gave her a calm smile and bowed his head slightly.
"Good morning."
Rieko looked at him with a bright expression.
"Ready for your first mission as a Slayer Guild member?" she asked hopefully.
Kael smiled faintly.
"I've been ready for a long time. If it helps me grow stronger, then I won't hesitate."
Rieko nodded with a soft laugh.
"You're really ambitious."
The elevator stopped and the doors opened automatically.
"Want me to drop you off today?" Rieko asked curiously.
Kael looked at her for a moment before nodding.
"Alright."
Both of them walked outside and got into the car.
"I hope you get an easy mission for your first day," Rieko said while starting the engine.
The car soon moved onto the road.
"How many guilds are there in Tokyo?" Kael asked with interest.
Rieko kept her eyes on the road.
"There are seven official guilds, including our Slayer Guild. Besides them, there are many smaller groups. They aren't recognized as guilds, but they still have members… more like gangs, honestly."
Kael nodded thoughtfully.
"That's quite interesting."
A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of the massive Slayer Guild Headquarters.
"Here we are," Rieko said.
Both of them stepped out of the car and entered the guild hall.
"Let's begin the first day of my life as a guild member," Kael murmured to himself.
Suddenly—
"Good morning, Kael!"
Kaito appeared, waving energetically.
Kael smiled and walked toward him.
"Did you do what I asked?"
Kaito nodded quickly and handed him a stack of papers.
"These are the records of all the dungeons currently available for clearing."
Kael's smile widened.
"That's perfect. Let's get to work."
Kaito grabbed the keys to his car.
"I'm ready!"
After a short drive, the two arrived at the entrance of their first dungeon.
"Let's wipe them all out," Kaito said excitedly.
Kael stepped forward calmly.
"Manifest."
The moment he spoke—
Two figures appeared before him.
Xion and Talus.
Xion unsheathed his sword instantly and dashed forward, cutting through monsters with terrifying speed.
Talus roared toward the sky before smashing his giant hammers down, crushing multiple monsters at once.
The dungeon quickly turned into chaos.
Moments later, a glowing screen appeared before Kael.
[Level Up]
Level 18 → Level 19
Reward: +10 Stats
Kael smiled slightly.
"This is how I level up faster."
They soon entered another dungeon.
"Manifest."
This time, Aurelia appeared.
Her floating swords spun around her like deadly stars before slicing through the monsters with brutal efficiency. Her movements were graceful yet devastating.
Within seconds, dozens of monsters collapsed.
Aurelia landed softly, holding the severed head of a monster.
"Did you like that, my lord?" she asked sweetly.
Kael nodded calmly and gently ruffled her hair.
"You did well, Aurelia."
Kaito soon approached him carrying a heavy bag filled with mana crystals and mana cores.
"We're ready to leave this dungeon."
Another system screen appeared.
[Level Up]
Level 19 → Level 20
Reward: +10 Stats
Kael walked toward the dungeon exit.
"That's what I call fast leveling."
After an entire day of nonstop hunting, the two finally collapsed near the entrance of the last dungeon.
"Finally… that's the last one," Kaito said while dropping the heavy bag from his shoulder.
Kael chuckled calmly.
"But it was interesting."
Another screen appeared.
[Level Up]
Level 29 → Level 30
Reward: +10 Stats
Kael looked satisfied.
"Today's dungeons are completed."
Kaito grinned proudly.
"We cleared every dungeon scheduled for this entire week!"
Kael stood up.
"Let's go back to the guild."
Kaito tried lifting the bag again and groaned.
"This thing is ridiculously heavy…"
Kael casually took the bag and lifted it with one hand.
"Let's go."
Kaito followed him, impressed.
"Well… I can help by collecting artifacts, mana crystals, mana cores, and mana orbs while you fight the monsters."
Kael smiled faintly.
"You're a good partner, Kaito."
After some time, they arrived at the guild headquarters.
"Take these to the storage room," Kaito told the workers while handing them the heavy bag.
Both of them walked into the guild hall.
"That was amazing," Kaito said while stretching his arms.
Kael sat down on a nearby chair.
"Thanks for your help."
Soon, several guild members surrounded them.
Kaito puffed out his chest proudly.
"That was easy for us."
The girls around them looked impressed.
"You two are incredible!"
"You're both strong and smart!"
Compliments continued pouring in.
But suddenly—
The sound of high heels echoed through the hall.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Yumiko walked in.
Her presence alone commanded authority.
"What's happening here?" she asked coldly.
Everyone quickly returned to their work.
"This is not a place for idle chatter. We have work to do," Yumiko said sternly.
Kaito scratched his head and smiled.
"We finished all the dungeons, Mom."
Yumiko nodded.
"That's good. You've reduced the guild's workload for the entire week."
Kael looked at her calmly.
"When will the loot be sold?"
Yumiko glanced down at him.
"Tomorrow."
Kael stood up and met her gaze directly.
"I want to take some artifacts from the loot."
Yumiko's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Artifacts? Why?"
"You cleared dungeons owned by the Slayer Guild, not your personal ones."
Kael smiled calmly.
"They'll help me achieve my dream."
Yumiko studied him silently for a moment.
Then she turned away.
"Meet me in my office."
She walked away, her hips swaying gracefully with each step.
Kael glanced at Kaito.
"I'll be back in a moment."
Then he followed her.
Kael entered the office and looked at her calmly.
"Why did you call me here?"
Yumiko turned toward him with a playful smile.
"Why do you look so nervous?"
Kael gave her a deadpan stare.
"What do you mean?"
Yumiko slowly walked closer.
"You're quite amusing."
She licked her lips slightly, teasing him.
Kael remained completely unfazed.
"What about the artifacts?" he asked calmly.
Yumiko rolled her eyes.
"I can't give you those artifacts right now," she said seriously. "All guilds sell their artifacts in one place — the Hunter's Market. There are strict rules about dungeon loot. That's how we pay salaries to the hunters of our guild."
Kael Draven looked down at her calmly.
"I only need two artifacts. That will be enough."
Yumiko sighed heavily.
"You really don't listen, do you? Don't say I didn't warn you."
Kael nodded.
"Where can I get them?"
Yumiko smiled faintly and walked toward her seat, her hips swaying as she moved.
"The guild's mana store. It's on the right side of the hall."
She sat down and began reading the files on her desk again.
Kael left the office and walked down the corridor.
If I use those artifacts, I can probably create ten or fifteen novice-rank knights, he thought.
Soon he reached the mana store. A muscular guard stood at the entrance.
"Who are you?" the man asked sharply.
Kael remained calm.
"My name is Kael Draven. I'm a D-rank hunter. I came to pick up the bag I forgot earlier — the one with the mana crystals."
The man studied him for a moment before nodding.
"Follow me."
He opened the door and led Kael inside.
The room was filled with shelves stacked with mana crystals, artifacts, mana orbs, and cores.
Kael glanced around.
"This place looks extremely expensive."
The guard nodded.
"The total value here is around one billion yen."
Kael's eyes widened slightly. He stepped back from the shelves.
"That much money could buy a luxury estate."
The guard gave him a flat stare.
"You don't need to act so surprised."
Kael cleared his throat and walked toward the bags.
"I should find a sword and a shield quickly," he muttered.
His eyes landed on a sword.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Perfect.
The sword disappeared into his inventory.
"Now a shield…"
He searched through the items until he finally spotted one.
"There it is."
The shield vanished as well.
Behind him, the guard spoke again.
"Did you find your bag?"
Kael glanced back with a small smile.
"Just a moment."
After a few seconds, he straightened up.
"Maybe my bag isn't here after all."
He calmly walked out of the room.
Once he reached the corridor, his expression changed slightly.
"Start Entity Manipulation. Merge those artifacts with the monsters I scanned during the dungeon hunts."
A glowing system window appeared.
[ Entity Manipulation ]
Scanning in progress…
Kael nodded quietly.
"If I hadn't gotten this system, I'd probably still be sitting in my room wasting money on games."
A moment later another message appeared.
[ Entity Manipulation ]
Scanning complete.
Artifacts successfully merged with scanned monsters.
Do you want to view the results?
Yes / No
Kael rubbed his chin thoughtfully before selecting Yes.
"Manifest."
A flash of energy filled the corridor.
Suddenly, multiple figures appeared.
Xion,
Talus,
and Aurelia stood before him.
Behind them were ten sword knights and ten shield knights.
Kael looked at them with satisfaction.
"Twenty-three members in my army now."
Aurelia clapped happily before rushing forward and hugging him.
"Were you thinking about me, my Lord?" she asked sweetly.
Xion stepped forward and dropped to one knee.
"Awaiting your command, my Lord."
Talus roared loudly before kneeling as well, cracking the floor beneath him.
"Ready to crush everything, my Lord!"
The other knights knelt behind them in perfect formation.
Kael observed them carefully.
"They're getting stronger. Every battle improves their techniques… and their battle intelligence."
With a wave of his hand, the entire army vanished.
Just then, Yumiko appeared in the corridor.
"Did you get your artifacts?" she asked.
Kael smiled calmly.
"I got what I needed."
"I'm heading home now."
He walked past her without stopping.
Yumiko smirked — until she noticed the cracked floor.
Her expression instantly changed.
"WHO DID THIS?!" she shouted angrily.
In the guild hall, Kael approached Kaito Harukawa.
"I'm going home," Kael said.
Kaito finished his drink and stood up.
"Bye, ladies," he said casually to the girls nearby before following Kael.
Elsewhere in Tokyo…
A man sat behind a large desk in his office.
"I have news for you, sir," a woman said while holding a tablet.
The man looked up.
"What is it?"
She smiled.
"According to the latest hunter network update, the Slayer Guild completed the entire week's dungeon schedule today."
The man raised an eyebrow.
"In a single day? That's unusual. Maybe they sent all their hunters."
The woman shook her head.
"No. The report says the dungeons were cleared by two hunters."
She zoomed in on the tablet.
"Kaito Harukawa — a seventeen-year-old D-rank healer."
"And Kael Draven — a D-rank mage."
The man's eyes sharpened immediately.
"Twelve dungeons… including C-rank and B-rank… cleared in one day by two D-rank hunters?"
He leaned back slowly.
"We need to investigate these two."
His voice became cold.
"Especially Kael Draven."