The world was different now.
Not Heaven. Not Hell.
A mortal realm—
Where strength was earned, not given.
Lucifer stood in a quiet forest, staring at a crude wooden sword and a single gold coin.
"...So this is my starting equipment?"
He tilted the blade.
"...If I nurture this, it might evolve into a sword spirit."
A grin slowly formed.
"Well then... time to play this game properly."
The Adventure Guild
Cities in this world were built around power.
And power had a name—
The Adventure Guild.
A place where warriors, mages, and mercenaries gathered to take contracts.
Ranks defined everything:
Bronze → Silver → Gold → Platinum → Diamond
The higher the rank, the deadlier the job.
And more importantly—
The richer the reward.
Lucifer pushed open the doors.
Chaos inside.
Shouting adventurers. Weapons clashing. Magic sparking.
He barely reacted.
"...Loud."
He walked to the counter.
A receptionist looked up.
"Welcome. How may I help you?"
"I'm here to register."
"One gold coin."
Lucifer blinked.
"...Expensive."
"It is the guild standard."
He sighed and placed the coin down.
"Name?"
Lucifer paused.
Then smiled.
"Lucifer Morningstar."
A brief silence.
The receptionist stamped the paper.
"You are now a registered adventurer."
She handed him a bronze rank ring.
"All beginners start here."
Lucifer slipped it on.
"...Bronze rank, huh."
His eyes gleamed faintly.
"This world really likes progression systems."
The First Hunt
Without hesitation, he took the highest bronze-ranked quest available:
"Hunt 1000 Grey Wolves."
The receptionist frowned.
"...That's... ambitious for a beginner."
Lucifer smirked.
"I don't like wasting time."
The Forest of Wolves
Deep inside the forest—
Wind moved differently.
Too quiet.
Too tense.
Wolves began circling him.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
Lucifer sighed.
"...Seriously? All of you at once?"
He casually walked forward.
And stepped into the center of the pack.
The wolves attacked.
But—
He didn't fight.
He led them.
Slow steps.
Careful positioning.
Deliberate movement.
"Come on," he muttered.
"Fall where I want you to fall."
A pit.
Hidden spikes.
Traps layered across the terrain.
One by one—
The wolves fell.
No struggle.
No panic.
Just precision.
Lucifer watched calmly.
"...Hunting without thinking is the easiest thing in existence."
A notification appeared in his mind:
+10 Karma Coins per kill
He tilted his head.
"Karma coins... interesting."
Weeks Later
The forest had changed.
Not because of monsters—
But because of him.
Traps everywhere.
Dead zones mapped.
Movement routes calculated.
Lucifer had turned survival into mathematics.
"Monster meat for food..."
"Fangs for weapons..."
"Fur for shelter..."
He smiled faintly.
"...A walking gold mine."
But then—
Something triggered a trap.
Lucifer paused.
"...That's new."
He moved cautiously.
A figure.
Collapsed.
Bleeding.
A girl.
The Unexpected Encounter
Lucifer crouched beside her.
"...Dead?"
He checked her pulse.
Then casually grabbed her chest.
"...Still alive. Barely."
He nodded.
"Good."
He carried her back to his tent.
Hours passed.
She woke suddenly.
Weapon drawn.
Pointed at his throat.
Lucifer blinked.
"...You wake up like this every time?"
The girl frowned.
"Who are you?"
Lucifer sighed.
"I saved you. That's who."
He handed her soup.
"Eat."
She took a sip.
"...It's awful."
Lucifer froze.
"...Excuse me?"
"It's edible," she corrected.
"...That's worse."
She studied him.
"I'm Alice."
Lucifer leaned back.
"Nice to meet you."
Truth Revealed
"I was hunting a beast," she said.
"...A Lycanthrope."
Lucifer paused.
"...Oh."
"Yeah. That kind of 'oh.'"
She looked around.
"...Did you change my clothes?"
Lucifer nodded.
"Obviously."
Her eyes narrowed.
"...You what?"
"I did it with my eyes closed."
Silence.
"...That's not the problem."
Lucifer scratched his head.
"I'm an adventurer. It's normal."
Alice sighed.
"...Just don't do it again."
Lucifer smiled faintly.
"Sure."
The Lycanthrope
The next day—
She left.
Before going, she warned him:
"Don't go near the northern zone. That's where the Lycanthrope is."
Lucifer waved casually.
"Got it."
The moment she disappeared—
He turned.
"...I'm going anyway."
The Hunt Begins
Deep in the forest.
The air changed.
Heavy.
Predatory.
Lucifer stepped forward.
"Come out."
Silence.
He sighed.
"...Coward."
Then smirked.
"I'll drag you out myself."
A roar answered.
The Lycanthrope emerged.
Massive. Twisted. King of wolves.
Lucifer grinned.
"...There you are."
The beast struck.
Fast.
Brutal.
Lucifer barely dodged—blood dripping from his arm.
"...Okay. That's better."
He ran.
The beast followed.
"This is going to hurt..." he muttered.
"...System."
A voice responded inside his mind.
Karma points detected. Allocate stats?
"Agility. All of it."
His body changed.
Faster.
Lighter.
Sharper.
The beast gained on him—
Then slowed.
Lucifer smirked.
"...Too slow."
He triggered traps.
Logs crushed the beast.
Spikes tore through its body.
But it kept coming.
Angrier.
Stronger.
Lucifer laughed.
"...Good. Don't disappoint me."
Final bait.
Blood.
The beast lunged.
At the last moment—
Lucifer vanished.
A final trap activated.
Dozens of spears descended.
Silence.
The Lycanthrope fell.
System voice echoed:
1000 Wolves + Alpha killed
Rewards granted:
Skill: Speed
Title: Wolf Slayer
Karma Points: Massive gain
Lucifer exhaled.
"...Finally."
He smiled.
"...This game is getting interesting."
Guild Return
Back at the guild—
The receptionist froze.
"...You actually did it?"
Lucifer dumped the crystals on the table.
They overflowed instantly.
A manager was called.
Then another.
Then silence.
The guild hall went quiet.
The manager bowed slightly.
"...We would like to offer you an immediate rank promotion."
Lucifer blinked.
"...That fast?"
"We will also offer discounts... and priority deals... and any price for your materials..."
Lucifer smiled faintly.
"...Good."
Whispers spread.
"Who is he...?"
"A bronze rank...?"
"No way..."
The manager thought:
If we don't secure him now... another guild will.
Lucifer accepted the silver rank badge.
He turned it in his hand.
"...So this is how the world works now."
A faint smile.
"Perfect."
Somewhere far above—
Beyond stars.
Beyond worlds.
Something watched him.
And smiled back.
To be continued...