The Seat of the Ancient Warriors (SAW)
A middle-aged man sat in his office. The room was dimly lit, with black-tinted windows. He was smoking a cigar and muttered:
"Ah... It's so boring being an Ancient Warrior. Why did I even accept this position? I'm dying of boredom... And it's been so long since I last fought a demon."
He looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought, and continued:
"It's already been sixteen years since the Second Demon War... I'd love a bit of excitement. Is that too much to ask?"
A man in his thirties, dressed in a black jacket, entered the room and closed the door behind him. He stopped in front of the desk, holding a file, and said in a serious tone:
"Good morning, Mr. Todoroki. Third Seat of—"
He didn't get the chance to finish before Todoroki interrupted, clearly annoyed by the title.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Michel! You don't have to throw all my titles at me every time you walk in here! It gets exhausting."
"M-My apologies, Mr. Todoroki..." Michel replied, bowing slightly.
The former warrior let out a loud sigh.
"Pff... What do you want? Hurry up."
Michel opened his file and announced:
"We received a strange report… It's about a young boy."
Todoroki rolled his eyes.
"What, did he sell his soul to Heizer?"
"No."
"Then what did he do?"
In a grave tone, Michel replied:
"He killed an A-class demon."
Todoroki raised an eyebrow and, without much interest, responded:
"So what? It's not surprising for a Marked one to kill a demon. It's common."
Michel insisted:
"Exactly… That's the issue: he's not Marked."
A grin of excitement spread across Todoroki's face as he heard those words.
"Oh... An Unmarked killing a demon?"
He leaned back in his chair and asked:
"What's his name?"
Michel placed a photo on the desk and answered:
"His name is Igris Luzolo."
Todoroki examined the image before murmuring:
"Igris Luzolo… Now that's thrilling."
---
Igris' Arrival at CNTD
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Igris had just arrived in front of the CNTD building. People were constantly coming and going. The complex was impressive, towering several stories high.
Igris observed the structure, took a deep breath, then put on a determined expression before stepping inside.
Inside, the atmosphere was lively. Many hunters of different classes were present: E, D, C, B, and even A. Some entered, others left, while new recruits chatted with veterans.
Seeing all these Demon Slayers gathered in one place, a quiet rage built up inside him. He lowered his head, shoved his hands into his pockets, and thought:
"It's strange… I know I hate Demon Slayers because of their hypocrisy and cowardice, which cost my best friend his life… But ever since I became a Half-Demon, this hatred seems to have grown beyond control. I need to stay calm… Against all of them, I stand no chance."
He looked up again and walked towards the reception desk. The employee behind the counter was focused on her screen.
Igris gave her a smile and said:
"Good morning, ma'am."
The woman lifted her head and stared at him for a moment. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw his face. His hairstyle only enhanced his charisma. Flustered, she stammered:
"U-Uh… Y-Yes… How can I help you?"
"I'm here to register as a Demon Slayer."
The employee rummaged through her documents.
"One moment, I'll get the form…"
Igris took the opportunity to scan the room. He noticed that all the hunters proudly displayed their marks on different parts of their bodies: shoulders, thighs… Some even made sure to expose them on purpose.
Finally, the woman found the document and asked:
"Sir, I have the form. I need your last name, middle name, first name, and date of birth."
Igris filled in the required information:
Last Name: Luzolo
Middle Name: Lema
First Name: Igris
Date of Birth: 31/05/200*
The employee nodded.
"Mr. Luzolo, what is your mark type?"
Igris slightly furrowed his brows and replied:
"Huh? Oh, I have a black 'X'... That means I'm an assassin, right?"
She confirmed:
"That's correct. But to register this information, I need to verify your mark for authenticity."
"Alright."
Igris removed his tank top. The employee, startled, exclaimed with a slight blush:
"W-What… Sir, what are you doing?!"
He raised an eyebrow.
"Uh… I'm showing you my mark. It's on my back."
Embarrassed, she turned her gaze away and muttered:
"Ah… I see."
A silence settled over the room. Around them, hunters had stopped to watch the scene. Some whispered:
"Wow, what a body for his age…"
"He must be at least rank B or C… But his mark is black? He's only rank E?! Unbelievable…"
"That physique must have taken years of training."
The employee checked the "Assassin" box and handed Igris a pen.
"Alright, sir. You're almost a Demon Slayer. But before that, you need to take a test in the training room. It's the large door on the left."
Igris was about to leave when the employee timidly stopped him:
"Uh… Mr. Luzolo… This isn't very professional, but… Could I have your number?"
Igris raised an eyebrow, then smirked.
"Alright, no problem."
He wrote down his number and walked towards the door. Behind him, the employee let out a small squeal of excitement, giddy like a child.
Upon entering, Igris arrived in a long white corridor. Symbols were engraved on the walls, representing different categories of fighters: claw marks (sign of the tanks), a star (sign of the mages), a canine mark (sign of the warriors), and a spiral (sign of the healers).
He walked through the corridor and opened a door. Inside, a large crowd was gathered—humans and elves, all assembled in a grand hall. As he observed his surroundings, he noticed a vast empty field stretching over several meters.
Igris pondered for a moment and thought:
"Hm... There are a lot of people here—elves and humans, girls and boys... I wonder what they're preparing."
Suddenly, an imposing man stood in the room. As an elf walked by, she accidentally bumped into him. She was a young woman with black hair and silver eyes, dressed in a black robe and gray stockings. The man, visibly annoyed, snapped at her in frustration:
— "Hey, you! Demon girl! Can't you watch where you're going?"
The elf responded with a slight smile, looking at him:
— "Sorry, sir, but I'm not a demon. I'm an elf. You can tell by my ears."
The man glared at her and retorted:
— "You're from the Chaos Continent, aren't you?"
The elf, slightly intimidated, lowered her head a bit and answered:
— "Uh... Yes, my family is originally from there..."
The man suddenly exploded with rage and shouted:
— "THEN YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A DEMON, LIKE ALL THE OTHERS!!"
Terrified, the young elf fell to the ground. The man continued furiously:
— "It's because of you that we lose loved ones every day! Every day, a demon attack is reported, and innocent people die! If you had never appeared, none of this would have happened!"
The elf burst into tears, sitting on the floor, and stammered:
— "I... I'm not a demon..."
The man pressed on, merciless:
— "Oh, so you just pretend, huh? You elves claim to be here to help us, but in reality, it's just to mock us! So, I'm going to ask you something simple..."
He pointed at her and sneered:
— "Go back home."
Still crying, the elf murmured:
— "I'm not a demon..."
— "Of course you are, you're just—"
The man didn't have time to finish his sentence. Igris suddenly stepped between them and coldly declared:
— "Alright, that's enough, man. You know that racism against elves has been banned since 1960?"
The man shot him a dark look and snapped back:
— "Who asked you? Mind your own business!"
Igris smirked and replied:
— "Oh really? But you 'called' me not too long ago... We Black people weren't exactly appreciated in the past, but look at us now—racism doesn't exist anymore! Sure, there are still a few racists here and there, but humanity has evolved."
His tone turned more threatening as he added:
— "So, insulting this girl and the other elves is like insulting me. And if you keep going, things are going to end badly... for one of us. And when I say 'one of us,' I mean you."
But in his head, Igris was panicking:
"Shit... what am I even saying? This guy could crush me... But if I back down now, I'll lose all credibility. Alright, just stay in character."
The man stared at Igris for a moment, then turned away and walked off, simply muttering:
— "Leave me alone."
Igris exhaled internally in relief:
"Ah, thank God, he's gone."
The elf raised her head slightly, lowering her gaze timidly before calling out to Igris:
— "Um... sir?"
Igris turned around and saw the young girl wiping her tears away with her fingertips. She gave him a grateful smile and said:
— "Thank you for defending me. I'm really grateful."
Igris, slightly embarrassed, responded:
— "Don't worry about it... Just a name will do."
The young girl smiled and introduced herself:
— "Oh, a name? I'm Erica Rinegali."
— "And I'm Igris."
She was about to say something when suddenly, a man in a black jacket entered the hall and stopped in front of them.
— "Hello," he said in a serious tone. "I am Allende, general evaluator for the CNTD admission test."