Abyssal Sovereign: The Demon's Dominion

The city lord and the captain arrived at the nearest market to the gate but didn't find the three they were looking for.

With a frown, the captain called one of the patrolling guards. "Where are those three adventurers—one with golden hair, another with black, and the son of the city lord?" the captain asked, as the guard replied.

"Captain… City Lord…" the guard bowed first before answering.

"They went in the direction of the guild," the guard said, as the city lord looked in that direction in shock.

"What do they plan to do there?" the city lord thought in surprise.

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Earlier...

"If you want to be known, the best place to go is the guild," Louk said, walking toward the only guild in the city.

"And why?" Chu Su asked.

"Simple. The guild registers all adventurers, and once they find out you're S-ranked, all other guilds will know, and so will other adventurers. You'll be famous, and it'll be easier for you to do whatever you plan next. I guess… just promise you'll involve me and not leave me behind," Louk said with sad eyes.

"I understand, and don't worry—you'll be with us as we create our organization," Ariya promised, and Louk smiled.

Chu Su merely snorted and continued walking.

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Ariya, Chu Su, and Louk arrived in front of a large building. Its size was evident, as various armored humans walked in and out.

Their auras varied in strength.

Seeing Louk, the adventurers bowed slightly, no matter their rank.

Even though it was known that the son of the city lord was useless, the city lord was kind to everyone, and even Louk was a good boy who had earned everyone's respect.

Inside, a young lady stood at the counter distributing missions and handing out badges.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Louk.

"Hey, Louk," she called out, greeting him.

The adventurers inside also greeted him.

"You're quite popular for someone so weak—or are you popular because you're weak?" Chu Su asked with a smile.

"Sister," Ariya called out, as Louk snorted angrily.

"Fine, fine, I'll keep quiet," Chu Su said, rolling her eyes.

"Good day and well done. I'm here to conduct the adventurer rank class for both of them," Louk said to the lady at the counter.

Looking at the two women, the lady lost her composure. It was no wonder the place was quieter; she could see the men engrossed and glued to Ariya and Chu Su.

"You… two… yes, yes," the lady at the counter stuttered repeatedly.

"Excuse me, I'll prepare it," the lady said, moving to the back.

When she was gone, an adventurer appeared, making everyone frown.

He looked like a thin, weak man at first, but on closer inspection, he seemed refined, strong, and handsome.

One word came to mind: dangerous.

"Sister, isn't that the one who was spying on us?" Chu Su asked with a chuckle, and Ariya nodded.

"Spying on us? When?" Louk asked in shock. He didn't remember encountering this man or anything about him being caught spying on them.

"You're too weak, after all," Chu Su said, and Louk remained quiet, accepting it.

"I mean no harm. I was just passing by and was entranced by your beauty. Well, I'm here for the rank test, by the way," Bius said with a stiff smile, lieing wasn't a common thing for him.

The other adventurers laughed for a while before returning to their activities, though they occasionally cast glances at Ariya and Chu Su.

The lady returned and smiled. "Follow me, and—" she paused, noticing the handsome man.

"I'm also here for the test," Bius said with a smile, and the lady nodded.

"Follow me, then," she said, moving to the back.

The rest followed her.

After passing through some resistance, they reached the location.

It was outside the building in an open space. In this area were some giant rocks, mid-sized stones, and orbs.

"This test is divided into different stages," the lady said with a smile.

Ariya and Chu Su looked at everything indifferently, while Louk sighed.

He remembered how excited he was when he first came here and how depressed he became when he left.
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Bius looked around with a sigh.

As a bodyguard trained like an assassin, he could think like them, move like them, and counter them.

He could feel it—someone was watching them from the top of the building.

"Sorry, it might be ladies first, but let me give it a shot first," Bius said. He didn't want to act after these S-ranked beings had made their moves.

All he could do was go first to avoid embarrassment later. He might not even be able to act after witnessing the chaos an S-rank adventurer could unleash.

"We're cool with it," Ariya said, as the lady from the counter looked at them.

With a slight nod, Bius began.

First, he approached the orb. A dark light emerged, filling the orb.

"Ability: Shadow. Rank: B," the lady from the counter said in shock.

Next were the large stones. Bius struck one with a punch.

The ten-meter-tall rock was left with a one-meter-deep dent.

"Attack: Rank B."

Next, multiple dolls appeared, numbering in the thousands. The rank depended on how many one could destroy in a second.

"Go," the counter lady said, and Bius moved.

Shadows spread out as one hundred dolls disappeared into thin air.

"Combat Ability: B-rank."

"Overall Assessment: B-rank," the counter lady smiled, as Bius returned to his position near Louk.

"Cool! Shadow ability is awesome," Louk said with a smile.

"Ha, it's nothing. Thank you," Bius said with a smile.

"Really? Honestly, I've always wanted that. There's so much I'd like to do with it," Louk said with a grin.

"Ha, I'm intrigued. What do you want to do?" Bius asked with a smile.

"Fight monsters, destroy them—hehe—and much more," Louk said, grinning.

"That's not so bad. How about we team up?" Bius suggested.

"Yes! Nice, but I have to ask the sisters," Louk said cheekily, turning to Ariya and Chu Su.

"Can he join us?" Louk asked.

"Well, he's somewhat useful, so he can," Ariya said.

Snort.

Chu Su snorted and walked past Bius without sparing him a glance.

"It's my turn," Chu Su said with a smile.

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