My 5th Reincarnation: I Was Born in Another World as a Demon - TWOB 4

The manor's training ground looked considerably less pristine after their first group session. Raegan's system cataloged the damage:

[Training Results]

Fin's sword marks: Everywhere

Ace's mana burns: Artistic

Luna's precision strikes: Surgical

Aria's royal blast marks: Surprisingly destructive

Property Damage: Worth it

"That was AWESOME!" Fin collapsed on the grass, grinning. "Did you see when Luna predicted Ace's mana trap and redirected it into my sword strike?"

 "The energy conversion rate was fascinating," Ace muttered, already sketching diagrams. "Raegan, the way you stabilized the combined attack…"

 "And Aria!" Luna added, her tail wagging with excitement. "Who knew the princess could fight like that?"

 "Royal combat training since age five," Aria shrugged, then grinned. "Though Father might faint if he saw me getting this sweaty."

 "We should celebrate!" Fin jumped up. "Let's get our adventurer guild cards! We just proved we're more than qualified."

 "The Adventurer's Guild?" Aria's eyes lit up. "I've never been allowed inside!"

 "Perfect timing," Raegan said carefully. "But I need to make a quick stop first. For… herbs."

[Excuse Analysis]

Believability: Low

Suspicion Level: Rising

Luna's Eyebrow: Raised

Note: Really need better excuses

Later at the guild... the massive building hummed with activity. Veteran adventurers lounged at tables, comparing quest rewards and battle scars. The registration desk was manned by a bored-looking cat-beast who perked up at their approach.

 "New registrations?" She brightened further at seeing Aria. "Oh my! Your High—"

 "Just Aria today," the princess cut in quickly. "We're here as adventurers, not nobles."

 While his friends filled out their forms, Raegan slipped away to another section of the guild. The Demon Hunter Division was darker, more serious. A gruff Fox-beast looked up from his desk.

 "Kid, this ain't—" he started, then squinted. "Wait. Those eyes… that hair…"

Twenty minutes and one practical exam later, Raegan had both cards hidden in his pocket. He rejoined his friends just as the guild clerk was finishing their registrations.

 "And finally, your guardian's name for the junior adventurer category—"

 "Dr. Chen," Raegan said automatically, not thinking.

 "Dr. Chen?" Ace squeaked. "The Dr. Chen? SS-rank adventurer? The Shadow Healer? The one who—"

 "Cured the Mountain Plague? Defeated the Demon Lord of the Eastern Wastes? Disappeared mysteriously seven years ago?" The clerk was practically vibrating with excitement.

 "Wait," Fin looked between Raegan and Luna. "You knew?"

 Luna's tail swished smugly. "Who did you think taught him healing?"

 Aria's violet eyes were wide. "The Dr. Chen who Father's been trying to find for years… is your mother?"

 "Yes, she's my mother," Raegan clarified, watching the guild burst into whispers. His system-Vivaan updated:

[Status Change]

Previous: Famous knight, healer, princess's friend

Current: Son of a legendary adventurer

Reputation: Somehow even more notable

Note: Really bad at keeping a low profile

"THIS IS AMAZING!" Ace had produced a notebook from somewhere. "The mathematical probabilities of your mana control make so much more sense now! The legendary Chen's training methods—"

 "Is that why you're so strong?" Fin interrupted. "Wait… is that why you can HEAL and FIGHT?"

 The guild master himself emerged from his office. "Young man, when Dr. Chen returns to the capital, please tell her we've kept her SS-rank active. And her personal quest room unchanged."

 "Personal quest room?" Aria mouthed silently.

 "So," Luna grinned at their dumbfounded friends, "still want to train at the manor when the legendary Shadow Healer arrives?"

 Fin and Ace nodded vigorously. Even Aria looked excited despite her royal training.

 "When is she coming?" Ace asked eagerly.

 "Soon," Raegan said, thinking of the renovated medical wing and the king's transparent attempts to lure her back. "Very soon."

 As they left the guild, proudly clutching their adventurer cards (Raegan's demon hunter license secretly burning a hole in his pocket), his friends peppered him with questions about growing up with a legend.

 'If they're this excited about Chen,' Raegan thought, 'simagine their reaction to the whole reincarnated-demon-werewolf thing.'

"Demon horned rabbits," Fin read from the quest board, trying to sound enthusiastic. "F-rank quest. Reward: 50 jewels per rabbit, minimum 10 rabbits."

Raegan's system assessed their first mission:

[Quest Analysis]

Rank: F (Lowest)

Target: Demon Horned Rabbits

Location: Demon Forest Class 1

Team Morale: Slightly excited

"From saving princesses to hunting bunnies," Aria sighed, but her eyes sparkled with excitement at her first real adventure.

 "They're still demons," Ace reminded them, consulting his research notes. "Even Class 1 demons can be dangerous in large numbers."

 Luna nodded, her tail swishing thoughtfully. "Their mana signatures are weak individually, but they're never alone."

 The Demon Forest loomed before them, its Class 1 section marked by weathered stone pillars. Raegan could sense the stronger demons deeper in the forest, confined to their respective class zones.

[Location Status]

Current Zone: Class 1

Deeper Zones: 2-15 (Restricted)

Note: Pretend not to notice higher-class demons

"Remember the plan," Fin said, gripping his sword. "Ace tracks their movement, Luna reads their mana, Aria and I attack, and Raegan… uh, what exactly are you doing again?"

 "Support," Raegan said vaguely.

 They found the rabbit tracks easily enough. Too easily.

 "Wait," Luna's ears suddenly perked up. "These mana patterns…"

 Before she could finish, the bushes exploded with movement. Not ten demon-horned rabbits.

 Hundreds.

[Threat Assessment]

Demon Rabbits: 247

Average Size: Dog-sized

Horn Length: Concerning

Team Status: Surrounded

"Formation!" Fin called, but the rabbits were already moving. Their cute appearance belied frightening speed and coordinated attacks. Horns gleamed with demonic mana as they charged.

 Ace's barriers shattered under the assault. Fin's sword strikes, while precise, couldn't handle the sheer numbers. Luna's mana reading helped them dodge, but they were being pushed back. Even Aria's royal combat training proved insufficient against the horde.

 "Raegan!" Luna shouted as a rabbit nearly gored Ace. "Stop holding back!"

[Emergency Protocol Activated]

Friends: In danger

Cover: Secondary priority

Limited Power Release: Authorized

"Everyone, duck!" Raegan commanded. As his friends dropped, he let his control slip – just enough. His hands shifted, claws extending with dark fur rippling up to his elbows. His demon core pulsed, channeling power through his partially transformed limbs.

[Partial Transformation Active]

Wolf Form: 15% (Arms only)

Demon Core: 20% power

Skill Activated: Alpha's Rending Claws

The first slash cut through five rabbits like paper. The second created a wave of force that scattered dozens more. Raegan moved with fluid grace, each strike precise and devastating. The rabbits' coordination broke under his assault.

 "He's using wind and fire elements simultaneously!" Ace gasped, notebook somehow in hand despite the chaos. "And earth manipulation for footing! Multiple elemental affinities are extremely rare!"

 "Forget the elements," Fin stared. "Since when does he have CLAWS?"

 Raegan didn't stop. His claws blazed with combined elemental power as he carved through the horde. When one particularly large rabbit charged him, he casually caught it by its horn and stored it in a spatial pocket that definitely shouldn't have been possible for a F-rank adventurer.

[Skill Display Log]

Multi-elemental manipulation revealed

Partial transformation shown

Spatial storage demonstrated

Cover Status: Significantly compromised

Finally, the remaining rabbits fled. The clearing was littered with their fallen brethren – far more than their quest required.

Silence fell as Raegan's claws retracted, his hands returning to normal. He turned to find his friends staring at him with varying expressions:

Ace: Frantically writing in his notebook, mumbling about "impossible power combinations"

Fin: Open-mouthed amazement

Aria: Starry-eyed admiration

Luna: That knowing smirk again

"So," Raegan said awkwardly, "we should probably collect the quest targets?"

 "Forget the rabbits!" Fin exploded. "You have spatial storage? And transformation magic? And ALL the elements?"

 "The mana manipulation required for simultaneous elemental control is theoretical at best," Ace babbled. "The energy conversion rates alone—"

 "Is no one going to mention the CLAWS?" Fin demanded.

 "They were quite elegant claws," Aria offered helpfully.

 Luna just laughed. "And here I thought this quest would be boring."

 "I can explain," Raegan started, then realized he really couldn't. Not without revealing everything.

 "The legendary Chen's training must be incredible," Ace theorized, giving Raegan a convenient excuse.

 "Right," he seized the explanation. "Mother's… unique training methods."

 "Well," Fin shouldered his sword, grinning, "F-rank just got a lot more interesting."

 As they gathered their kills (Raegan casually producing rabbits from spatial storage), his system noted:

[Mission Results]

Demons Slain: 53

Cover: Partially blown

Friend Trust: Weakend

Questions Generated: Numerous

Note: Still better than their reactions to finding out about Chen.

The guild receptionist stared at the mountain of demon rabbit corpses materializing one by one from Raegan's spatial storage. Her whiskers twitched with increasing intensity as the pile grew.

[Guild Response Analysis]

Receptionist: Malfunctioning

Other Adventurers: Gathering

Rabbit Count: 53 and counting

Awkwardness Level: Critical

"So," Raegan said casually, "about that reward for ten rabbits…"

 "SPATIAL STORAGE?" someone shouted. "FROM AN F-RANK?"

 "Did that rabbit just appear from thin air?" "How many are in there?" "Is he pulling rabbits out of a hat? Is this a magic show?" "Spatial Storage is one of the rarest skills"

[Crowd Control Required]

Curious Onlookers: 47

Veteran Adventurers: Suspiciously interested

Excuse Options: Blame it on Chen's training! Pretend this is completely normal

"The son of the Shadow Healer!" "No wonder he's got spatial storage!" "But Chen wasn't known for spatial magic…" "Maybe it's from his mysterious father?"

 Fin wasn't helping. "You should have seen him! He was like SLASH! SWOOSH! With these awesome cl—"

 Luna smoothly stepped on his foot. "Expert swordplay," she finished. "Very precise."

 "But the claws were so cool—" Fin hopped on one foot.

 "EXPERT. SWORDPLAY." Luna's tail smacked his head.

 The guild master emerged from his office, drawn by the commotion. "Fifty-three demon rabbits? From F-ranks?" He adjusted his spectacles. "The quest specified ten."

 "We got… carried away when a horde of them ambushed us," Raegan explained weakly.

 "CARRIED AWAY?" Fin burst out. "He was amazing! The elements! The trans—"

 This time both Luna and Aria stepped on his feet.

 "Transform…ative experience," Ace cut in smoothly, finally looking up from his notebook. "Very educational. Much learning. Such growth. Wow."

 "And how exactly," the guild master raised an eyebrow, "did an F-rank adventurer acquire spatial storage?"

 "Would you believe it's a family heir—" Raegan started.

 "OH!" Ace suddenly shouted, making everyone jump. "I just remembered a fascinating theory about inherited spatial anomalies in relation to parental magical signatures specifically regarding the statistical probability of genetic mana transfer in cases of being born to a legendary healer who may or may not have disappeared seven years ago demon-feature children and—"

 Everyone stared at him.

 "I'm helping," Ace whispered to Raegan.

 "You're really not," Raegan whispered back.

 "Right," the guild master said slowly. "Well, regardless of… whatever that was… this is an exceptional achievement for F-rank adventurers. Your reward will be—"

 "Standard rate is fine!" Raegan said quickly, hoping to end this.

 As they left the guild, considerably richer but far more conspicuous than intended, Ace was still theorizing.

 "The energy conversion rate for spatial storage combined with multi-elemental manipulation and possible transformation capabilities suggests—"

 "Ace," Raegan interrupted. "Remember when we met and you had only a few theories about me? How many do you have now?"

 "Two hundred and forty-three," Ace replied promptly. "Most of them violate known laws of mana. It's very exciting!"

 "Just wait until he actually transforms," Luna muttered under her breath.

 "So," Fin grinned, "same time tomorrow? Maybe we can find some demon hog deer and Raegan can show us his awesome cl—"

 Luna's tail somehow managed to smack him from five feet away.

 "EXPERT SWORDPLAY," everyone corrected in unison.

Raegan's system made its final note:

[Day Summary]

Quest: Completed

Cover: Barely maintained

Rabbit Population: Significantly decreased

Friend Group: Chaos incarnate

The gang took a few more quests, tirelessly trying to improve their ranks. Raegan and his friends had just returned from a successful mission, their spirits high as they gathered around the campfire. The night was calm, the stars twinkling above them like a thousand tiny lanterns. As they settled in, Raegan couldn't shake the feeling that something significant was on the horizon.

 "Hey, Raegan," Luna said, her golden eyes reflecting the firelight. "You've been quiet tonight. What's on your mind?"

 Raegan glanced at his friends, his expression thoughtful. "I've been thinking about the legends we've heard recently. The ones about the ancient dragon that guards the borders of the Demon Forest."

 Fin's eyes widened with excitement. "You mean the stories about Vin? The dragon who supposedly knows the secrets of the ancient world?"

 Raegan nodded. "Exactly. I've been doing some research, and it seems like there's more to those legends than just fairy tales. Vin is said to be a seeker, a guardian of ancient knowledge. If we could find him, he might be able to help us understand the true nature of our powers and the threats we face."

 Ace adjusted his glasses, his analytical mind already racing. "But finding Vin won't be easy. The Demon Forest is vast and dangerous, filled with creatures that would love to make a meal out of us."

 Aria, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. "I've heard rumors that Vin has been seen near the ancient ruins at the heart of the forest. If we can make it there, we might have a chance of finding him."

 Raegan's eyes gleamed with determination. "Maybe when we get stronger, we may even hunt him down."