The palace gates shut behind us with a metallic boom, and only then did I allow myself to breathe. The night air was cold, damp with mist, and for the first time since the banquet began, I felt my shoulders loosen.
"That," I muttered, "was the most terrifying dinner of my life."
Grack guffawed beside me, his massive tusks gleaming under the moonlight. "Terrifying? Hah! You had them bowing without drawing a blade. Even the prince himself toasted to your name. I almost believed you planned the whole thing."
"Planned?" I groaned. "I was two seconds away from choking on my own wine."
Lira laughed softly, though her crimson eyes held that sharp, unsettling gleam. "Do you know what you did in there, Rayan? You declared yourself. Whether you like it or not, the entire court will remember your words."
"Balance," I muttered bitterly. "I said one word. Balance."
"And that one word," she said, "is now a doctrine they'll kill for."
The carriage jolted forward, rattling us down the lantern-lit streets of the capital. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, praying for sleep.
But sleep was a luxury I would not get. Not anymore.
By the next morning, the rumors had already spread.
"Did you hear? Director Arvale spoke of balance at the banquet!""They say he's a master who can bend wealth into power.""No, no—you fool. He's a strategist of the shadows. His silence alone strikes fear into hearts."
Each tavern, each marketplace, each noble hall echoed with whispers. My name—Rayan Arvale—was on the lips of merchants, soldiers, and children alike.
And like all rumors, they twisted with every retelling.
One story claimed I had stared down Prince Kairoth himself and forced him to drink in submission. Another insisted I had prophesied the rise and fall of kingdoms in a single sentence. Some even swore that my goblet had filled itself without servants touching it—proof, apparently, of divine authority.
I rubbed my temples, sitting in the Directorate's hall while my staff buzzed with frantic energy.
Grack was already training squads of guards, barking orders like a warlord.Lira scribbled notes, plotting routes of influence with frightening precision.Darron… well, Darron was asleep under a table, drooling on a pile of reports.
And me? I was stuck listening to the chaos outside.
"Director, shall we expand the treasury vaults?""Director, should we issue a statement clarifying your words?""Director, the nobles are sending emissaries—what should we tell them?"
I pressed my face into my hands. "I just wanted dinner…"
Of course, not everyone believed the rumors.
In the bustling heart of the city, where demons of every shape and size roamed the streets, a different story brewed.
"Director Arvale? Hah! He looks like a weak human. Probably hiding behind guards.""Exactly! Some lucky coward who stumbled into the Directorate's chair.""Mark my words—if he ever fights alone, he'll crumble like paper."
They sneered, laughed, and spat into the dirt. To them, I was nothing more than an overblown rumor, a mortal wrapped in the illusion of grandeur.
And perhaps, in some ways, they weren't wrong.
Because even now, the Chaos Ledger was all that kept me standing.
[ Ledger Alert: New Quest — Survive the Assassins' Test. ][ Objective: Defeat or outwit the agents sent by jealous nobles. ][ Reward: +2000 Chaos Credits, +150 Soul Points. ]
My heart sank. "Assassins. Of course."
The Ledger pulsed again, cold and matter-of-fact.[ Note: Enemies believe you to be a high-level demon. Failure will collapse reputation and authority. ]
I wanted to scream.
It began that very night.
The Directorate was quiet, its lamps flickering low. Lira was working late, quill scratching furiously. Grack had retired to the barracks, his snores like rolling thunder. Darron… I didn't even bother checking.
I walked the empty corridors, trying to steady my nerves, when a shadow flickered past the window.
I froze.
Another shadow slithered across the opposite wall.
The air grew cold. My instincts screamed danger.
Then—silence shattered.
Glass burst inward as black-cloaked figures surged through the windows. Their eyes glowed crimson, their claws tipped with poison.
"Director Arvale," one hissed, voice low and cruel. "Your reputation ends tonight."
My body locked. My mind went blank. I couldn't fight them—there were too many.
The Ledger burned before my eyes.[ Emergency Protocol Activated. ][ Auto-Conversion: Fear → Chaos Credits. ][ +500 Credits Acquired. ]
Great. I was literally banking on my fear.
The assassins closed in, moving with inhuman speed. I stumbled back, heart hammering.
Then Grack's roar split the night.
"Cowards!"
He charged in like a boulder, smashing two assassins through the wall in one swing. His axe gleamed, dripping with dark energy.
Behind him, Lira appeared, her eyes glowing like twin embers. Her voice was sharp as a whip. "Director—focus. Use the Ledger!"
The assassins didn't falter. More poured in, surrounding us. The air reeked of venom and steel.
I forced my shaking hands toward the glowing book. "Convert… convert!"
The Ledger flared.[ 1000 Chaos Credits Spent. ][ Summoning: Phantom Guards — Tier I. ]
The floor split open, and spectral figures clawed their way out, armored in shimmering shadows. They clashed with the assassins, buying us precious seconds.
Still, it wasn't enough.
One assassin lunged at me, claws poised for my throat. Time seemed to slow.
[ Emergency Conversion: Lifespan → Soul Points. ][ -2 Years. +200 Soul Points. ]
A burning force surged through my veins. My body moved faster than thought—I ducked, grabbed a broken spear from the floor, and drove it upward.
The assassin shrieked, collapsing in black smoke.
I stood there, panting, hands trembling. My weapon shook, my heart felt like it would burst.
But around me, the assassins hesitated.
"He… he sacrificed years of his life?" one whispered."He's mad. Only a true monster would do that."
The hesitation spread like a disease.
They saw not a trembling human, but a demon who threw away lifespan as though it were pocket change.
And in their eyes, madness was more terrifying than power.
By dawn, the Directorate was half-ruined, but the assassins had fled. Corpses littered the courtyard. Grack sat on a pile of rubble, wheezing with laughter.
"Hahaha! Did you see their faces, Director? They ran like frightened dogs!"
I collapsed onto the steps, exhausted, staring at the faint light on the horizon.
The Ledger pulsed.[ Quest Complete: Survive the Assassins' Test. ][ Reward: +2000 Chaos Credits, +150 Soul Points. ][ New Title Acquired: "The Mad Gambler." ]
I buried my face in my hands. "Mad gambler? Really?"
But outside the Directorate, new whispers had already begun to spread.
"Director Arvale sacrifices his own lifespan in battle.""He laughs in the face of death.""They say he welcomes assassins like honored guests."
The whispers carried, far and wide.
And while some demons still mocked me as a weakling… more and more began to tremble at my name.
By the time the sun fully rose, the Directorate was swarming with messengers, guards, and gossip-mongers. Word traveled faster than wildfire in the Demon Realm, and last night's battle had already become a legend before breakfast.
"They say Director Arvale cut down ten assassins with a single blow.""No, no—you've got it wrong. He devoured their souls in exchange for his own lifespan.""Devoured? Fool, he gambled with fate itself. That's why they call him the Mad Gambler!"
From my office window, I could hear the chaos outside. Demons crowded the gates, trying to catch a glimpse of me as if I were some kind of rare beast.
I wanted to curl into a ball and hide under the desk. Instead, I sat stiffly in my chair while Grack bragged to every messenger within earshot.
"You should've seen it! The Director stood tall, fearless as the assassins swarmed him. Sacrificed years of his life just to spit in their faces. Hahaha!"
"Grack," I groaned, "could you please not exaggerate?"
"Exaggerate?" He puffed his chest out. "I'm downplaying it!"
Meanwhile, Lira sat at her desk, scribbling furiously as stacks of reports piled up around her. "Three noble houses deny involvement, but their denials are too loud. That means at least one of them was behind it."
"Great," I muttered. "So they're already trying to kill me, and it hasn't even been a week since the banquet."
She gave me a sharp look. "What did you expect? You outshined half the court last night. Those who don't fear you will envy you. And envy always draws daggers."
"Wonderful. Just wonderful."
Outside the Directorate, the mocking continued as well.
"Director Arvale? Pfft. I bet he bribed someone to spread those stories.""Exactly! No way a human-faced weakling could fight assassins head-on.""He's probably hiding behind his guards and ghost tricks."
Every insult stung a little more than I wanted to admit. They weren't wrong—I really was hiding behind the Ledger and my subordinates. But the danger was real too.
The Ledger pulsed in front of me.[ Reputation Split: Admired and Feared (Elite), Mocked and Doubted (Common). ][ Warning: Reputation imbalance may lead to unpredictable encounters. ]
"Unpredictable encounters?" I muttered. "As if assassins in the middle of the night weren't unpredictable enough…"
By midday, an envoy arrived from the royal palace.
A demon in silver and black armor bowed stiffly at my door. His horns were polished like ivory, his gaze cold. "By order of His Highness, Prince Kairoth, I deliver this summons."
My heart lurched. "Summons? Already?"
The envoy unrolled a parchment, his voice ringing clear. "The Prince invites Director Arvale to attend the upcoming council on matters of succession. Your presence is… expected."
Succession. The word echoed like a curse.
I forced a smile. "Ah. How… flattering."
The envoy's eyes lingered on me. "You are rumored to gamble your life in battle. Is that true?"
My throat dried. "…Depends on the wager."
The envoy stiffened, then bowed again. "Terrifying indeed. I shall report your words."
The door shut, leaving me trembling.
Grack clapped his massive hand on my back. "Hahaha! Perfect answer, Director! They'll be quaking in their boots."
"I was quaking," I muttered.
That night, the Directorate grew quiet again, but the city beyond seethed with whispers.
In smoky taverns, demons clinked their mugs and spoke my name like a storm on the horizon.
"Director Arvale—some say he's a hidden disciple of the Demon King.""No, you idiot. He's the King's enemy. Why else would assassins target him?""Enemy? Fool. He's the King's insurance! A shadow blade for the succession war!"
The stories spun themselves, wilder with each retelling.
And in the alleys, cloaked figures gathered in circles, whispering darker thoughts.
"He's dangerous. If he rises, our houses fall.""Then we'll strike again. Harder. Smarter.""Or… we wait. Let the royal family destroy him first."
My reputation was no longer in my hands. It belonged to the mouths of demons—both loyal and treacherous.
Back inside my quarters, I sat alone with the Ledger glowing faintly before me.
"Why me?" I whispered. "Why this? I didn't ask for assassins, nobles, or succession wars. I just wanted to survive."
The Ledger's words shimmered in response.[ You seek survival. Survival requires wealth. Wealth requires reputation. Reputation brings danger. ][ The cycle cannot be broken. Only mastered. ]
I let out a bitter laugh. "Mastered? I can't even master my own dinner without choking."
But deep down, I knew the truth: every step forward made it harder to turn back.
When dawn broke again, I stepped out into the courtyard. My staff saluted, eyes blazing with renewed faith.
"Director Arvale!""Balance and madness!""Our enemies tremble!"
I raised a hand weakly, trying to smile.
And beyond the gates, the city's whispers carried on the wind—praise and mockery, awe and doubt, all colliding like a storm.
Some demons still laughed at me.Some demons already feared me.And somewhere in the shadows, others sharpened blades with my name etched into their hatred.
The Demon Realm had accepted me into its game.
But it was a game I never wanted to play.