Dark Lord: Rise to Power

After walking a while, the big, wide walls of Siterion came into view. Arin quickened his pace. There wasn't much of a crowd near the entrance—only a few people were queuing up to enter. It wasn't as busy as Arin had anticipated, probably because it was still midday. He put on his mask and joined the queue. The people in front of him didn't bother to look back. The guards scrutinized the crowd, letting familiar faces pass with little to no inspection, but performing thorough checks on unfamiliar or suspicious ones. Arin wasn't worried; he only carried a few coins, two silver bars, and a flask of wine. The queue moved relatively smoothly, and soon it was Arin's turn.

"Hey you, stranger, no funny business. Remove the mask before you enter!" one guard ordered as Arin approached.

"My face is too scarred to show to people. Please let me keep it on," Arin pleaded, trying to make his act more believable.

"Don't worry," laughed another guard, "we're not going to marry you!"

"He already has his share of ugly in his life," taunted the first.

"Shut your trap," the second guard said angrily and looked at Arin. "And you, don't delay the queue! Either remove the mask or leave and make way for the people behind!"

"Okay," Arin sighed.

In his past life, the ugliest face he could remember was that of Brutus, a goon whose face was already scary looking. After a rival gang captured and brutalized him, his face became even more terrifying and disgusting to look at. Arin always tried to avoid looking at him. But now, he remembered Brutus's face and took off the mask.

"Ewww," the guards recoiled in horror and disgust. "Put on the mask and scuttle away! GO."

Arin nodded in agreement, put on the mask, and entered the town.

The first thing he needed to do was find the Adventurer's Guild. Instead of asking around and attracting the attention of bad guys (as he used to in his past life), he decided to explore the city on his own, hoping to learn more about it.

This wasn't a bustling town. There were a few small shops in the market plaza, which were mostly unoccupied. Most shopkeepers were dozing off, probably because it wasn't the usual time for shopping. He hardly heard any vendors hawking. Some gave him a quick glance and, realizing he had no intention of shopping, lost interest and resumed whatever they were doing. After some exploration, he eventually discovered the Guild.

As he entered the Guild Hall, he found himself in a sparse interior with mostly empty seating arrangements. Three people in the corner were sleeping—one in a robe, one in leather armor, and another in metallic armor snoring loudly. In another corner, a person was dozing with their face covered by an unusually big hat.

Arin looked around and noticed two women sitting at a counter. Observing their similar uniforms, he guessed they were Guild officials and approached them.

"ID Tag?" one girl asked in an unimpressed tone without looking at him.

"Sorry, I don't have one," Arin replied.

"So, are you here to submit a request or to apply for registration?" she asked.

"Actually, I wanted to…" Arin stopped himself. Suddenly, he remembered what the kids had told him about their parents' demise. There was something fishy about it. Mentioning their parents' party might entangle him in a mess he wasn't prepared to handle.

With a glance backward, Arin noticed the strange guy with the hat peeping at him.

"Hello…" the lady nudged Arin. "You wanted to…?"

"Yeah, I wanted to join as an adventurer!" Arin quickly replied.

"Are you from this city?" she asked.

"No," Arin replied.

"Are you a citizen of Drihan?" she asked again.

"No, I am new here," he replied.

"Okay. If you were our citizen, I would arrange a trial to gauge your capabilities. But since you aren't, just sign this disclosure, stating that if something happens to you, our Guild won't be responsible. Then, I will enroll you," she informed him, extending a form.

Arin filled out the form and handed it over.

The lady gave it a quick glance and tossed a tin tag at him. "Newbies don't need a named tag. Once you get promoted to Copper, you'll receive a named tag."

"Do I need a team, or can I…?" Arin asked.

"Whatever," she replied and went back to gossiping with the other girl.

As Arin left the counter to look at the request board, he sensed the girls watching him from the corner of their eyes.

Arin found a suitable quest on the board—a cleanup mission. It wasn't a glamorous task, which probably explained why there weren't many takers. The adventurer had to enter the sewer and eliminate any creatures that could pose a threat to normal humans. Afterward, a team of sewer-cleaners would go down, and if they returned unscathed, the adventurer would be paid; otherwise, he would face trial for negligence. It was a risky endeavor, but one good thing was that whatever he found in the sewer would officially belong to him, no questions asked.

Arin realized he should start the work as soon as possible. The earlier he finished, the earlier he could get paid and move on.

Arin took the quest, registered it at the counter, and received a letter from the Guild authority to submit to Captain Duran, who would allow him to access the sewer.

Arin met the Guard Captain, a tall, strong, brawny man. This was the Captain Duran of whom Milean and the other guards were scared. As Arin approached him, Duran raised an eyebrow and said, "Is there any reason for you to wear a mask? Are you scared to reveal your face or ashamed to show it?"

"Ashamed would be more appropriate," Arin replied nonchalantly.

"Well, still, I want to see how the new 'savior' of the sewer of this great city of mine looks like," Duran presented it as a simple request, but his order was clear.

Arin took off his mask to reveal his Brutus face. Duran didn't show any visible disgust but asked him to put it back on.

"Come tomorrow morning," he advised Arin. "I'll inform my deputy to open the sewer for you. The next day, the cleaners will enter, and if they return alive and unharmed before evening, you'll receive your payment. If not, you may be in danger."

"I'm aware of that," Arin replied. "But I wish to go right now!"

"Now?" Duran raised an eyebrow, sitting up straight and examining Arin from top to bottom. "You know it's soon going to be night, and these things, whatever they are, lurking in the sewer will get more dangerous? If you want to die, die outside the wall. Don't make trouble for us."

"I'm fully aware of this, again," Arin replied sternly. "I have my own way of doing things, and I believe, as per the contract between you and the Guild, you are supposed to let me start my work whenever I wish," Arin pointed to the Guild letter Duran was holding. "Am I not right?"

Duran gave him an angry look. "Alright, as you wish! Guide this gallant warrior, savior of Siterion's sewer, to his super adventure," he ordered his deputy. "And next year, before posting the request to the Guild again, remind me of today's incident!"

The deputy nodded. "Yes, Sir," and gestured for Arin to follow him.

As Arin followed the deputy outside, Duran called out, "Listen, boy, one piece of advice!"

Arin stopped and turned to look at Duran. "Yes?"

"When you feel you're in danger you can't handle, just run away!" Duran said grimly. "Or, when you feel you're going to die, die as close to the entrance as possible. I don't want your body rotting in the depths, making the cleaning process more dangerous!"

"Got it," Arin replied. "Message received, loud and clear!" He then followed the deputy to the sewer entrance.

When they came outside the barrack, it was already dusk. The market plaza seemed lively again, but it was no time for sightseeing. They walked silently toward the wall, where the sewer gate was located.

The deputy waved at a nearby guard, who responded to the summon and opened the sewer gate. The deputy gave a dry smile to Arin and gestured for him to go down. As Arin descended, he realized if he had a beating heart, it would be pounding like loud drums.