The early promotion day had finally come.

None of the Grade One repeats were present in the Bureau for evaluation, only a few demons from higher grades had shown up. Renny, being the only Grade One repeat eligible for promotion, walked into the Contract Bureau and made his way to Agent Kaviru's office.

The old agent looked up and smiled the moment he saw him.

"Ah, Ayo! You finally made it, ehn? That's very good. Even though you were dealt an empty hand, you still found your way through. A bit late, but you're here regardless."

Renny gave a small nod and thanked him quietly.

Agent Kaviru turned to his console and approved Renny's contract success reward—1,000 CP, which instantly reflected in his account. The notification chimed softly, and Renny felt that small rush of relief that came with progress.

Then, without much delay, the agent pulled out a sealed file and placed it on the desk.

"Your next assignment," he said.

Renny opened it. Inside, typed neatly across the top, it read:

TARGET

Name: Caleb Mercer

Age: 25

Role: Assistant Pastor, Havenlight Community Church

Details: Deeply devoted to his mentor, Pastor Alden, the church's head minister.

Caleb Mercer was the only son of his mother. His father had died when he was just eleven, and five years later, his mother remarried Daniel Holt, a mechanic. Together they had two children, Owen Holt, ten years old, and Lila Holt, eight years old.

Since his father's death, Caleb had found solace in the church, particularly under Pastor Alden, who had become more of a father figure to him than Daniel ever was. His faith in the divine stood remarkably high, 92%, according to the report.

Agent Kaviru leaned back in his chair, whistling softly.

"A very high figure," he said. "That could prove challenging to drop. You up for the task?"

Renny nodded.

"Wonderful," Kaviru replied, sliding the folder and a contract sheet across the desk.

The contract budget was set at 5,000 CP.

Seeing that number, Renny finally understood why Morrin and Bryokun had found it easy to bet 500 CP back in the Third World. A successful contract could yield massive rewards, the 1,000 CP he'd just earned, plus this 5,000 CP budget for the new grade — 6,000 CP in total. And that wasn't even counting the side contracts a higher-grade demon could take on.

Renny signed the contract, and the points were transferred immediately — both his Contract Points and his Mark Points, which now stood at 1,000 MP, double what he had at Grade One. Seeing the new totals made his blood surge. With these resources, there was so much more he could acquire — tools, relics, essences, and maybe even a few forbidden upgrades he'd only heard about from higher grades.

Before leaving the Bureau, Renny made a request: to retrieve Eli's soul key and deliver it to a beast. Agent Kaviru approved the request, assigning him a reward of 500 CP upon completion.

"The reward's smaller because of Eli's profile," Kaviru explained. "On Earth, the boy wasn't a major figure. He committed crimes, yes, but nothing that left a real mark. That's why his soul was given minor roles, like that of an orphan."

The beast Renny was to deliver the soul key to was Rokha, a creature that resided in a volatile region known as the Hotgrounds.

***

On the day of the task, Renny made his way to the funeral home where Charles and Eli's coffins were kept. His plan was to collect their soul keys, return Charles's to Druvash, and deliver Eli's to another beast. Completing Eli's transfer would earn him 500 Contract Points, though that wasn't the real reason he chose to handle it himself.

When he mentioned the task, Myla immediately insisted on coming along. Renny had refused at first, but she was relentless, arguing that as his girlfriend, she had the right to be by his side whenever she pleased.

Renny sighed, rolling his eyes. So this is what being in a relationship on Earth feels like. constant hovering.

"Fine," he muttered. "You can come."

Myla's face lit up. She clapped her hands and grinned. "Great! I can't wait to see you in action."

Renny just shook his head. Wonderful, he thought. An audience.

When they arrived at the funeral home, Renny and Myla slipped into the Shadow Realm, passing through the walls until they reached the room where Charles and Eli's bodies were kept.

Renny went to Charles's coffin first, lifted the lid, and quietly retrieved his soul key. Then he moved to Eli's, but this time he just stood there, staring at the boy's face for a long while.

Myla stepped closer, folding her arms. "You feel bad about what happened, don't you?"

Renny didn't answer immediately. His eyes stayed on the still, small body.

"I didn't wish this for him," he said finally. "That accident… it wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't even part of my plan. It just… happened. And now I keep wondering if it really was an accident at all."

Myla adjusted her glasses, watching him. "Is that all that's bothering you?"

Renny let out a tired sigh and rested one hand on the edge of the coffin. "I don't know. Maybe it's this whole thing. Being a demon. I mean, fine, these souls were already condemned, bad people who did bad things. That's what they tell us, right? That this isn't real. That it's all just training." He paused, staring blankly ahead. "But training for what? Because when we reach grade nine and go to Earth for real… we'll be doing this to innocent people. And worse."

He drew in a slow breath, his voice quieter now.

"My agent warned me about that on my first contract day. I didn't really get it then. But I do now."

Myla sighed softly, her gaze falling to the boy's body too. "You're right," she said after a pause. "I never really thought about what it would mean, resurrecting and doing all this again on Earth. I just assumed… maybe by then we'd be different. There must be a reason we have to go through all nine grades, right?"

Renny gave a dry, quiet laugh. "Yeah. To make us heartless. To strip away whatever's left of our conscience. To turn us into real monsters… full demons."

Myla looked at him then, her expression gentler. "I don't think that's you, Renny. Being with you, watching how you handle things, it's made me realize something." She took a small breath. "You have a good heart. Even if you don't show it. You might be a demon, but… you don't belong here. Not really. You don't deserve to go through all this."

Renny glanced at her briefly, unsure what to say, then turned his eyes back to Eli's coffin, silent again.

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