Doom

"Witch Hunter..."

After hearing Rhode describe in detail the darkness and horror of the family profession, Sulu was instantly at a loss for words.

If he had been interested in the family's legacy before, now he wanted nothing to do with it.

Whether you followed the Witch Hunter path or the path of corruption, you had to make a pact with an Abyssal Demon to begin... Heh...

A being with such an obviously high status, and who was an Evil God on top of that—could anything good come from making a pact with it?

Not to mention, later on, even those on the orthodox Witch Hunter path couldn't suppress the Demonic Power inside them and needed other deities to intervene!

Was one pact with a powerful being not enough? He had to make another one, too? Wasn't he afraid his soul would be torn apart?

"Wait!"

Sulu suddenly interrupted Rhode's account. "You said before... the old man went somewhere very far away through a ritual?"

The ritual required for a [Demon Contractor] was called 'Gaze into the Abyss.' It was a process for making a pact with a demon.

Of course, how could an ordinary person possibly make a pact with a demon in the flesh? They could only make a pact with the plane where demons lived, commonly known as the Abyss, and obtain a trace of its power.

Such rituals were extremely dangerous. Tonks had already failed once before, and it had cost him his wife.

Now it seemed he had gone and caused some new kind of trouble.

"That's right! Father... always blamed himself, thinking that the Abyss had taken our mother during the failed ritual!" Rhode's expression was grief-stricken. "He always hoped he could bring her back, so after doing some research, he took it upon himself to alter the ritual's effects... I can't be certain whether the ritual actually succeeded in the end, but he may have gone to the Abyss, the place where demons reside in the flesh!"

It's also possible the ritual really did fail, and he was blown to bits... Sulu sighed inwardly. Even if it worked and he went to the Abyss, would a demon really be so accommodating? No... Maybe he'll die from some other danger before he even sees one...

Of course, both Rhode and Sulu were willing to hold on to that hope.

That Tonks hadn't died, but had gone to the Abyss to fight demons and resurrect his wife.

Neither of them spoke, and silence fell over the room.

Sulu spoke first. "So... you want me to become a professional, but you don't want me to follow the Witch Hunter path!"

"That's right!" Rhode nodded solemnly.

Good. I don't want to follow that path, either!

Sulu took a deep breath. "Then... do you have information on any other professions, or perhaps first-tier professions?"

At that, Rhode looked a little embarrassed. "Uh... Ever since Father left, I've trained hard and officially advanced to become a second-tier [Witch Hunter]. I've also been actively taking action against demonic minions and dark forces... The most dangerous of them was that secret society that worships death. Aside from a page from a magic book I took as spoils, I did recently obtain some incomplete information about a profession. I just can't make sense of it, so you'll have to study it!"

"Incomplete?"

Sulu was puzzled as he watched Rhode open the black case he'd been carrying.

Inside were tools such as a vicious-looking cleaver, a grappling hook, and a rope... Sulu even spotted a revolver.

Rhode rummaged through the case and pulled out a black sheet of paper. "This is it!"

Sulu took it and had a look. His expression shifted.

The paper was written in Ancient Hebraic and described a ritual called 'Doom's Arrival.' It could alter the constitution of a first-tier [Apprentice], making them more attuned to the powers of death and misfortune and allowing them to advance to become a second-tier [Doom-Bringer]!

The [Doom-Bringer] profession? Isn't that a prerequisite for advancing through [Corpse Maiden Creation]? So this came from the same society, all part of the same lineage!

Only now did Sulu realize that the [Doom-Bringer] profession was actually second-tier.

"This only has information about the second tier... What about the first-tier [Apprentice]? How do you become one?" He looked at Rhode.

"I don't know!" Rhode scratched his head. "If I did, I'd have given it to you already!"

Before Sulu could speak, he continued at once. "But... [Apprentice] and [Soldier] are the two most widespread professional paths. Some larger organizations, like the Seven Gods' Churches and the Federal Government, are bound to have records! Given the Portley Family's relationship with the Church of the Goddess of Light... Uh... I mean our historically good relationship, it shouldn't be hard to obtain the means to advance as an [Apprentice] through some kind of exchange!"

So he means I'm of good stock and would pass a background check easily?

Sulu rolled his eyes inwardly. "But... if I have a connection to the Church, I could just join them. They'd surely have a better professional legacy, one that could take me all the way to a fourth-tier Master without any worries. Why would I choose such a dark path?"

The [Doom-Bringer] profession seemed every bit as evil as Catherine's profession.

And judging by the Church of the Goddess of Light's attitude toward supernatural professionals like that, they certainly weren't on friendly terms.

As Sulu saw it, rather than become a pariah whom everyone hunted down, he might as well choose a profession aligned with the light and goodness—or at least a neutral one, like Mage.

It wasn't much fun to make an enemy of the Church and, by extension, the whole world.

This is why you have to take your professional path seriously! It was the same in my previous life, and I never expected this world to be any different... he added silently.

"Sorry... I didn't take that into account."

Rhode slapped his forehead. "You're right... That secret society obviously isn't up to any good. They can only hide in the dark like rats in the sewers. It's not a good profession! But... even if you can join the Church and earn its approval, accumulating enough merit won't be easy. The same goes for the Federal Government... Besides, I thought that if you chose a spellcaster profession from the Necro-Spirit system, it might give you a slight advantage when dealing with Beatrice in the future!"

Right, Beatrice. I almost forgot about her...

Sulu froze.

If he became a necromancer, he really would have an advantage when it came to countering her.

Seen in that light, becoming a [Doom-Bringer] might not be entirely unacceptable after all.

But the key was to get the information for the first-tier [Apprentice] first. It was a prerequisite for the second-tier [Doom-Bringer]. Without first becoming a supernatural professional, there was no point in thinking about advancing.

"I... need some more time to think it over!"

Sulu gave a cautious answer.

"Mm. You really do need to give your future supernatural path some serious thought. The professional system is complicated... All I can say is, be careful. Don't chase an easy path now and cut off your future options entirely!"

Rhode nodded. "You don't have to go to class these days, right?"

"That's right. Why?"

Sulu was a little puzzled.

"Then I'll find a place to train you for a while and make up for the gaps in the family's education! It'll be very useful for you in the future!"

Rhode answered seriously.

Did that mean he'd have to make up for all those lessons, too?

Thinking of the items in that case that looked like instruments of torture, Sulu felt a chill run down his spine.