Demonic rankers did not refer to any particular kind.
Each ranker that practiced unconventional ranking techniques, spells, techniques, artifacts, etc that required them to kill anyone was called a demonic ranker. Demonic rankers could therefore be anyone or of any race.
The laws against demonic rankers and demon practices were strict. Kingdoms and empires used every means at their disposal to get rid of them. That’s because the demonic rankers would often bring death and destruction to the regions they were active.
The most notorious demonic rankers had bounties placed on their heads. The bounty hunting missions were available to all rankers, whether they were part of any guild or not.
Some rankers made a living hunting demonic rankers. Just like the notorious demonic rankers, the bounty hunters who slayed them would also come in limelight from time to time.
There were some bounty hunter-specific guilds as well. These guilds concentrated on capturing the demonic hunters in well-planned traps. They would then torture them to get more information from their peers before targeting the connected demonic rankers and their organizations.
Demonic rankers often liked to work alone. But it wasn’t that they didn’t have a system in place. Various demonic organizations were created to counter kingdom forces and other forces hunting them.
The various guilds played a significant role in countering the demonic organizations and unfettered demonic rankers. Receiving purging missions related to demonic rankers was often a test for guilds like Stardust guilds. If done well, the kingdoms would usually allow such guilds to have more liberty in their respective regions.
Eren’s chain of thought was broken when Kiara took over from Miranda and spoke up.
“Our target this time is Bulal Blood. He is an Awakened human on the verge of breaking into the Arch rank. Kingdom officials have been informed that he plans to perform a demonic blood ritual to achieve rank up.
The bastard has a bounty of 3000 Mana Quartz on his head. Those of us who manage to kill him will get to claim the bounty amount.
Plus, the Stardust guild will be paid independently for the mission. The amount will depend on various factors. But it should be at least 5000 Mana Quartz.
We also have a reason to believe that he is accompanied by other lower-ranked demonic rankers. Minimum five to a maximum number 8 accomplices are expected.”
Eren was a bit taken aback by hearing the reward amount for the mission. He did quick math and found out that if each member within the team gets handed an average amount, each of them would end up with more than 150 Mana Quartz.
He then looked at all the 30 members of the team. He suddenly realized that the number exceeded the capacity of a group of 10 or so demonic rankers.
Kiara felt something and paused. She looked at the rankers in front of her and narrowed her eyes on Eren before adding up.
“Don’t underestimate the might of demonic rankers. They have to kill a lot and practice various rituals and weird practices. But in exchange, they gain an edge over normal rankers.
Bulal Blood is one such kind of monster. He is a necromancer and his specialty is flesh golems. For all we know, he might be expecting us and thus prepared to welcome us with his group of flesh golems.”
‘Can she read minds?’
Eren thought to himself seriously when Kiara finished saying what she had to say. Mirana took over from her and spoke up before Eren could dwell any more in his thoughts.
“We will leave shortly for Pointlet Town and should reach the place in about three days. We’d then have to scour the Pointlet forest and look for signs related to Bulal Blood.
We will discuss everything related to the on-site actions when we reach Pointlet town. For now, let’s prepare to move.”
Miranda said before starting to walk towards her colt. She had already briefed Ekay, Rhea, and a few other of her team members regarding the mission beforehand. Eren was out on a different solo mission at that time. She was sure that those who didn’t know anything about the mission from her team would now be briefed about it.
Kiara got busy with her original team. This team was formed by combining select members of the two teams. Thus, there were various unofficial squads present within this joint force. Kiara had considered this scenario well in advance. So she was making plans with such squads in mind.
“Flesh golems, huh! What the fuck are those?”
Eren asked Ekay when they were prepping their colts. Eren would be given the same Noble Feet which had accompanied him in most of his missions. So by now, it was easier for him to handle his ride.
Ekay was busy checking his colt’s harness when he heard Eren’s question. He scrunched his nose in disgust before answering him.
“A walking stink bomb that would do everything in its power to eat you. Don’t just chop their heads or limbs if you encounter one of these flesh golems. Even piercing their hearts won’t do you any good because they don’t have any.
The golem cores are placed somewhere in their bodies. That’s what you want to target before taking a breath of relief. Otherwise, those dastardly things won’t die.”
Rhea looked at Eren and chuckled before adding further.
“And, Eren. It is very difficult to find these golem cores within their bodies. You’d have to dance with them a lot before pinpointing it. Till then, they just keep on coming at you.”
Eren made a gulping sound when he heard Ekay’s explanation. He had first thought that there were too many members in their team, which decreased the potential reward per head.
But now he thought differently. He looked at the joint force that was getting ready for their mission and couldn’t help thinking.
‘My first mandatory team mission and it is already this dangerous. They should have assigned more numbers damn it.
For once, I’m thinking of letting Rhea win the bet.’
