The World of the Soul Reapers.
Hell.
Shuren, who had been working for some time now, found the past few days rather fulfilling.
He looked at his colleagues with a complicated expression.
These dog-headed beings...
Where the hell did they even come from?
Despite having lived for so long, he had rarely seen such creatures.
Yet there were plenty of them here in Hell.
And...
Shuren could sense that their strength wasn't low.
He sighed and glanced down at the task record in his hands.
Hmm...
The area he was assigned to was a small block within Karakura Town.
But...
"Karakura Town…"
Shuren's tone was mixed as he held the manual, his hands trembling slightly.
Finally...
He could leave this cursed, dark Hell!
Even though...
It was only a temporary exit, not a complete escape.
Still—
As long as he was carrying out his mission, he could remain in the human world freely.
Of course—
There were monthly quotas.
Someone from above would check to ensure the number of souls extradited from each region met the target.
However...
Given that Hell's current activity would likely clash with the Soul Reapers, meeting the early quotas would be easy.
And—
There was pay!
Shuren had been shocked by that.
He thought he'd be working for Hell for free.
Yet they were offering proper compensation?
Surprisingly humane.
This salary system was actually proposed by Yukinoshita Haruno.
If everyone was a member of Lynn's peerage, there'd be no need for salaries.
But clearly—
Lynn couldn't deploy his own peerage to handle every world alone.
Even with three million Cursed Children in his ranks, only a small percentage had combat strength.
So—
They had no choice but to recruit capable local talents who couldn't become peerage members.
Like Shuren.
As the saying goes…
If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass.
Thus—
The salary system was born.
This payment structure was one of Yukinoshita Haruno's experimental policies.
As Lynn's power expanded and more worlds came under his influence, she could foresee his peerage becoming massive.
And a massive peerage meant bloated management.
There was only one Lynn, and he couldn't personally oversee everything.
Not to mention.
It was getting harder for her to even spend time alone with him, let alone others.
So—
Haruno resolved to prevent this problem from worsening.
A healthy organization needed clear rules and structure.
However.
Implementation wouldn't be easy.
Thus, she chose the New Hell as her test site.
---
In Hell.
Dressed in a professional suit and gold-rimmed glasses, Haruno sat in Lynn's office, reporting her proposal seriously.
After hearing her explanation, Lynn thought briefly before nodding.
"Alright. Do as you proposed."
He realized she was right.
With the growing number of peerage members, there were bound to be areas he couldn't manage directly.
Take the three million Cursed Children, for example.
If each one needed personal attention to grow...
Just imagining it gave Lynn a headache, even as a transcendent.
So—
He quickly approved her plan.
"Ahem!"
Haruno cleared her throat, then smoothly sat on Lynn's lap.
Her soft figure pressed close.
Leaning into his arms, she exhaled against his collarbone, her breath warm. "Master, the administrative matters are finished. Shall we discuss more... personal business?"
Her breathing quickened slightly, a hint of allure flashing behind her glasses.
The contrast made her even more captivating.
But—
Lynn lifted her chin and chuckled. "Just now…"
"Weren't you the one talking about rules?"
Haruno froze.
Her original intent had been to create a system allowing average peerage members, who rarely saw Lynn, a chance to earn his favor.
But...
She hadn't expected to be the first one caught in her own web.
Her lips pursed in frustration.
Seeing this.
Lynn's hand slid down and grasped her softness as he whispered in her ear.
"But rules only apply to others."
Haruno blinked in surprise.
That's right!
No matter how strict the rules were.
In the end, Lynn's will was absolute.
Rules and systems were merely a way for ordinary peerage members to gain favor.
Those favored by Lynn directly...
Were exceptions.
Haruno's eyes sparkled.
She looked up at Lynn, blinking like a cat in anticipation.
Seeing this, Lynn smiled and said, "You've worked hard building the peerage. You deserve a reward."
With that, he stood up and lifted Yukinoshita Haruno with ease.
"This outfit suits you."
Rip—
The sound of tearing fabric echoed.
Yet Haruno didn't feel her clothes being torn.
All she felt.
Was the warmth from Lynn's embrace.
Breathing heavily, she whispered, "Master… down there…"
"It's cold..."
"Don't worry. That'll be fixed soon."
"Mmh…"
Soon after.
The door to Lynn's office was shut tight.
The air inside rapidly heated up.
---
Outside.
Ai Enma arrived to deliver her regular hell planning report.
She reached out to open the door, only to find it wouldn't budge.
"Hm? Master…"
"Isn't here?"
She tilted her head in confusion.
Nearby, Hone onna didn't move.
If he truly wasn't here, there'd be no barrier in place.
Hone onna's eyes flickered slightly as she recalled Haruno entering earlier.
Wearing such an elegant outfit…
Clearly had impure motives.
She glanced at the innocent Ai Enma beside her and sighed.
"If this continues, our Hell division is going to be marginalized…"
"?"
Ai Enma tilted her head. "Why do you say that?"
Hell was clearly progressing well, wasn't it?
Had she failed in something?
Ai Enma fell into deep thought.
Hone onna watched silently.
Was she really just a born workaholic?
It seemed…
There was no hope relying on Ai Enma.
But—
This New Hell project was a rare opportunity!
---
Meanwhile.
Shuren, who had caught up with the new system updates, was still studying his assignment documents.
The salary system was based on contributions.
And—
Those contributions could be exchanged for Hell's resources.
Realizing this, Shuren's eyes lit up.
He scanned the list and found quite a few impressive rewards.
Things like hell-level rank promotions, unknown skill techniques...
Even—
The exchange catalog had tiers.
He could only see rewards available at his current level.
Still, that alone was surprising enough.
Slowly, the resentment hidden deep in his heart began to fade.
After all—
He had gone from being a boss to working under others.
No matter how thick-skinned he was, it was uncomfortable.
But now…
With pay and benefits?
It wasn't so bad.
He had reasons to convince himself.
Shuren shook his head and continued reading.
Hmm?
Self-recruitment allowed?
His eyes suddenly gleamed.
With such a good system, how could he forget his old subordinates?
He hadn't been back in a while. Taikon and the others were probably.
Worried?
---
Later.
Fifth Layer of Hell.
Shuren returned to his original base.
Only to find.
A desolate atmosphere.
"…?"
Everyone was gone?
He was stunned.
After a while, he hunted down Taikon and the others, dragging them back one by one.
Face dark.
Taikon, face full of fat, tried his best to smile.
"Haha! Boss Shuren, you're alive!"
They hadn't heard from him in days and thought...
He'd died.
Shuren didn't reply.
He simply stared at them.
Everyone shrank back, heads lowered like quail.
Satisfied, Shuren crossed his arms.
"This time, I've come to take you all to the real world."
"…?"
Everyone looked up. "The real world?"
"Boss, you found a way to leave Hell?"
Shuren nodded, pulling out a black contract.
"Sign this."
"…?"
They glanced at each other in confusion.
Murakumo was the first to read the large print on the front:
[Hell Personnel Employment Agreement]
"…?"
"Boss… did you become a Hell lackey?!"
Bang!
Taikon went flying.
Shuren said coldly, "Will you sign or not?"
Silence.
A moment later.
Hell had a few new recruits.
Shuren watched his team grow with satisfaction.
He'd earn credit for all their achievements.
After all—
Recruiting members also counted toward contribution.
Looking at the now non-zero number on his nameplate, he nodded.
These days were looking brighter!
He quickly updated Taikon and the others about Hell's changes and their new superior.
Without wasting time, Shuren headed straight for the gate to the human world.
Target: Karakura Town.
Taikon and the others were full of anticipation.
Even if they were shocked at first…
They were finally escaping Hell!
No more worrying about being captured and imprisoned for eternity.
This—
Was way more realistic than trying to destroy Hell's gate.
Finally.
As the dog-headed demons stepped through the passage, Shuren and the others followed with determined excitement.
(To be continued.)