Although he ultimately lost his battle against Inugami Gyōbu-danuki, the oni-blooded Ren Kuroda could still be said to have become famous in a single fight.
Not long after Ren and his companions settled into the territory that had once belonged to the Amanojaku, yokai began arriving one after another on their own initiative, seeking to join the Kidōin.
Inugami Gyōbu-danuki might not have been the strongest existence in the world, but as the lord of the Eighty-Eight Night Parade of Demons, he was undeniably a heavyweight with immense prestige.Ren hadn't defeated him—but the fact that he could fight him to a standstill was enough to send his name spreading far and wide.
On top of that, Kidōin didn't align itself with any of the major powers, nor did it impose strength requirements on new members. That alone made countless yokai flock to it after hearing the rumors.
Humans form groups, and yokai form factions. In this world, minor yokai without a backing found it extremely difficult to survive.Those with weak power wanted protection, but because they were too weak, the major factions wouldn't even spare them a glance.
Without protection, forget about collecting so-called fear—they were bullied wherever they went. This created a vicious cycle that trapped low-rank yokai at the very bottom forever.
"Why the hell won't you let me join, but you'll take that runt over there?! Are you looking down on me?!"
A massive, vicious-looking yokai roared in fury at Hook-Needle Woman and the Samurai Spirit, who were responsible for screening new members.
At first, the hulking yokai had felt nothing but disdain for this so-called Kidōin. But once he learned that its leader had actually fought Inugami Gyōbu-danuki head-on, his interest had been instantly piqued.
Because of his many crimes and violent temperament, he'd already been expelled from several yokai factions.This time, he'd hoped to find a new backer—only to hit a wall again.
If they simply looked down on him, that would've been one thing. But right in front of him, a frail little yokai he could crush with one hand was allowed to join Kidōin.So why couldn't he, who was clearly stronger?
"It's not about strength," the Samurai Spirit said calmly. "You don't meet Kidōin's membership standards.You attack young women and children at night—those habits could still be corrected.But according to our intelligence, while you were in previous factions, you devoured your own comrades. More than once."
With the recent surge in applicants, the Samurai Spirit's workload had increased dramatically.
Born from the unyielding souls of fallen warriors, Samurai Spirits were yokai who revered justice and bushidō by nature, and they approached everything with utmost seriousness.To him, the fact that Ren Kuroda had entrusted such an important responsibility to him meant he had to take it seriously.
In recent days, most of the yokai who came without backgrounds and without histories of wrongdoing were approved almost immediately.But for those with notable strength, the Samurai Spirit always requested a thorough investigation by Kidōin before making a decision.
And the hulking yokai before him clearly failed every standard.
Leaving aside the fact that Ren despised yokai who slaughtered humans indiscriminately, this one had a record of cannibalizing his own kind—repeatedly. Kidōin would never accept such a monster.
The yokai tried to cause trouble, but the Samurai Spirit merely waved a hand behind him.
Amanojaku and Hand-Washing Oni—who had been waiting—immediately led a group forward and beat the brute senseless before tossing him down the mountain.
Since joining Kidōin, Amanojaku's life had been nothing short of glorious.
As membership grew, rule-breakers inevitably appeared, so Ren established a new division: the Enforcement Unit.With his C+-rank strength, Amanojaku became the deputy captain, while Hand-Washing Oni served as captain.
In the past, despite his decent strength, Amanojaku had lived cautiously, always afraid of offending someone stronger.Now, he practically walked with the wind at his back. Yokai not much weaker than himself? He'd already lost count of how many he'd beaten up lately.
Before, he'd only had a few underlings. He'd been a boss in name only—nothing like the presence he commanded now.
The Enforcement Unit held a special status within Kidōin, with authority to arrest and punish. These days, whenever Amanojaku walked through Kidōin, aside from the senior cadres, which yokai didn't respectfully call him "Lord Amanojaku"?
From the bottom of his heart, Amanojaku believed that joining Kidōin had been the wisest decision of his life.
"Sir Samurai Spirit, if someone like that shows up again, just call us anytime.Daring to question your fair judgment and cause trouble on Kidōin's territory—trash like that isn't worth talking to."
Amanojaku had completely fallen in love with this job. Once timid and cautious, he now struck with heavy fists.
And the beaten yokai never dared retaliate—because he had backing now. Compared to petty pranks with a few underlings, this felt far better.
The Samurai Spirit nodded in thanks, but when he looked at the long line ahead, he couldn't help but sigh.
More yokai arrived each day, and troublemakers like the one earlier were becoming increasingly common.Unfortunately, Kidōin had very few members suitable for this kind of work.
Nekomata was far too flighty and only knew how to cling to Lord Ren.The Samurai Marionette was a complete blockhead.The rest were either battle maniacs or stubborn to a fault…
Thankfully, Hook-Needle Woman assisted him—otherwise, he truly wouldn't have been able to manage alone.
"If all these yokai join Kidōin, our power will grow again," Amanojaku said excitedly as he gazed at the line stretching like a dragon.
The reason was simple: the more members Kidōin had, the more weight his status as a cadre carried. And that meant even more yokai calling him "Lord Amanojaku."
"Our numbers may increase," the Samurai Spirit replied, "but our overall strength hasn't risen much.Most who join are weak yokai who were bullied everywhere and barely able to survive.And I don't believe Lord Ren seeks dominance over other factions. That benevolent lord may have founded Kidōin precisely to shelter these weaker yokai."
At the mention of Ren Kuroda, the Samurai Spirit's expression instantly filled with reverence.
Most yokai factions sought high-ranked, powerful members.But Ren did the opposite—so long as they obeyed his rules, he accepted them all.
Truthfully, those minor yokai could barely survive; many couldn't even beat armed human civilians. How could they possibly harm people?
Because of this, almost every minor yokai who arrived met Kidōin's standards.
In the Samurai Spirit's eyes, Ren's actions were essentially granting protection and a home to the weak—perhaps even out of consideration for their pride.
It was precisely for this reason that the Samurai Spirit, who revered bushidō, respected Ren so deeply.
Strength paired with humility and compassion—that was the mark of a powerful yet benevolent lord.
If Ren knew what the Samurai Spirit was thinking, he would probably blush in embarrassment.
Because he really wasn't that noble.
And he certainly wouldn't have expected that after Spider Princess once labeled him "far-sighted and strategic," he'd now gained the image of a "benevolent ruler" in the Samurai Spirit's eyes.
As a half-yokai—and a former human—Ren admitted he had some goodwill toward humans.But accepting minor yokai had far more to do with his missions than with lofty ideals.
Outside, the Samurai Spirit and the others were run ragged. Meanwhile, their supposedly wise, benevolent, and powerful Lord Ren was sitting idly in his room, staring into space.
Because with the sudden influx of yokai, the system task to become the Lord of the Thirty-Six Night Parade had been completed earlier than expected.
Granted, since most new members were extremely weak, his Thirty-Six Night Parade was probably far weaker than anyone else's.But the system never said weak yokai couldn't count.
So—weak or not—Ren completed the task. The reputation rewards had already been issued.
He now possessed:
1,000 remaining points of human reputation,
300 points of yokai reputation earned from the battle with Inugami Gyōbu-danuki,
and 1,000 more yokai reputation points from becoming the Lord of the Thirty-Six Night Parade.
A total of 2,300 reputation points.
Ren wasn't actually spacing out—he was deciding how to use them.
Logically, with so many minor yokai joining Kidōin, he should exchange for batches of low-grade yokai power crystals to strengthen them.But with the Thirty-Six Night Parade task completed, his remaining time in this world seemed limited.
Once he left, time in this world would freeze. Even if he strengthened Kidōin's yokai now, it wouldn't matter much.
After some hesitation, Ren decided to spend reputation on a round of draws first.
With over 2,300 points, as long as he saved 1,000 for low-grade power crystals, the rest could be used to enhance his own strength.