Outside of Towers:
Your players rise through Guild ranks by handling problems across cities, villages, and wilderness.
Inside Towers:
They rise through Sealward ranks based on tower progress and demon suppression.
They may be:
A high-ranked Guild adventurer, but low-ranked Sealward (strong, but inexperienced in tower ecology),
or
A seasoned Seal Raider but barely known outside (quiet, but terrifyingly skilled).
This dual system makes real authority something earned through tower descent, not public fame.