《The Real Monster》 1 Prologue Heaven. Or at least that''s how this realm was called as revealed to mortals in visions. When one speaks of Heaven, thoughts about tranquility, full of celebration without pain and suffering, without hunger and want. Basically "Paradise," is reflected in our minds. However, at this instant. Explosions that could rock even the very foundations and fabric of reality are resounding with shockwaves that make nuclear explosions shy and instill in them to never come out in fear of embarrassing themselves. In short, nuclear explosions are suppressed farts in the face of these reality-shattering explosions. At the center of such loud sound effect is a monster called Clay. His every punch can shatter stars and creates voids in space upon impact. These fists that generate enough force that creates a vacuum and shatters it in that same instant resulting in heaven-shaking explosions and shockwaves, are swung and jabbed in the direction of beings called gods. High entities that need no explanation whatsoever! And yet they are bombarded and are unable to even hold a candle against the monster Clay. All the chief gods of known and unknown religions are also included in the ranks of the gods that oppose Clay. Amun-Ra, the chief god of Egypt. Odin, the all-father of the Norse Myths. Zeus, the ruler of Olympus. They were some of the main figures easily identifiable from the multitude currently facing Clay. Why were they opposite clay, exchanging blows? Everything started on that fateful day¡­ Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Meanwhile, the gods were struggling to even keep their numbers as Clay killed multitudes already and showed no sign of stopping anytime soon. A punch here and there would always land on the face of another god and separate their head from the neck. Conventionally, such attacks were useless as you simply cannot kill a god. That was the common sense. It was impossible to kill god. Mortals couldn''t do it; even fellow gods couldn''t perform such heaven defying acts. However, one man, Clay, was able to reap the very life out of a god and shatter the soul resulting in perma-death. The death of a god, in a way, is also the death of a world, a planet. As each planet and world and even realm are taken care of one or two gods and in some cases even a Pantheon. "Your grief is understandable, Zeus, however, we are still in battle. Focus on the enemy and we just might be able to defend our realm from him. We have not lost yet." Odin calmly reminds Zeus of the grave situation they must face. "I cannot comprehend how he gained such power and dreadful ability. It''s like he was born as the natural enemy of gods able to reap us all like wheat in the harvest field." Amun-Ra spoke in contemplation. However, no one could answer them. Not even Clay could answer them. He has already turned his back on peace and forgiveness. He will devour and reap souls left and right until there are no more. Even then, he will not be satisfied. All this time, Clay had not spoken a word. Not even a warning of the death that he brings. Only his fists made the statements necessary. "You will all die today." With nothing else to employ as a solution, the three chief gods that are popular led the attack on Clay all at the same time along with the other chief gods whom have managed different planets and realms since time immemorial. "Zeus, ready your strongest attack! Amun-Ra use the everything you got!" Odin commanded on top of his steed holding his spear, Gungnir. His white hair fluttering as his steed charged towards where Clay was, stomping on dead bodies until it was reduced to unrecognizable lumps of flesh. As Zeus'' weapon was thunderbolt itself. He amassed all the thunderbolt in the known universe he could muster and compressed it to form one gigantic thunderbolt. He positioned himself as if holding a javelin and aiming right at Clay without letting go of his image. Zeus'' has the ability called [True Aim] which enables him to hit any target 100%. He has never once missed when he threw his thunderbolts as a form of punishment to mortals. This time it will remain true as well. Amun-Ra, as his preparation also took in, the power he could gather from all the stars that burned bright in the known universe. He was god of the sun, however, as he tried to amass the energy and make it his own, he found out that not even a single star responded to him as if turning their backs on him. It was impossible, for him, it was not something that can happen. "What the hell is happening! I can''t muster any power!?" He was flustered, almost panicking. However, since time was of the essence, he had to figure things out later when they have successfully repelled this menace. So, he took out his precious staff and wielded it dashing towards Clay with everything that he got. A clash between three chief gods and one monster. How Clay was able to do it, is still a story to be told. How all this came to be is still a mystery untold. 2 The Summoning At night on Earth, when the clouds clear up and reveal the beauty of outer space as the stars light up the sky, one young man was appreciating the view from the rooftop of his house. His house was a two-story building that had a rooftop instead of the typical steel roof. This rooftop was filled with clothe lines in the morning for when their servants did laundry and freed of them by night, thus, the view here was excellent for night-star watching. The roof edge was barricaded to protect everyone, even the foolish children who play in this very roof, neighbors and family children when they do visit. Bins and laundry baskets are arranged neatly near the exit for easy access. At first this roof did not have any other things aside the laundry needs, however, growing up, he discovered how great and relaxing a place this was to stay on at night. So, he ordered for a folding bed to be set up here as his very own relaxing spot. The wind was blowing gentle breeze in this residential district. The noise of the city is far away, and the industrial disturbances were located close to the mountains. This night was supposed to be just another relaxing night for the young man, Clay. He was wearing his pajamas and listening to his favorite music through a portable speaker. It wasn''t loud yet it also wasn''t silent. He was playing music from different anime soundtracks, opening theme and closing themes. While doing that his hands were scrolling over high quality comics; reading. Truly a night to relax and enjoy. *Chime* "Humm. There it goes again." Putting his pinky inside his ear and starting to grind it as if something was stuck there or that noise that simply comes as a long continuous ring. He has already heard that very same sound chiming since early morning and it was giving him some sort of metaphorical headache. He pictures a small bell, every time it chimes, and he couldn''t help but wonder where it is coming from. Even when he was listening to great music like "Kimi ga suki dato sakebitai" and "Cha-la Head Cha-la" to name some, he could still hear the chime as if resounding inside his brain. If he weren''t grounded to reality, he''d have already thought he was being summoned to another world because this was clearly a template. Clay was a fan of comics and light novels joining many sites that host several translated Japanese, Chinese, and even Korean Light novels. He always paid for content and signed up whenever he could. His family was rich, so he didn''t worry about the expenses for his hobby. However, to him it was not as simple as a hobby. It was life itself. *Chime* The chime came again as the phone finished dialing his mother''s phone. *Click* The line connected with a click and the ringing stopped. So, he spoke. "Mom, I need to have the doctor check up on me, I''ve been hearing this chime in my head for a day already and it''s stressing me out. Can you schedule a meet up as soon as possible?" So, he said towards his mom. However, *Bzzt* White noise came intermittently, as a shaky voice responded to him. "I''m gra¡­ ful for ans¡­ t¡­ call¡­" then suddenly the voice got clearer and cleaner as Clay''s eyes widened in disbelief over what he heard the voice say in the end, "¡­ Otherworld Summoning!" Immediately after hearing that chant-like invocation, light bloomed under the folding bed with Clay as the center and his phone making noise clearly the voice of his mother as he dropped it in start from the blooming light below him. It was supposed to be a frightening thing to be involved in this summoning without prior notice, but his reading experience was rich, and he calmly assessed the situation after the initial startle. He ignored his mother yapping all alone on the phone, and welcomed the summoning he was going to be involved in. "Oh~! I get to experience for my self the otherworld adventure! Awesome!" He shouted inside his head. Then, the light brightened up some more until blinding. Then, everything went dark. Clay, who was clearly excited about a summoning to another world opened his eyes only to see nothing. It was dark. In fact, there was no shed of light that his light receptors could even hope to reflect. A world of darkness, not one bit of light existed here. Clay wanted to move his body but were unable to do so and slightly gave him discomfort. He wanted to grumble but he was also unable to do so. All he could do was think and shout things in his mind. "No, no, no, no! Please don''t let it be one of those summoning where the summoned are subjected to a curse to follow whatever the summoner orders! I don''t want my otherworld adventure to be of being a slave!" He shouts. No one should hear him, however, as if some higher power heard his plea, [Please calm down. I cannot release you from your bind but if you can hear me, then that''s good. I am sorry that we must meet this way, but I need to impart to you something for your journey. And on that note, I need you to be calm and know that you are going to be alright.] An ancient voice directly heard by Clay in his mind spoke to him to calm him down. It resounded quite clearly which gave Clay a slight peace of mind as he answered, "What''s happening? Where is this?" 3 The Guardian of Gates Taking a pause, Imhoteph continued his dialogue. [You have been chosen to be summoned, randomly. It was not out of any great feat or whatever you have done in the past but rather pure randomness. The reason why I am intercepting you is to grant you one wish before letting them have you. Your soul is powerful, as befitting of people descending from a great power. So, I can stuff your soul with power equivalent to how much it can take. Normally, I would just give you strength far surpassing the people of the otherworld, however, that kind of method has proved to be rather inefficient for how many times now. They may have used their strength for defeating adversaries, yet I am frustrated at how they turned out in the end. Abuse of their power has led to uprising of numerous peoples and the annihilation of races and even an entire era.] Clay imagined Imhoteph to be making a sad and frustrated face. [What that world needs right now is someone who would lead them towards a fate, different from the past. However, know that I do not have much hope for you as well. So, you might as well just do what you wish, and I will still watch over without interfering too much. The only way I can interfere is when they try to summon who they would call "Heroes" into their world.] All this information came to Clay as if an introduction to a background story in an online game. It''s like a game. Clay thought. And the fact that Imhoteph could hear his every thought, he ignored Clay and continued his monologue as it would seem. [To me, it is foolish, but to them it is salvation. I do not care what they think of it, and even if they do not worship me, I will remain as the Guardian of Gates and Guide to Souls, so I will not lose a wink of sleep.] Is all this necessary? I think there''s nothing I can gain by listening to this lengthy background story. Clay thought yet again, without knowing that his thoughts are being heard. He was far too excited to be transported to his destination and enjoy the otherworld adventure that he deserves. [Now, as I have talked at length, surely you have calmed down some?] as if finding Clay''s unbridled thoughts annoying, Imhoteph appears to have cut his story short. "Oh¡­ yes. It would seem I have. Thanks." Clay thought as his answer with the intention of answering Imhoteph. And then continued his thought, not intending this to be heard, I guess I have, since your story is boring. Still ignoring the real thoughts inside Clay''s mind. Imhoteph resumed his role in this dialogue. "Please wait a minute! If I chose something to be my ability, then do what I''m supposed to do, will I be able to go back home after?" An important question indeed. And imhoteph answered, [Good question. The answer is, you cannot, unless you''d have enough power to fuel the magic for it. You see, calling takes about 100 years of accumulating magic energy to use. Return spells would need even more as the mana needed to pierce the defense of dimensions would cost 500 times the normal cost compared to calling. Plus, it is still up to me to open the gates or not. Now, if you have no more questions, I will proceed to letting you choose your ability.] Without intending to have Clay post another question Imhoteph intended to cut him off but, Clay was relentless. "Please wait! I have another question!" Humm [Speak.] Imhoteph answered. Clay made a face in his mind as if he heard Imhoteph groan, but it must be his imagination. So, he continued. "You see, I am just a normal easy-going guy, and well, what would I be entrusted with is the fate of the world they live in right, the people who''ve summoned me? The question is if I decide I don''t want to help them, what will happen to me?" It was a question born from a lot of reading and "fan-boying" over light novels and manga as well as anime. Those templates where the summoned chooses not to help because the king of the country is unbearable or the other. So, to him it was a very valid question, as opposed to not asking. Since he was in the in between of the summoning held captive by Imhoteph before he could go there. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. [Basically, they will surround you and make you into a slave as soon as you appear, because your power would still be bearable for them. And even if they can''t make you a slave, they would convince you of your worth to them and as your ego is inflated, they will make you into a ''Hero'' and you will do their bidding. However, if you refuse, then you will be arrested and made into a slave. That''s how desperate they are. Either way, you will turn into a slave collar or not. I''m telling you this as a caution, since it has already happened once or twice in different worlds. If you fall into that kind of fate, you will begin to hate everyone and once you come free, and you will eventually, you will become the plague that they would wish they never summoned. So, to oppose you, they would have to summon another hero and the cycle would repeat. That''s how ugly humanity is.] With a sigh, for the first time, Imhoteph showed a semblance of emotion. Clay heard this and thought, well at least this guy cares enough. Not too much, but enough. 4 Superhero Series In Clay''s mind as he closed his eyes as opening it seemed useless. He saw a list of abilities and their description. There were abilities that gave the holder what people would label as Absolute. And it was categorized just like that. The Absolute series with Absolute Strength at the top followed by Absolute Offense, Defense, Speed, Magic, Knowledge and so on the list went on. There were also the Ultimate series on the top which was, a series of talents and skills that are maxed out beyond mastery. There were oddball abilities like the Superhero Series, Production Series, and lastly Resistance series. However, Clay stopped scrolling as scrolling all the way down was seemingly impossible. He saw what he liked already. Each time he stopped to look at an Ability, Imhoteph''s voice follows with the explanation of how much of his soul this ability would consume. So. like that, he spent more time that necessary to select the proper amount of abilities that could fill his soul to the brim. In the time that Clay thought about which abilities to have, he asked Imhoteph a question suddenly. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "Am I allowed to mix and match two or more different abilities?" To such a question Imhoteph answered promptly, [You can as you say "mix and match" these abilities. Without worrying about side effects as it is your soul which will receive the abilities and incorporate them into your body.] Clay followed up with, "So then if I decided on these two, I will have no more space for other abilities? And can I customize these abilities, if I can, how much would that cost?" [Yes, but if what you mean to ask is if you''ll be unable to learn anymore skills and abilities in the world you''re to be in, then that is not so. What we are dealing with here is the capacity of your soul. As if your soul capacity is left alone, Demonic Spirits will be able to possess you quite easily. That is the reason of us, convening here to decide on what to do with your soul. And to your other queries, yes you can at a slight increase in capacity it will consume, in fact it may even reduce the capacity it consumes depending on the customization.] True to his job description, Imhoteph guided Clay. Should I choose these two then? Clay thought as he came to finalize his choices. He had modified Superman''s genes and eliminated his weakness to Kryptonite. And Deadpool''s Regeneration was modified so that he could regenerate even from a singular cell. "Are these two suitable for me?" Clay asked. [It is your choice. I cannot interfere in your decision. However, if you chose those two, a small portion of your soul will still be void. Let me eliminate the excessively costly abilities and show you a list befitting of the excess capacity.] The Absolute Series, the Ultimate and even the Superhero Series of abilities disappeared and was replaced with normal looking skills in production or combat skills. Abilities like Cooking Master; Alchemy Master; Smithing Master; Weapons Master; Farming Master; and so on. "I choose Alchemy Master." With its description being, Alchemy Master ?One is a master over herbs and the chemical relationship of substances on an atomic level while also having mastery over concoctions and decoctions. Mastery of Heat comes with it. ? Then as if time was no longer available, Imhoteph warned Clay to be ready for what''s to come. [If you have chosen your abilities, then let us proceed to have you granted these. Brace yourself, this will be soul-rending painful. You might faint and wake up just to faint yet again in this process. This process will last a long time. So, prepare your heart and mind. Do not give up, I caution you.] "W-Wait, w-what? There''s pain? I thought it would just be snap of your fingers and all will be alright?" Clay became more flustered as the warning was quite serious. It did not sit well with his easy-going personality. [This is not so. I can "snap my fingers" for destroying worlds, as you say, but a soul is far more resilient than any world combined, especially a soul like those from earth. A soul just cannot be destroyed. Are you ready?] Imhoteph, made certain he was ready and then started the infusion. "Y-Yes, I guess. But really, will it be very painf¨C !?" With a scream just before finishing his sentence Clay entered a world of pain. Screaming and feeling like his insides were bare and someone was cooking stew on his chest, then stirring it with needles and razors, furthermore, going to the extent of heating him up to stir fry some other things. What have I gotten myself into! Clay shouted in his mind as he fell unconscious. 5 The Unfamiliar Ceiling, Not! *Gasp* With a start, Clay woke up from the pain that slowly let up. He doesn''t remember how many times he''d wake up just to faint again continuously. Time was a mere concept in this place where Imhoteph has taken Clay to. Quite a few million years have already passed in reality, however, to Clay it would only look as if he fainted for a few hours since the start since he did faint and stayed in a coma for more than thousands of years before waking up again just to faint from the extreme pain that he is subjected after waking up, in fact he is woken up by the pain and lose consciousness from the same pain. It was torture of unreasonable proportion. Power is something that cannot be attained without sacrifice. Even more so when it''s freely given. This is something that Clay has yet to learn and will surely learn in the future. As he was now, clearly deceived by the illusion of time not passing, affected by the fact that there is no light in this place but only darkness, he kept on holding on. Until the pain had ended. That time was now. "You''re there right, Imhoteph?" Clay asked. Knowing full well that Imhoteph was right where he was from the start. Not moving. And oddly, he could feel his presence but cannot pinpoint where he was standing exactly. [Yes. Congratulations on overcoming that stage of your evolution. Now, I have done my part. I will let you go and proceed to your next destination. If nothing else; you''d directly be transported to your otherworld. Might I remind you that your abilities are not to be underestimated, so use them with caution and prudence. Also, never mention me or my name in any way to anyone. That is all. It was nice meeting you...] Answered Imhoteph, clearly also jubilant that Clay had emerged triumphant over the pain. He warned Clay as well while congratulating him and paused his words before waving his hand and releasing Clay''s binding. After that, Imhoteph sent Clay to his original destination and continued his words just as Clay''s figure slowly vanished from this realm¡­ [¡­Lord Clay.] With a feeling like he was falling, Clay forcefully opened his eyes only to find that he was in a room where, in contrast to the room he came from, only light existed. A room with nothing inside it except himself. There was nothing in his immediate surroundings and the room seemed to extend from one point into infinity. It was a bizarre feeling to see and imagine the previous room being like this as well. However, remembering the previous room, Clay became apprehensive. He thought, "Dammit! Don''t tell me I''ll have to go through that again? That pain! No way!?" With that thought blooming in his mind, he looked around intently as if to guard himself from whoever, or whatever appears before him again. [Silly, you''re not dead. I just intercepted the summoning to grant you your ability, your cheat, so to say. You see, usually, when they summon a hero, he would have power that would be way above the average of that world. So, I will grant you my divine blessing. Of course, you don''t know who I am, so let me first introduce myself. I am who they''d call the god of humanity.] And so, the dialogue between god and Clay started. [In the otherworld, there would be 5 different other gods. Namely the god of beastmen; god of elves; god of demons; god of dwarves; and god of dragons, while I am as I have introduced, the god of humanity.] [Together we are the Six Pillars of Faith for Alleucanth. The world where you will be coming to.] However, as the tune of the god speaking sounded just like how Imhoteph gave an introduction, Clay had to speak. "Wait, wait. So, to summarize what we''ll be discussing, you the god of humanity need someone to be your champion because you are on the losing side of your little game with the other gods is that the gist of it?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Clay''s vast knowledge of plots and scenarios helped him come up with a suitable setting as if a story in a light novel just from the information that the god of humanity mentioned to him. Because of this, a sharp glint appeared on the eyes of this god of humanity. And as Clay wondered why the god of humanity did not mention his name, he had to ask. "May I ask, what the name of your eminence, is?" With a tone as if sucking up to the person in front of him, Clay asked. Clay was already scheming in his head as a precaution since he did not want to experience the same pain that he experienced from Imhoteph''s Ability Granting Ceremony. The name of the ceremony all to Clay''s credit. With that question as impetus, the god of humanity started his monologue. [You are a sharp human being. I think I really lucked up and fetched the best candidate huh? I am called Safir. And I would advise you not to utter my name carelessly in the otherworld, because my name has enough power to cause a small-scale mana burst. Just cautioning you. Anyway, as sharp as you are, you''re wrong on one account. I did not summon you because I am on the losing side. In fact it were all going according to plan and the game was going in my direction, however, the other gods claimed that I cheated and gave the humans too much of an advantage and demanded that to be fair, they want to summon heroes for their own advantage. So, I called it unfair instead and I also summoned a hero for myself, which has now become you. So basically, you will go there and be the champion of I, Safir and make me win this game of war. For that, you will need abilities aside from your sharp perception. I need your body to be accustomed to the otherworld just as the others would have their own heroes. I will grant your body the ability to anything that you set your eyes on. Meaning, nothing will escape your eyes. If you want to know information about anything or anyone, you will just have to look at them. 6 Arrival of the Hero "YES! MAGIC!" exclaimed Clay as he genuinely was excited at the prospect of being able to use magic. However, inside Clay''s mind he was berating this god calling himself Safir. "Although this god is pissing me off with his speech and this game that they''re playing, with us as pieces, magic is romance! I''ll let it slide this time." [¡­odd.] Safir suddenly spoke afterClay''s exclamation of joy and excitement. "Hmm? What''s the matter god?" Clay defensively asked. He was getting wary as Safir was showing a confused expression on his face. [It''s odd that I cannot read your mind.] Stated Safir as if it''s a given that he should be able to read the mind of anyone. In response, Clay''s honesty reared its head and quipped, "Read my mind? Isn''t that a bit rude, even for a god?" To which Safir simply said, [Rude? I AM A GOD; nothing is rude or too much for me. Anyway, it does not matter whether I am capable or not of reading your thoughts. A mere human champion will not have power to defy me.] It may have been supposed to be a whisper, but his thoughts were leaking out and then he laughed it off like an evil person. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. [No matter, I need to instruct you how to access your status. Only you can see it, so it''s not something to worry about. Even gods cannot see it. Look for yourself.] Instructed Safir to Clay. The status screen showed Clay numbers that quantified his stats and lists his abilities that Safir has granted. In Clay''s thought though was, "Overall, it''s just a bunch of numbers and it couldn''t even show me the abilities that Imhoteph has granted. Sigh. Although that ability is very good to have as well, I should be able to make use of that ability well." And seeing as Clay was already looking at his Status, Safir spoke again. "Wow! It''s awesome. You are a very generous god Safir." Bootlicking one-oh-one. It was Clay''s way of making Safir lower his guard against Clay. It was working like a charm, so it seems. As Safir''s face seemed to become even more smug with every praise that he gets. [Of course. Now that all of that has been arranged, I will now send you to your original destination. Good luck; my champion!] Safir wished him luck and in turn Clay was, "Thank you!" With as much gusto as he could muster with fake excitement along with it. In his mind though was, "I still have to thank the god. As pompous as he sounds." With that, Safir transported Clay to his destination in the world of Alleucanth. Light enveloping his body and feeling as if his body was being washed from imperfection, he disappeared from the room. The next moment he opened his eyes only to see that he was already kneeling. As if that was the proper position to take when being summoned. Steam was rising from the magic circle that enclosed him. Clay used to probe his surroundings. Immediately, a game-like chime came to his head and information was directly shown to him in his mind. *Ping* [Observe ¨C Level Up] [Observe ¨C Advanced Acquired] Ignoring the prompts in his brain, he continued to observe the surroundings. With the skill advancing a level, a simple scan of the room gave him the exact information of how many people there were inside, their information, stats, and even state of mind. X-ray vision was basic with Superman''s genes, so steam was not a hindrance. A closer look at their status, Clay''s Skill yet again gained another advance in level. Allowing him to see further information about the target of observation. While he was scanning each person surrounding him. He heard a person shout in a language he could not understand and immediately, the same chime sounded in his head as he gained another skill. "Go and incapacitate him at once! We need to make sure we are at an advantage when speaking to him later!" *Ping* [Language Acquisition ¨C Basic acquired] With the skill, he was able to understand the language that this place used. As that same person finished his command, the soldiers ¨C yes, the people inside the room were soldiers ¨C started to move in formation after unsheathing their swords from their waists. "Damn, it really is just as Imhoteph predicted." He contemplated and was a bit saddened by this turn of events. Before the steam fully cleared up, Clay moved at the fastest speed he could muster, and he was surprised with what he experienced. His body moved at command and he felt like he was in total control of it. With no hindrances or whatever. He also noticed that the soldiers who started to move towards him in formation seemed to have become statues. This phenomenon is often described in novels when people of incredible speed move, everything freezes. Looking at his stats for a bit he saw, Name: Clay Class: Hero ?Transcendent? Sub-Class: None ?Alchemy Master? Title: Hero ?Alchemy Master? Stats: [STR - 99 ?Unique?] | [INT - 99 ?Unique?] | [MGC - 99 ?Unique?] | [DEX - 99 ?Unique?] Skills: ?Alchemy Master?| ?Hyper-Regeneration?| ?Kryptonian Gene? [Observe ¨C Advanced] | [Language Acquisition - Basic] | [Human Language - Basic] Blessing: ?Guided by the Guide to Souls?| [Safir''s Champion] Status: Normal ?Optimal? "Oh, now I can see my Imhoteph enhanced stats as well? It''s descriptive though, not quantitative. With this I can compare properly." Clay had this thought as he peeked at his stats while in the state of freezing the rest of the world. Clay moved away from the magic circle and stayed at one corner of the room. Totally silent. Observing how the people inside would react. In this frozen state, Clay could simply walk to his destination without a care in the world. And when he arrived at the corner, he unfroze the place by willing to stop moving at full capacity. And everything followed his initial prediction. 7 Schemes VS Schemes After a few seconds of shock, they started to look around and found Clay standing in the corner, observing them. "Cease your action men! This must be the summoned one. Are you able to understand me?" *Ping* [Language Acquisition ¨C Level Up] Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. [Language Acquisition ¨C Advanced acquired] They were doubly alarmed at this spectacle, but typical of the scheming types, the person who commanded Clay to be apprehended earlier stepped forward and slowly spread his hands away from his chest and away from the weapon he had on his waist as well. It was a sign of peace, a harmless person wishing to establish communication. This man was wearing a type of robe with a staff right behind him hanging on his back. He also wore a sword on his waist. His footwear could not be seen. His hair was gray and his eyes almost white with cataract, however, as if to fool anyone into underestimating this old man, his eyes looked to be as lively as an eagle''s. He had the look of a hunter. His eyebrows were thick but gray as well. He slowly inched closer to Clay and he then spoke to Clay. Clay played dumb even when he had Language Acquisition to the advanced level already. This was a schemer facing a schemer. Who scams who? Would be the real winner. [Oh, you cannot understand us. That''s good. We''ll have the princess impart to you the language later, but for now, stay puzzled you slave.] Although the geezer was a schemer, his arrogance was in the way of his brilliant mind and still looked down on the "Hero" that they called up and summoned. He said this all the while motioning as if he was wanting Clay to calm down. With his lips moving and his gestures, any other summoned would believe that he was speaking some comforting words. That just shows how a schemer this old man was. And to answer him, Clay also played his own scheme. Seeing as he was titling his head to the side indicating that he did not understand, the old man got bolder and cursed at him. As he was led by the maid towards a direction, Clay thought about how unfortunate it was for the princess they called ''dumb.'' This maid was taking him to her and in the process of doing so, she was leading him in circles. Clay thought of reasons as to do this in his spare time. "A, they don''t want me to remember where I came from where the magic circle for the summoning was. B, they want me to be confused and my tension to increase. C. She''s taking me to an ambush." Those are the thoughts that ran around in Clay''s head as he was led by the maid. He wanted to speak to her, but his speaking to her in their language would result in the jig being up. His scheme would be halted right at that moment. He wanted what they would really do after taking him to the princess. And how the princess would enslave him. Clay was getting tired of being led around in circles by the maid and so he opted to stand his ground and not move anymore. Besides, he has already seen the figure of presumably the princess earlier while using his x-ray. He knew the way towards her already. However, being unable to speak their language was something that he wanted to keep as an image. He understood that the longer they keep him guessing as to what they were talking about the easier it was to deceive him, but they did not know that Clay had Kryptonian genes and Hyper-Regeneration which helped him get his bearing back in order as soon as the summoning succeeded. Clay stood his ground and spoke in his original language, "Hey, hey! If you got orders I understand, so just stay with me until they come for me okay? I''m tired of walking in circles." Seeing as he stood his ground, the maid went a bit pale. She was cursing at Clay; she also couldn''t understand what Clay said. "You fucking "hero" come here! We must go a couple more rounds before I can show you to the princess. She doesn''t expect you to be up and about already. Fuck! Come one!" Was on the maid''s mouth. While she was gently gesturing to him to follow her. They moved like veterans in deceiving others. It looks to be that they have done this more than once already. It seems that when a hero was summoned, the old geezer would subdue them and enslave them then let the ''dumb'' princess check on them. That is what''s supposed to happen, but Clay got in the way of that seemingly tradition. 8 The dumb Princess Finally, after a few seconds of contemplation, she found her courage and gestured grandly to Clay with hands pointing towards one of the rooms. As if to tell Clay that the princess'' room was right there. And as a good little rabbit that he was, Clay looked towards the direction she pointed at with eyes widened as a show, implying, he understood her intention. Clay stood up and did not wait for the maid to gesture to him and walked towards that direction. The maid hurried to a run to catch up and take the lead again. With Clay''s x-ray turned off, he entered the room that was opened by the maid, without knocking, showing her contempt for the princess as well. Clay turned it off in anticipation for the beauty of the princess that he is about to meet. Typically, when meeting princesses in another world one would expect them to be a beauty, according to the richness of Clay''s knowledge on otherworld adventures. Disappointment or excitement hinges on this surprise after all. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. The room was big enough to put two 1LDK rooms inside. It was furnished with a canopy bed that takes up most of the space at the center just after turning a corner when you enter. The fabric used for the canopy was dyed in velvet red, the bedposts were polished and varnished elegantly. The headboard and footboard also don the same texture and elegant look. The headboard has an elegant sparrow engraving picking a fruit on a branch, as if a painting that shows the elegance of this bed. The footboard complements the sparrow picking a fruit with its other half of the painting it invokes when looked at a certain angle. On the canopy crown, there lies a nest-like tailoring that seems exquisitely placed there to provoke the mind of the onlooker to peek at its contents like a curious child climbing a tree. The finials are carved with a design that look like the same fruit that the sparrow is picking on the headboard''s engraving. And on the floor was a carpet that encompassed the whole room. Making the floor feel like one is walking on clouds upon entering. It was the fur of an unknown beast of this world, however, from the looks of it, it looked to be of a red striped tiger. Clay''s quest was sitting on the bed, brushing her jade green silky hair. Her movement was fluid and her gestures certain, without hesitation. Clay was having these thoughts as if he was looking at a master swordsman playing with his sword. The princess did not disappoint Clay. She was mesmerizing, that was the conclusion. Clay''s thoughts were going haywire and no longer fit to narrate no longer safe for work. The princess wore her night gown as it was still early in the morning for her. She typically gets out of bed in the noon time since she does nothing in the morning having siblings that get the attention from everyone, which leaves her neglected. Her face was a well-rounded shape with a sharp chin, just like anime heroines or those chines women who have those petite faces. Plastic surgery works so well for women in Korea and China these days that places like Thailand and Philippines, fellow Asian countries don''t want to get left behind. Her lips were pinkish and looked very fresh. Clay imagines her lips to be virgin, unsullied by the filth of men yet. Looking at her long legs resting on the bed made Clay want to become the bed itself. Enjoying the supple feeling that those legs are putting on it. Seeing the princesses'' night gown and the perky breasts that bursts from it, gave Clay his biggest hard-on. Her nipples that tease you for the lack of brassieres threatening to come out and peek at you. One would want to say uncontrollably, Pikachu! "Pikachu~!" Clay was unable to hold it in and really uttered the magic words. His tension was released by at least half and the pressure below his guts eased a bit. He was able to calm down and properly conduct himself like a gentleman whose mind was pure. Yes, pure of filthy thoughts. The princess stopped what she was doing because she noticed the maid and Clay coming inside without knocking. It was typical of the maid, but she was exasperated that she really dares to show such contempt for her even in the presence of guests. Isn''t she afraid of what may become of her if I reported this to the head-maid? Thought the Princess. Clearly offended. However, she had to conduct herself in a manner worthy of a princess in greeting the guest that was brought to her. She bowed slightly after offering her greetings to Clay. This action of hers disabled Clay''s tranquil heart and what was threatening to burst earlier was now upright and unhinged by the laws of this world. He stood proudly and without restraint. He returned the greeting of the princess with a wave of his hands as his scheme is still on going. He still has not forgotten his scheme of course. He may be horny, but Clay is a man of principle. Thus, while the princess was still bowing slightly, Clay, with utter respect and protectiveness towards the princesses'' modesty, carefully and without malice, looked at her cleavage with his Kryptonian gene. Zooming in, enough to see a clear picture. He opts out of using his x-ray vision to totally peek on her because that is reserved for when it''s he himself who really strips those covers off her. 9 Giselle vi Acadria Clay had to forcefully calm down as to enter a proper conversation with the princess later. The maid introduced them to each other saying, "Princess pardon the intrusion, this is the "hero" that has been summoned and the Chancellor has tasked you to take care of him in the meantime so that we can prepare for the feast to welcome him. I have done my job; I shall be off now. Please excuse me." Said the maid who was in a hurry to get rid of Clay and be away from them both as soon as possible. It was as if the princess was carrying a disease that she did not want to contract. Thought Clay. If it''s like this, then maybe she really has a contagious disease? Clay further thought. Clay already knew who the princess was even when she had not introduced herself yet with he also did have information on everyone he already saw, but they were all small fry except for the Chancellor earlier that Clay did not even bother to memorize the name of. That just shows how negligent he is of unimportant characters. Looking at the princesses'' stats, Clay studied it. Name: Giselle vi Acadria Class: Princess Sub-Class: None Title: Seventh Princess of Acadria Stats: [STR - 44] | [INT - 87] | [MGC - 89] | [DEX - 56] Skills: [Management]| [Human Language - Advanced] | [Space Magic ¨C Advanced] |[Etiquette] Blessing: None Status: Alarmed "That''s how she is feeling huh, Alarmed. I wonder if I should make her my ally. That would be good for me, but it may be troublesome for her. Let''s ask her." Clay did an inner dialogue. Pausing, Clay continued his speculations, "Of course she''d be alarmed with a maid and the "hero" that she brought without even a simple knock on the door. It was preposterous for a maid to do that. As the maid left, the princess'' wariness left her face as well as if it were just an illusion. She now wore a dignified face, worthy of her standing. "I see, this is how the situation was and I can clearly see now. Plus, her Status says Normal now. This one''s clever huh? Let''s look confused for now and face the princess. She''s also looking over here without batting an eyelid. Ha-ha. This is the dumb princess they talked about, look just how sharp her eyes are! Those are the eyes of a predator." Clay read the expression on the princesses'' face and the information gathered by and both added up. He was amused by this moniker of her being a ''dumb'' princess. Without moving around and just staring at her like he''s shy, Clay successfully infiltrates the Princesses'' room. [Why is this guy so afraid? I''m such a beauty that you''d lunge at me given the chance, right? Maybe he''s shy? Fufu] Giselle, spoke, thinking Clay could yet to understand her. Showing him how she really was when in private. Oh God! If she comes any closer, I shall forget that I am a man, and descend into the beast that I am. Thought Clay strongly as he held himself back from attacking the princess then and there. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Before this became a porn-story however, Giselle backed away slowly. Still as slow as she inched forward leaving her cleavage assaulting our hero''s mental faculties. The princess was a head and a half shorter than our 5''11" Hero. And the view from up top has heavenly, thought Clay. "This woman is rightly dangerous. More so than that old geezer, the Chancellor!" Clay was apprehensive but unrepentant. He wanted more instead. Such was the downfall of any great man. However, our hero has yet to climb the stairs of success, so he can yet fall from anything. [Well then, let''s have you granted the language now. They made me into the one to put a leash on you, so that I could become useful huh, just all you wait and see. Even thinking of making me use my body to lure this poor guy.] As she said that, Giselle leaned even more forward, and our foreheads touched then suddenly she muttered something I could not quite get, and warmth entered my body through our foreheads. Then, *Ping* [Language Acquisition - Advanced level up] [Language Acquisition - Master acquired] My language skill leveled up just like that. Awesome. [With this, you should be able to understand me, right? Please answer me if you do. Even if it''s just basic for now, as you continue to use it, that language skill would level up to master in no time.] "Of course, I understand princess. But please let me ask you to please discipline your subordinates your highness. Please tell those two to stop staring at my eyes, they have been really rude since the start." Clay told the princess in a joking manner. "I wonder if she''d understand my joke." Clay thought. Clay was currently unashamedly staring straight at her cleavage. "If I take my eyes off them now, I''d feel that I am not worthy to be called a MAN! This is how a man should act! Straightforward and devoid of pretenses!" Shouted Clay in earnest. [W-What are you saying you sex offender!] And she sent Clay a crispy slap. *Pak* A resounding slap and a hurt hand were the results. Clay''s face was stronger than steel, super gene or not! He just doesn''t feel shy about his sexual preference and desires. Especially since, no one knew him here. "Forgive me, but please, explain to me what happened. For me to be able to understand you very suddenly?" Clay took the conversation forward by seriously asking about what just happened. Why was there a need to have their foreheads in contact and why did she assume that I would understand her suddenly? Were all questions in Clay''s mind. [What''s with the sudden change of pace? A-Anyway, I just imparted you with the language skill. Although it should still be basic right now and if I ever used terms that have deeper meaning like ''Philanderer'' to describe you, then you''d only hear a beep of some kind. See?] I did not hear a beep at all, plus, my skill is at Master level so I can totally understand what you just said. She holds grudges huh. Clay thought. 10 Cooperation "How do you feel? I know you must be quite perplexed as you have just arrived, so let me introduce myself first. My name is Genna the Seventh Princess of Acadria. My full name would be Genna vi Acadria. It sure is not pleasant to meet you, Philanderer from another world." She smiled when she said that. She told Clay teasingly. And Clay had the urge to tease back on his face for a split-second and then clearly, he endured the urge. What he needed now was to gather important information, not flirt. There''s time for that later. By the way she hid her real name from Clay just shows she does not trust Clay at all and she must be confident enough that she let her guard down quite a bit while facing him, despite being alone, or there must be something giving her this much confidence. Clay knew she had the skill [Space Magic ¨C Advanced] so that must be one of the things she depends on. "Princess Genna, I am called Clay. Please take care of me from now on. I''m very afraid of that old guy that greeted me earlier. He looked at me as if I wasn''t a human being but some sort of lowly being. However, when I looked at you, I was mesmerized and immediately fell for your beauty. As if Fate telling me; "She''s the one!" I must tell you; you have captured my heart the moment I laid my eyes on you!" Clay dramatically said all that while reaching for her hand. She immediately slapped his hands away. Her Status clearly states Disgust huh? "Philanderer! I am unworthy of your affections for I am but a princess, a flower without thorns the dumb princess that they say I am. I cannot dare sully your name oh Philanderer! I must not! I cannot bear the shame I would inflict upon you." As the conversation progressed here, Clay finally noticed that Giselle was indicating something through her eyes. Possibly spies in the next room. With that realization, Clay played along for a bit and then made a move. "Oh! Noble princess! I have no care for such drivel. I do not care! I only want to be with you and you alone. Be mine!" What a great pick-up line from me. I will have to remember this one. Thought Clay with a smug look in his mind. "Now, what should we do about the people at the back of that room?" Clay said to her in a whisper as he was close to her ears trying to embrace her. With that signal, she nodded, and she started another line of conversation. "Now then, Hero, I must ask you to become our Hero and defeat the enemy forces for us. If you can accomplish this, I shall offer myself and my life to be your wife." Giselle also dramatically exaggerated her line. "No matter how it sucks, my acting that is, it''s necessary!" Clay further thought and, "Let''s tease her here" and then said, "However princess, seeing as you really are hell bent on offering yourself to me, how could a man not do his responsibilities. I accept Princess. After that dramatic cringe worthy acting, the people surrounding them slowly dispersed as if they were assured that the dumb princess had successfully hooked the "hero" into submission. "They should be- "Giselle wanted to restart their conversation properly, but Clay stopped her by putting his index finger on her cherry lips. I''d have liked to shut you up with a kiss, is the thought that Clay hid. "Let''s wait a few more seconds for good measure. And~ they''re completely gone, just in case let''s survey the surroundings and... all clear." Clay did extra measures to ensure their safety and let Giselle know about it right after. "Is it okay to speak now?" Giselle confirmed. And Clay answered, "Yes princess. The coast is clear. We may continue our love-love conversation." Teasing her a bit as they separated. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "Coast is clear? What do you mean by that?" Giselle was confused about the military term that he used. It was a hassle to explain, so Clay just ignored it and moved on to a serious topic. "Princess Genna, are you able to seal the space we are in with your ability? It is better to be safe than sorry later. Please do it if you are able and let''s proceed to the real talks." Clay''s easy-going face turned cold-serious. This was the proper time to really talk about their cooperation. From that last exchange, Giselle also figured out that Clay was hiding something that he wanted to share, and possibly, wishes to cooperate with her. So, she said, "How cunning. It seems you have already grasp who and how I am. And your eyes are extraordinary it seems. To be able to know that I can seal space, this is indeed a very good surprise. It seems it will be of no use to retain the name Genna. Let me re-introduce myself then, I am Giselle vi Acadria Seventh Princess of Acadria. Sorceress of Space, self-proclaimed it may be, but my skill is real, and I take pride in it. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hero Clay." 11 Overpower "The pleasure is mine Princess." The atmosphere just turned a few degrees lower and chilly. The atmosphere became serious as well. I guess it''s not time to fool around now, Clay thought. "As you already know, I am called Clay. It seems this Kingdom of yours has grown a tad bit too unrestrained, even maids look down on their princess. This is a surprise to me." Clay began with that introduction. "You have observed well, Clay, please call me Giselle and I''ll call you Clay, is that alright? Continuing, yes, you are right. The king has been bedridden for a time now and the Chancellor has grown more and more audacious. He began taking command as if he were king and now, he even initiated the hero summoning without father''s consent nor anyone else''s. Worse, this hero summoning should have been passed down only to the king, yet he knew about it, that to me smells very fishy." Giselle explained to Clay the circumstances of the kingdom in a nutshell. "He has become a bit too much to just tolerate, so, I need something to make him fall and with you Hero, I would be able to move even more freely and do things to take him down while you distract him with your heroism." She continued this time, her words sounded like a joke, but no one was laughing. "That is... if you agree." She fished for an answer from Clay and to her who proposed such, "Oh, I only have one principle in life, Giselle. I move only when I need to. So right now, whatever you say to me will only sound as someone else''s problem and I would not even care a bit." He also explained his selfishness then continued explaining his circumstance. "At first, I planned to do what I can as a Hero and disappear from the battlefield later when it gets chaotic, however that would have been too much work. However, seeing you and having this encounter, I have changed my mind. I want you to be Queen, Giselle, and you will have me as husband. That way, I can live my life at ease of whatever. What do you think about my wondrous plan, what do you think?" "..." Giselle stayed quite for a bit and trembled. Did she hear Clay properly? Only she knows. But as if contemplating on what she heard from Clay, she had closed her eyes and kept quiet for quite a while. "You... are surprisingly very cunning. I was thinking of using you, but you have already grasped even that from the start, so you went straight to negotiating your terms. Alright, I will agree. I will agree to shelter you as Queen, and you will be the symbol of peace in Acadria. How''s that?" She agreed to his proposal without batting an eye. His proposal was basically a marriage proposal. Typically, she should have refused until further notice, or at least until she thought everything through. And yet she agreed right away. "That''s not bad at all, then let''s first set some ground rules. On my end, I want to live in comfort without being unreasonably disturbed, I will also not move if it''s to harm innocents and third, I will kill you if you try something funny with me. That''s it from me, anything else, I''m game." Clay took the conversation further after the agreement. Conversation from powerful people need contracts, but for those who are beyond just merely being influential and having real power, a verbal promise is a life sentence already. "Okay. I will be able to agree with all your terms. However, to threaten someone, one must have an overwhelming advantage over the other, but as you are now, I don''t think you''re in that position just yet." And Giselle understood this principle as well, thus, he provoked Clay in showing her what he can do for her as the Queen''s consort. She wants to know if she can rely on Clay, use him well. She is very clever indeed. If Clay doesn''t show her strength to back up his words, she''ll only take it as a bluff, nothing more. "How should I go about this; I don''t have anything to show for it currently." Clay was also backed up a corner. He showed in his face that he was hesitant, and Giselle picked up on this. Giselle''s position in this negotiation was taking over Clay''s in her mind at this moment. However, Clay currently was reliving his pain and suffering as he gained his power, his abilities. He closed his eyes to further see and feel that pain again. Remembering the fear that he had, how many times he pissed himself as he was buried in pain for who knows how long. After remembering the pain, he started to analyze why he was suffering like this? Because he wanted to have an otherworld adventure? No. In the first place he would not be subjected to that kind of pain and suffering if not for the summoning. Yes. It was they who affectedly gave him that suffering. All because these pricks wanted to use him as a piece in their wars and in their games. "The gods and these game of throne wannabes! All of them need to be subjected to a world of pain as well. Enough that they also experience my kind of suffering and pain. Right. That''s right." Clay was grinding his teeth as he thought up to this point and he released his unbridled anger and resentment. "You want to use me without looking at how I would suffer for your games? Fuck that! You play games with your god buddies and since you want to play some more, you summoned heroes to your play as a chess piece?! Fuck THAT! I will pay you back for this, just you wait you damn gods. I will find any means I can to visit your realm and I will put you in a frying pan. Kukukuku" As Clay thought to that point that his anger was boiling inside him and was now physically manifesting in the surroundings. Giselle noticed this change as Clay stayed silent and closed his eyes. Moments later she found herself trembling uncontrollably as if by instinct her body wanted to get out of this place. To run and not look back at all. But she endured it, she wanted to see how Clay would show his hand to her. Now, she would think it was a mistake. "C-Clay, p-please calm yourself. I was merely- eek!" Hearing Giselle''s voice, Clay opened his eyes and stared straight at her. His state was still unstable, and this caused her to be afraid. "I have to calm down. There''s no need to be hung up on things like that. If I''m alive, I don''t care what happens to things that are unrelated to me." Clay thought as he tried to calm himself. Clay''s stare did not reach Giselle as she seemed to have fallen off her chair when the intensity of Clay''s bloodlust reaches a certain threshold. Looking closer, Giselle had a dagger pointed to her heart as she trembled. Where did she get that dagger from anyway? Clay thought. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. What are you doing? Clay thought. "What''re you doing?" he said. That''s dangerous you know. Clay thought still. "That''s dangerous you know." You''ll never know if you accidentally press on it. "You''ll never know if you accidentally press on it." He said. "What''s going on, my thoughts are leaking. I need to calm down! NOW! Chill Clay. Chill!" Clay admonished himself trying to control the anger and the lust for blood. *Breathe In* *Breathe Out* Thinking of other things to calm himself down while breathing in and out was Clay. Suddenly, *Ping* [Overpower acquired] "What the heck? Did I just get a skill for that?! Anyway, I have to talk to Giselle first." Clay thought to himself as the acquisition of that skill seemed to have dispelled his violent thoughts somehow. "Princess? It''s not that I wanted to show you something nasty right, but since this is a closed space, it''s convenient enough. I hope we''ll be able to cooperate well, Giselle." Clay ended that speech with a smile just as he planned. However, Giselle seemed to have frozen instead because of that smile. If Clay were to look at the mirror right now, even the most stoic of people would wet themselves from fright. He was wearing a smile that seemed as if he was going to kill you with his next move. "..." Was the Overpower skill too strong for her to handle? Clay thought as he waved his hands in front of her eyes and erasing the smile on his face, he continued to communicate "Uhm, Hello? Princess Giselle?" After a few moments of spacing out, Giselle seemed to have come to herself and looked at Clay. Immediately, *Shriek* She shrieked and fainted on the spot. A good thing that the dagger she had, already fell away from her when she fell again. Clay caught her and brought her to the bed as she was unconscious and cannot continue their conversation at all until, she wakes. Deep in thought, Clay pondered, "Is Overpower really so strong?" So, Clay checked. Overpower ? [Passive: Intimidation at highest level. Use mana to boost the effect. Use Killing Intent to further enhance the effect] | [Active: Can be used when shouting a battle cry to demoralize and induce heart-bursting fear into enemies. Weaker enemies affected either faint (70% Chance) or die from heart attack (30% Chance); Allies gain morale to the highest peak.] ? "This is too overpowering man! Good thing Giselle did not die of heart attack. She just fainted... right?" Clay hurriedly checked on her pulse and he heard the thumping of her heart as he put his hands on her chest. *thump* 12 Here Comes Trouble It was the time when Clay and Giselle, slept and was unconscious. Giselle''s spell was cancelled as the caster was out cold. The maid that oversaw taking care of Clay entered the room to find the two of them sleeping soundly with Clay''s hand swimming over the pudding. He unconsciously reached out to that piece of heaven while he was asleep. The maid as haughty as she was, was still shocked to find that scene. She ran away as fast as she could and reported to her "superior," the Chancellor. Now the Chancellor was still contemplating on what to do if the princess failed, that dumb princess. When suddenly the door to his room opened with a BANG and the maid entered. "You goddamn peasant! How dare you disturb my solace at this moment! Guards, grab her and whip her 20 times!" Said the Chancellor as his mood worsened when his peace was disturbed. "Please wait, lord! I bring you news, good news." She desperately clung to that news she so excitedly brought here only to be punished for it. Such is the fate of underlings and extras. "Speak!" Shouted the Chancellor, obviously still annoyed. "I come from Princess Giselle''s quarters and I caught the Hero and the princess making love. They were together in bed (Clay beside her bed) and the Hero couldn''t keep his hands to himself. I wanted to report this to you, as you may have some use for it lord." She was already sobbing as she finished her report, hoping for something good instead of the lashing. The Chancellor touched his chin and started to chuckle and that chuckle became a laugh, then an evil laugh finally surfaced, he wasn''t satisfied and he even leveled it up to become a diabolical laugh¡­ although in the end he had a fit of coughs. "Certainly, I can use this. Guard! Release her and award her some 20 silvers or something. Not a coin shall be missing. That is her reward." He chuckled. It was time to scheme, the Chancellor thought. ***Giselle*** Hm? Where am I - ah - I fainted or did I die instead? No, I should be alive if I''m able to think such thoughts. However, *Image Flash* Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Clay''s monstrous appearance appeared on my mind. "W-what did they bring into this world?!" I thought he was just a normal kind of guy who was summoned. According to previous documents, Heroes summoned would start off as merely a bit better that the average people of our world, but this guy this... this monster, that''s not a normal thing to have as a person from a peaceful time in their country isn''t it? It was written, all of it was written in the documents. People we summon are of the notion that peace is the best and they have not tasted war in their time unlike us. However, are we really any better? We the royalty are involved in the war, but we do not experience it ourselves. We only issue orders and have people get killed for it, and even then, we take credits for it. Now that I think about it, we really are no better than the summoned heroes, right? We are inexperienced in war. But that''s not the issue here! The issue is that''s what the documents said. However, this monster is not like any normal human. He emitted so much killing intent that made me want to kill myself in fear of handing my life over to him to toy with. That''s how strong it was. And when I looked into his eyes, it was as if I''ve seen the depths of hell and even beyond it. As if what I''d be suffering from If I die by his hands is a death more painful than even hell can dish out. What was I thinking? However, if we form this alliance now, I would benefit greatly from him. I just always must avoid his taboo. Remember Giselle, remember what his conditions were. First would be that he doesn''t want to be unreasonably disturbed. Unless it has a reason good enough to disturb his comfort, then he will permit it. But this kind of person cannot be abused, or his rule be bent and circumvented. The second one is as if he''s saying, innocents are called innocents for a reason. So, I don''t need to elaborate further on this, as we both agree with that completely. The third is the most troublesome, I think. If I try something "funny" as in a joke or something like a prank? No, I cannot be shallow on this. What he means must be that if I try to scheme against him and he finds out, he will kill me. If that''s how he really wants it then really, I could agree with all of it. He even told me he wants me to be Queen as well. It''s just that my insides are screaming "runaway right now!" Even as he is right here, sleeping and even snoring... wait, wait. Why is he next to where I woke up? Did he perhaps! No! *cup* Phew! I thought he molested me while I was asleep. I seem to have calmed down considerably, but I just can''t get that feeling of fear towards him to go away. As if it has already been ingrained deeply for me to fear him. Makes you question who he really is or even what is he? I must be very careful around dealing with him. He was able to deceive everyone including me on looking weak and useless, however, I wonder if he was already able to understand what we have been saying before I granted him the human language? If that is true, then that would explain how he could say something like that about the Chancellor and the maid. 13 Space Magic *Yawn* "Hm? I sure slept well." Clay mumbled. And then looked around wondering where Giselle was after waking up. "H-Have you woken up? I''m sorry for my earlier display of disgracefulness, I beg for your pardon." Giselle meekly addressed Clay. He found this behavior suspicious. Clay is slightly hurt that Giselle seemed to have changed her way of addressing him, just because he almost killed her. "I mean, I didn''t mean it right?" Clay argued in his mind. "There''s no need for that. Let''s get to the point of why I''m still staying in your room instead of leaving." So, he made their conversation from earlier progress forcefully. "Y-Yes." Giselle answered and continued, "I agree to your conditions, Hero Clay, so from my side, I would like to request for you to support my plans as long as it does not violate your conditions. Of course, I''d like for your protection as well." She asked humbly already bordering begging for it. "Hm? Yeah, it''s all good, it''s a deal then? Now, when does supper arrive? I''m hungry." Clay concluded their agreement with that and asked for food nonchalantly. "J-Just like that?" Giselle was surprised. She did not think he''d agree to anything any further because of that earlier stunt she did, her disgraceful display. (The provocation) "I''m hungry right now." Clay muttered as he continued his thought. "I''ve been stranded in an unknown space where I don''t know the flow of time is and how long I have spent there. Now, I want to just start lazing around and relax but that''s currently impossible as I still must make a Queen out of Giselle." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "It should be delivered here at the appropriate time." Giselle answered him with an indefinite. "That''s good. I want to stay here for now and ask you some questions. I don''t like to go somewhere else and pretend to be some monkey. Well then, let me ask you Giselle, what do you really want to achieve? Don''t misunderstand my query. I only want to know the real reason behind you wanting to be Queen." "Hero C-Clay, I- "before Giselle could continue, she was stopped by Clay from speaking further. Clay was troubled by it as well. Because he really did not want to be called hero. He thinks they are fools who have inflated sense of Justice. Without properly looking at all the angles, they are menace to the world. "Y-Yes. Uhm. So, C-Clay, my aim is in fact to become Queen and rule the land, however, my motivation is to serve the citizens instead of us getting served. I want to help those who truly are in need and turn this kingdom into something that would be able to rule without young children starving and begging. I know it''s not that big of a thing, but currently I''m stuck between a rock and a hard thing. That''s why I need your help and power to achieve this. So, Clay, will you lend me your strength?" Clay did not answer as in his mind it was already agreed upon. So, he asked another question. "And? Let''s say you achieve your goal and become Queen, what then? I''m asking how you''d make the citizens agree to your reforms or even accept your rule? Clearly, nobles in this world have become arrogant to a fault and even the lower class like the maids and servants overtly show their disdain for their princess. I don''t see the people supporting you. If you can convince me otherwise, then you''ll have my full support and I will even spearhead your projects that need manpower. So, tell me that." "You see." A few tens of minutes later. "It worked too well! Making her talk more is something I should not do again in the future." Clay complained in his mind. She talked about some ideals and conveyed them to Clay while trying to see his reaction, which then she''d use as reference to decide whether she continues the subject or skips it and move to another. When it was time to ask her to convince him how the citizens would see her sitting in the throne, she stood up, extended her hand and told Clay in a confident manner, "Clay, it is time I show you the real Princess Giselle." Seeing as Giselle has taken his hand, he resigned to her leading and observed her. She extended her free arm towards the other side while whispering some words. After that, the summoning of the gate happened, which connected one place to another. Space Magic called [Rift]. Clay was impressed. It was the long-awaited Magic, he wanted to see and use! They passed through the portal, and Clay was a bit surprised and felt a little tug in his head as if he was going to get dizzy then it disappeared as fast as it appeared. What surprised Clay more is how green the scenery was. No, not that kind of green but the actual green! The trees, shrubs and even the grass. Giselle took Clay to a hill away from the castle and close to one of the villages that maintained the food supply of the kingdom. Clay had never been to a rural place even in his province since he stayed in the confines of strong, concrete forests. Then shortly after they arrived, Clay suddenly heard voices that rang in his ears as if they were shouting directly. Clay covered his ears in a hurry. "Dammit! The wakening of my abilities, such a bad timing!" Clay couldn''t resist the urge to curse as even when he covered his ears the noise still rang loudly. It''s such a blessing to Clay that he had the knowledge of reading through comics and simulating what would happen if he were to have powers such as this. 14 The Villagers It seems the noise earlier was of the people that''s coming towards this spot the moment that Clat and Giselle appeared here. A mob of peasants. That''s how they call them here right? Clay thought. "Don''t worry about it, Clay, are you okay though? You just clutched your head suddenly." Giselle looked genuinely concerned. And Clay waved his hands to indicate he was alright. "Yeah, I''m okay now, I just had to deal with one of my abilities that awakened without warning." Clay said, almost grumbling about it. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "Abilities?" Giselle was curious. What other abilities could this man have? She thought. "No need to be concerned over that. Are these people here to lynch you or to revere you? Let''s see right?" I winked at her and she opened her mouth and then smiled. Anyway, I already heard what they think of Giselle, so I don''t really need to evaluate her anymore. Clay thought. He was like that. He cared for that his action doesn''t involve anybody else especially if its something that could potentially harm them. Now that he gained powers, it was even more imperative for him to become responsible. Princess! How is it that you are here? Today should not have been our scheduled visit." An old guy with a cane spoke those words towards Giselle. He was the Village Chief. He led this village along with Giselle''s support so that they could live in peace and prosper slowly. "Schedule?" Clay was curious about this term the village chief used. Giselle looked at him but did not say anything else. Clay understood her gaze. He also would have set up schedules for visits if he were to move covertly to help townspeople in secret. If he were exposed by others who also knew how to use Space Magic, then that would be bad. Assuming traces of magic can be investigated. "Please pardon my sudden visit. I wanted to show my friend the scenery away from the castle. Please don''t worry about us and go about your own business as usual. And please as always keep my presence a secret." Giselle apologized for coming unannounced, unbefitting of a princess. However, this show of humility only increased Clay''s impression of her more. "I wonder if we can visit the other villages?" Clay asked to cut off his eavesdropping and refocus his attention on Giselle. "Hm? We could but my mana is a bit low from using that and that spell earlier. We''ll have to wait for a time before I recover enough mana to cast again. Usually when I visit, they''d take me with them to the village and shelter me until I recover." Giselle explained. It seems that even with her high INT attribute, she still exhausts her energy reserves after just 2 or 3 casts of space magic. This only means that space magic was a high consumption skill. "Oh~ This you mentioned sure sounds very convenient huh? I wonder if I can use it as well?" Clay said in a hopeful tone. He already had a body that was blessed by Safir to be able to use any magic, so not forgetting that, of course he''d want to try out magic. "I don''t think you could, but it won''t hurt to try and if we really want to do this it would be better to do it in a place that offers us protection from prying eyes. This field is not ideal now." Giselle wanted to be realistic with Clay and tell him the truth according to the world. Not everyone can awaken magic in their lifetime. However, Giselle''s worries are unfounded on Clay. 15 Magic, Magic Everywhere! Giselle and Clay were still on that hill while Giselle was left with an open mouth from hearing Clay suggest a way to use her magic. And Clay found that this was a good time to try to learn and use magic that he was promised by Safir, the god of Humanity. Giselle wanted both to go somewhere safe from prying eyes to practice magic, but her spell should do the trick suggested Clay. "I,I''ve never heard of using that magic for this. What you just suggested may just be a great discovery to use in a new way. I must take note of this. Shall we try it?" With amazement and surprise in her voice, Giselle exclaimed to Clay. She wanted to try it immediately however, her energy did not allow for it. So, they rested for a bit on that hill overlooking the forest to the west, the Castle to the north and the mountain ranges that span the east and south from this location. She''s been mumbling on about how the application of this magic had just become so much more useful in many ways. And she''s already planning to research on it. It seems. A few tens of minutes later. By the time that Giselle had recovered some of her energy to cast another she suddenly took something out of thin air looking like a writing tool and a piece of clean and smooth cloth. Clay was curious, more interested than confused, at how she did that. With Clay''s knowledge on magic, although, clearly all, form manga and anime and novels, that there, looked to be some sort of dimensional storage, or in gaming term Inventory. "Awesome. I''ll definitely learn how to do that!" Swore Clay as he stared at Giselle. "Wait, wait! What was that?" Clay asked to let the flow of conversation going. [What was what?] Giselle was tilting her head not knowing what Clay was asking about. "You know, you took something out of thin air, is that you know, some space storage?" Clay asked as if he was uneducated in the ways of dimensional storage or whatnot. And Giselle, she was more than happy to explain. "Space storage? No, no. We call it and it''s very convenient for merchants and nobles to have it. Sadly, not all people are gifted with the talent of using space magic, unlike me and some few others in the kingdom." Giselle confirmed Clay''s suspicion about people being able to use space magic. Giselle puffed her chest up as if it''s not puffed up enough. Clay could only shake his head from her boastful appearance. He also did not forget to stare at her breast without taking his eyes off it. "So then how will we know if one is compatible with this or that kind of magic? Are there affinities to factor that as well?" Clay asked Giselle a question that was foundational. The basic spell was basically, "Manifest Space. Bring forth your dominance over the universe and extend thy reach, ! So basically, Giselle took out a few stones in front of Clay and he would use the basic space magic spell on it which was to move the stone away with a push of space, basic. And the result was that Clay was able to push it. It was good. And a nice ring resounded in Clay''s mind after that. Feeling awesome, Clay shouted with joy in his mind. While he unknowingly pumped his fist. *Ping* [Space Magic - Basic acquired] Just like Safir promised him. Clay was ecstatic. He wanted to learn all the magic system of this world. And so, he asked Giselle to teach him all the basic spells. We will also skip the chanting process, as this is too cringy for everyone reading. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Just like Safir promised him. Clay was ecstatic. "Uh, hey, Giselle, I want to try the rest of the affinities so would you teach me each of the spells?" "I don''t recommend it, since we already know you are with the space affinity, and you''d only expend mana on a useless task if I allow that, but if you really insist, looking at your face that tells me you won''t concede, and then I can only teach you." Giselle conceded after seeing Clay looking so expectant towards her like a lost puppy that found a hooman to fool into taking it in. After she taught Clay the incantation for each basic spell. He tried all of it out and the result was as expected. *Ping* [Fire Magic - Basic acquired] With growing embarrassment, Clay couldn''t wait to learn how to cast chantlessly. All the cringe he felt accumulated quite a bit. *Ping* Earth Magic - Basic acquired. Water Magic - Basic acquired. Wind Magic - Basic acquired. Light Magic - Basic acquired. Dark Magic - Basic acquired. Null Magic - Basic acquired. 16 The Wheels on Acadria Turn Giselle was staring at Clay like he was some monster, especially after she just explained that humans strictly had only one affinity to any element. Imagine the surprise she has when Clay just up and chuunibyou-ed all those lines for the basic spells of each element. "To have all affinity, this is just shocking. I''m sorry for doubting your capabilities." She was stuttering on her first words while keeping her eyes wide open, ears perking up and brows clearly not in its original place in her face. With her convinced that Clay could use every element as he had affinity to all magic elements in the system, Clay had the confidence to learn , , and even . "So how do I cast ?" because clearly, that''s what really got Clay so pumped up. To learn how to make his own personal storage. And forget all about the bat shit crazy things he can do if he learned spells from the other strands in the system. "The good thing about that magic is, you only must cast it once. However, the size would only grow as your mana capacity grows. It''s a really convenient magic and those who can use this are often hired by merchants and nobles alike." She further explains that ''s storage grows and gains preserving properties as the caster''s mana energy capacity grows larger, and that the personal dimension it creates for the caster that can also be called a personal sub-space can be opened and closed through the caster''s will at any given moment. Such is why this spell is, "convenient," as Giselle says. "That one only needs a visual of where you want to go in your memories or somewhere you are able to see. Basically, it''s magic to go to where you once have visited. The way to cast it is like this..." seeing Clay''s current state of mind, Giselle explained the theory behind the spells and "I see! Thank you for teaching me. Well, then, what about ?" Clay being as he was ¨C excited ¨C couldn''t wait to learn all the incantations from Giselle. And from there, he chuunibyou-ed his way into learning them, resulting in, *Ping* [Space Magic ¨C Dimensional Storage acquired] Clay successfully casted the spell for and he was ecstatic. And he also tried the one for right away, but seemed to have forgotten that casting magic, requires magic energy. And although he had more INT than Giselle, it only differed by a little so his advantage in number, didn''t really matter at this point and so Giselle, wanted to stop him¡­ and failed. "Ah, wait¨C " *Ping* [Space Magic ¨C Rift acquired] "We should go back to the castle now. I don''t want to continue touring anymore. I feel my head splitting." Clay expressed to Giselle after feeling accomplished along with a splitting headache. "..." Giselle''s surprise can be understood. In her mind she''s going, "How does he keep his consciousness even when he has practically used up all his Mana?" Giselle''s amazement has only just begun. "Hey, did you hear me, Giselle?" As Giselle was astonished and quite surprised, she seemed to have wandered off to another world for a bit and couldn''t properly hear Clay''s proposition. Following which, Clay woke her up. "W-Why are you still conscious, Clay? It should be that your mana has already depleted right? Usually, people who suffer from mana drain lose consciousness and not wake up for at least three days as a side-effect of it, how come you''re not unconscious and instead just having a headache? Mostly when this happens people already consider those who suffer from this as a dead man, especially in battle as you would become incapacitated and easy to kill, resulting in higher death tolls in battle." "What? You''re supposed to lose consciousness when you''re drained of mana? Then why am I...?" Yep, it''s my regeneration. Clay thought. Just as I have narrated earlier. Good job on making me sound like a spoiler Clay. Clay felt a slight chill on the back of his neck as someone said something sarcastic about them. "Don''t worry about that right now Giselle. I have a splitting headache and I want to take a nap. Let''s go. Just think of it as part of my abilities." Clay shrugged it off and told Giselle to not worry about it. He thinks it''s a hassle to explain every single detail about his abilities. Plus, that''s strategically Superman-like dumb move. Tell your abilities and weaknesses will you, let''s see how those villains take advantage of you. Clay protested strongly in his mind. Giselle shrugged as and went into the portal Clay just created. Is it safe enough I wonder? Was Clay''s thought that he did not voice out. It''s his secret. As soon as they both passed through the portal, Clay felt a slight reaction in his body just like he had when they first came out of the portal that Giselle created so he was curious about it. "Hey Giselle, do you suffer some kind of dizziness when you pass through?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "Yes of course. It''s a natural thing to occur for those who practice Space Magic and cast that spell." Giselle answered as a matter of fact. It seems that every time any person comes out of the portal, they would have effects of seasickness in varied intensities depending on the person, but it was absolute that they would experience one. It was just one of those things that the magic theorists, did not bother to research more about since the magic was applicable already. A simple side-effect did not bother them at all. "Yep, more reason not to use magic now. The chanting is bad enough, there are side effects I do not know about, and it''s more because of the chanting. Ew. It''s enough for me to know I can use it, but to use it is another story altogether." In Clay''s mind he seems to have decided just now to lock up magic in this world. Since the chanting was so chuunibyou and he couldn''t take that. However, Storage magic is convenient so maybe that''s why he was excited in acquiring it. 17 The Chancellors Last Supper ***This is from Giselle''s Point of View*** Mystery after mystery this man, Clay, has shown me. I was sure he was drained of mana, the energy that is needed for any creature and even some plant-life to continue to function. Yet he still stood without much difficulty and even told me not to worry about it. The only thing he had a problem with was his headache. That''s just not normal. Even the most powerful of mages in Acadria and even Alleucanth would lose consciousness the moment their mana hit bottom-tier. And the effect of that would be fatal in battle. I just can''t get a read on him. I should probably go and check on our dinner. If all goes well tomorrow, we''ll start my plan. After that, everything will just fall into place. After that disgraceful display earlier, I''m afraid anymore negotiations would fail. Having that deal with him is enough for me to unify Acadria for the rest of my life if he is with me. That was how it was supposed to be¡­ but what greeted us when we got back after opening the door was a row of royal guards and the Chancellor. I have a bad feeling about this. Why has he chosen to move now? Weren''t they convinced that I had the Hero under my charm? How great of a coincidence is this, that after a few hours away, exactly when we returned, did they finish their preparation and came here? "Princess! Thank the heavens you are alright! We know what that fiend has done to you. Now, come here and we will escort you to another location so that he can harm you no longer. To think he would be so brazen as to put his hands on the Princess! This offense cannot be pardoned!" The Chancellor said. What is he talking about? Harm me? Have they discovered I can use Space Magic and credited it to him, or more accurately, suspected him to be able to do it and kidnap me? Did they come inside this room earlier when we were away and thought that to be so? "Chancellor, W-what are you talking about? All that happened since he came here all had consented by me. There''s no need to be drastic about such things." The Chancellor showed a face as if he understood what I''m talking about but in the end still, "Hush now, Princess. No need to defend him. We know he must have threatened you with death. However, do not worry for we shall arrest him now and put him in his place. Guards! Seize him!" The Chancellor ordered the soldiers that were with him to arrest Clay. Oh no! He is sleeping on the couch just now. They''ll seize him easily if he doesn''t wake up and even if he did, he''d still be powerless in his current state. I must stall for more time and make enough noise to wake him up. "Men escort the Princess to the top of the second tower. Double the guards and do not let anyone come near. Wait there for further instructions. Now go!" The Chancellor gave another order seeing as I was resisting this move from his quite a bit. He''s really starting to move aggressively since he summoned the Hero. This is proof of his avarice towards the throne. I can''t stop them without revealing myself. Doing that now, will jeopardize my position and plans. There''s only one way to warn the Hero now, "Kya!" I expended all the air in my lungs just to make that shout. I hope he wakes up after that. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. - - - - "Kya!" A shrill shout resounded and took the place by surprise. It was Giselle. She shouted with all her might so that Clay would wake up from his sleep, hoping that he had yet to fully fall into a deep sleep. However, Giselle''s worry was unfounded. Clay never fell asleep because the moment he closed his eyes, he heard the coming of the people that gathered in front of the room''s door. He became alert then. He went outside the balcony. To position himself better for fleeing. Hearing that shout though, Clay snapped his head towards Giselle''s direction it was reflexive. It was something that naturally happens especially to people coming from a peaceful era. When there''re shouts that sounds like a distress signal, everyone would turn their heads without fail. Clay was also one of those people. He turned around and unconsciously activated his x-ray vision as he intended to look at the situation without opening the door. He saw, Giselle on the ground sitting like a princess. It was a position that anime girls do when they are performing a gag of being bullied or having a drama. 18 The Danger of Ignorance Just as they were all the way to the door. *BOOM* "It didn''t even last a day and you''re already bringing the climax to this scheme of yours Chancellor? I was trying to let your scheme thicken, but is that extent of it? It''s very anti-climactic if I just went ahead and destroyed your plan you know. I wanted to see some drama and what not, who would have thought that you''re just an extra character not even good enough to get a name!" Clay did not even bother looking at his name. Of course, he knew the Chancellor''s name, he just didn''t bother to reveal it. He''ll die this very moment anyway. Clay thought. Clay punched the wall next to the door to avoid hurting Giselle with the debris. Unfortunately for the soldiers stationed there, they suffered the full brunt of having debris thrown at them with a force of a ram hitting flesh. The result was broken limbs and armors that bent all the way to hit its own back. One can imagine just how broken the flesh that''s wearing that armor. Two of such soldiers suffered from that and died. One such unlucky soldier suffered with his limbs having been separated from his body. His left arm holding his spear and his right leg. He''s blonde so if he put some automail for those limbs, maybe he''d make a name for himself. But I doubt it. Thought Clay playfully. *unsheathe* Those that had swords instead of short spears unsheathed them in preparation for combat. However, all preparations were useless in front of Clay. It was because of the overwhelming difference in strength. This world did not have any concept of levels but if it were put into that quantification, Clay was a level 1 who had level 99 stats, while they were on average level 30s, and their stats on average were on the upper 20s. However, strength in this world was not quantified through a leveling system so comparing it to that may not at all be accurate. Clay, without speaking any further than his entrance, subdued the soldiers one by one, with the speed he used right after he arrived here. The world slowed down to a level where even specks of dust appeared to be suspended in the air. Disturbed ever slightly by Clay''s movements. Only showing their full mobility when Clay stopped moving at full speed. However, this slowing of time, is only subject to Clay now. It is to the extent that he can move so fast that nothing seems to be moving as he was, however, the world was still moving according to space-time''s dictation in nature. After killing all 10 guards including those close to the door and Giselle, Clay, took Giselle''s arm and made her stand up. Giselle was unmoving. She stared at the blood and gore that were scattered on the floor and almost puked. She finally realizes that she had been well protected in this castle from birth and have never really seen what war could bring to the lives of ordinary people. Although, this scene cannot be equated to what really happens in a battlefield as this was done by Clay whose strength far exceeds that of normal foot soldiers, it still had great significance for her. While holding down her urge to vomit, Giselle stood up and stood beside Clay while turning her head away. She did not even put the Chancellor in her eyes anymore. She knew, this man would die today. And then, "Can you cast some type of illusion?" Clay asked in whisper. Unfortunately, Giselle was only good at space magic and not illusion. Illusion was something that water element magic users were adept at. And so, she answered, "No." Without feeling disappointed, Clay faced the Chancellor who was still in a state of shock. Clay was feeling sick of the smell of blood that permeated the place, so he wanted to end this farce now. And as if on cue, the Chancellor woke up from his stupor and loudly yelled at Clay accusing him of all things and cursing him while spitting out a lot of saliva. "You, you, you monster! You criminal! You are a murderer and a treacherous bastard! It is I who has summoned you, and you dare to defy me? I am your master you slave! For what you''ve done you will be beheaded! You will never be able to see the light of day from now on! I will make sure you suffer in hell as you descend there! Suffer my wrath you foul servant!" The Chancellor went on and bombarded Clay with those template-like lines. In fact, the Chancellor was yelling and shouting and cursing Clay to stabilize his nerve and deal with him appropriately. Although, it would take much more than just that to calm down from the fear and panic that he was feeling currently, but one can only respect his small fry aura that''s emitting from him now. The Chancellor chanted a spell right after that not giving Clay the time to retort and make fun of him. He listened to the incantation and memorized it. That was Clay, stealing spells from others. However, as it were too chuunibyou, I''ll never be able to use this in public, but I might as well just take it. He thought. "Be as the heavens halberd, become the blade that culls the enemy in front of me, Excalibur!] The Chancellor chanted the highest-level light magic towards Clay. Seeing him smiling with that disgusting face of his, Clay felt disgusted. He probably intends to include the Princess and Clay; it''s a good tactic as a desperate move in a desperate situation. Who would''ve thought right? That instead of being able to further his plans, he would be faced with an obstacle that not only ended his plans, but also ended his life. *Shing* Clay was not having a "reckless" moment, so he moved at full speed and got out of the way. He took Giselle with him and moved away from the Chancellor. And then, The bright light from the spell flooded the place and for but a moment blinded Clay as his eyes automatically healed itself and recovered his eyesight. However, that moment decided someone''s fate. Clay felt his body being pierced by something. A large gap was made on his left side, while Giselle, whom he was carrying dropped down as well. He noticed his left arm was taken as well. Blood gushing out of it for a second before stopping. *Thud* Time flowed back to normal and Giselle grunted. She was unconscious. It seemed that she was hit by the spell as well. Although he can''t check right now because his body was also falling. He could hear the Chancellor laughing wildly and triumphantly shouting. Boasting about the spell he just released. It was a spell of the highest grade that he could dish out. It had a homing function to it and Clay did not know this. And so, he failed to get out of its way and even included Giselle to the list of victims. He did not know if Giselle was alive or dead. He was concerned but that was the last of his concerns. He still had to worry about his life ending because of this prick. So, he stood up, ignoring the pain that he was feeling. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "H-H-How!? How can you still stand you monster! You should already be dead! I killed you already!" Hysteria flooded the mind of the Chancellor. It was to the point that his voice already lost power and only air escaped his mouth. Clay did not bother to answer. He just wanted to end this man right now. He wanted to get the hell out of here, escaping the crime-scene. He moved with his full strength at this moment and took the head of the Chancellor off his neck. It was an instant. There were no resistances. It was as if picking a piece of pebble on the roadside and tossing it aside uninterestedly. That was how Clay ended the life of the Chancellor as well as his plans and schemes. Without idling, Clay escaped from the balcony of Giselle''s room and ran with his full strength. His speed slowed down a little, but it still made the world seem like it slowed down. He escaped towards the north. To the unknown. *** On that Hall where Clay just left. Giselle woke up with pain assaulting her body. It was pain from having a hole in her two legs. If it were lined up together, then one would be able to observe that this hole was made from the same source. The pain was unbearable, but Giselle knew that she had to escape this place. She looked around for Clay but found that he was already gone. The Chancellor was dead, and his head was like a piece of rubble on the sides staring at nothing. Not even able to close his eyes as he died. Giselle remembered what happened before she lost consciousness. The Chancellor had chanted the spell and aimed at Clay. She knew that this spell was a homing piercer and did not worry for her safety. However, Clay did not know that and took her with him to escape the Chancellor''s attack. That was the source of her misfortune. Giselle regretted it, but it was not good to blame Clay for it. She had to worry about those things later, as she knew that if she stayed there, she would only suffer some more as she losses more blood and may even die. 19 Laying Low ***Clay*** I gathered strength in my legs and took a Superman pose for when he makes that awesome initial flight scene. Where pieces of stones and dust gather around me and swirl before I launch myself upwards. Although I don''t know if I can pull it off, I''ll just have to trust my knowledge and these abilities. Let''s try flying, shall we? *Whoosh* The wind here is a bit turbulent maybe I''m still not high enough for airplanes to stably fly like on earth, right? What''s this part of the atmosphere called again, stratosphere? Is that even applicable here? Anyway, this feeling is awesome. I am not falling so this should officially be called flying. Yes, I did not say it wrongly, I AM FLYING!!! Although, man, it sure is cold in here. Good thing I have heat manipulation huh? "Whoo hoo! With this I can go anywhere I want with ease." This is truly awesome. Let''s spend some more time like this up here. I have a feeling that I am forgetting something that I should still be concerned about for some reason. Meh, I''ll think about it later. *** A few hours went by since I started flying and I am currently sitting at a barstool and drinking a poor excuse for a drink. They call it ale, but this tastes just like water that was mixed with a little fruit juice and rubbing alcohol, yes, it tastes awful. Where''d I get the money to buy this piss-drink you ask? I got it from selling a monster corpse they called [Salamander] that looked like an overgrown lizard that had long sharp claws and a tongue filled with venom that can kill with a touch or so they say, but with my regeneration it just tickled a little bit before my skin started to look good as new. This is a town called Agera in the far reaches of the northern kingdoms owned by humans. The kingdom is called Igelias and I''m currently a vagrant. The Salamander are famed for being monsters that were hard to deal with even with a force of 200 trained soldiers and so when I sold the whole corpse to the local merchant hub, they bought it with a few bonuses. My, ahem, that I cast, now has some things inside, although it''s mostly coins now. Contemplating about my current predicament and the matter about that magic that the Chancellor used against me. It totally pierced through my skin and so right now I''m very afraid of magic hitting me. I am totally confident about physical attacks not harming me, yet magic is another story. I finally remembered when I was flying around that even Superman can be hurt, badly, by magic. So, I got to be especially careful with it. Currently, I am probably very far away from the kingdom of Acadria and so am safe here. However, as I have killed an important person from there, and may also suspect that I killed Giselle, I still must be careful. Give or take, it will be three to four months before they finally find traces of me here, hopefully. They might just send assassins directly and be done with it, so I can''t be too careful. With the money I have currently, I can probably rent a room at any inn and stay for a very long time without doing anything. That''s the plan for now. "Hey, hey, we have a new face here today and he says that he will treat everyone tonight and that the drinks are on him isn''t he such a nice guy?" A drunk person suddenly grabs my shoulders and tells the whole bar that I will be treating for their drinks just now. I don''t really mind but what is he up to? A wait and see approach are appropriate for these situations. Just like a cool pirate once said, you can spill drinks on me, even spit on me. I''ll just laugh about it¡­ something like that. "I wonder have we met, or do you know me?" I had to ask just in case. Being too careful never hurt anyone anyway. I asked the guy, but he suddenly increased the strength of his grip on my shoulder and squeezed it real tight. To think he is exerting so much effort and yet it does not hurt even a little it''s thanks to my steel-like skin. I don''t feel anything so, let''s ignore him. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "Look at this shit! He''s ignoring Janus'' grip like it''s a baby''s, HAHA!" A man from the bar, also drunk, pointed out what was happening and laughed hard. "Well what do you know; this new guy''s not just a pretty face is he?" Soon, everyone from the bar partook in laughing at the spectacle and some even recognize my existence and pretty face. I like that guy, whoever he was. "Would you look at that? Hey Janus, have you been jerking your meat rod too much and lost strength in your dominant arm?" Asked yet another as that last one provoked Janus, who''s been gripping my shoulders like it''s the most important thing to do in the world at the moment. *HAHA* A bout of loud laughter and jeers came down and got poured on the poor Janus, this poor sod who tried to intimidate me. Shall we exercise our Overpower a little? "Overpower" I whispered, without taking my eyes off my drink. I don''t like to be unreasonably disturbed especially by pompous people who don''t take people''s peace and quiet into consideration. With my Overpower in effect and designating every roughed-up-by-work individual as my enemies temporarily, of course I had to exempt the bar staff and regular people from its effect, Janus and those who were laughing just now all turned quiet as the night. Only the steps of the waitress resounded. "I like to eat in a quiet and peaceful atmosphere. If you become merry on your own and not disturb anyone else, then everything will be A-Okay." I said and then drank the last of my drink, then leaving behind a coin for the drink and going to the inn where I am staying. My mood just got sour, dammit. 20 Agera ***Clay*** The town of Agera is peaceful, or wait, it was peaceful. A few hours ago, at dawn I woke up and stretched my body. After last night''s run-in with the local bully, Janus, I went directly home and slept which resulted in me waking up too early. My mood has recovered and I''m up for an adventure today. As I stretched my body outside the inn, I heard a roar of a beast. It was probably a few tens of miles from here, but it sounded very angry, and I might just be the only one who could hear it so clearly with my super hearing. I was a bit curious as it was still dawn and monsters are already active. I flew towards where the roar came from and I saw a monster as big as a mansion''s size. It had a rounded body and looked like a frog but wasn''t. It had scales and spikes as well. Overall, it really looked like a porcupine than a frog, but the face just makes me want to call it frog. Observing it from above I noticed that it was moving towards a direction. No, it wasn''t towards the town, but towards one of the places I have visited yesterday afternoon. In fact, it specifically was marching towards where I encountered and killed the Salamander. It can''t be a lover could it? They do both have reptilian blood but that just doesn''t make sense to mate. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. However, as it got closer and closer to the Salamander''s place, it noticed that the Salamander was not home and so rampaged around its territory. I''m sorry Froggy, but your friend won''t be coming home after that mistake he did in facing me yesterday, you know, when I crash landed. Anyway, as that was not of concern to me, I left it alone and went back. When I arrived back, it was still dawn, but I guess the people of this world wake up early and start work at dawn, since I saw the shops getting ready to receive customers already. Stalls were being set up and the patrolmen were doing their rounds as a new shift replaced them. Unconsciously, I was dazedly looking around and did not notice that someone was already beside me. "Good morning to you Sir. How was your night at our Inn?" The receptionist-slash-owner asked me. Her name is Dalia and she owns the most frequented Inn in Agera called Moonwink. It was an Inn mainly for adventurers and mercenaries but it''s open for all travelers as well as Igelias is after all at the most-front of enemy territory, a frontier kingdom. As I am neither of the two, she designated me as a traveler instead. I don''t really know the value of money here, so I am not too sure about it being cheap or expensive but let''s just call it cheap, either way I don''t care. I get to rent rooms without problem because of the sale of monster materials, especially that Salamander. "Oh! good morning Owner, I was just stretching my legs. I slept well actually, as if I have not slept for a long while, thanks to your Inn''s services." I really did feel that. It feels like it was only yesterday that I was sent here. "Thank you for saying that. We really do our best to bring our customers the best service. We strive to improve every day as well." She started telling me the story behind their town. It seems that the town was erected by some adventurer called Daryl a few decades ago and became a village that handled the monsters that came close to the border of the human kingdoms, and then it became a town later. It was then adopted by the kingdom of Igelias to become one of their frontier towns. With this information, I knew that this town was the edge of human territory. That''s good to know since I might have intruded on another races'' territory and found myself in trouble. That''s why the adventurers here were stronger than most and even the mercenaries were veterans in defending the town. Just to be clear on the two job descriptions; Adventurers mainly deal with monsters and their materials from the corpse, dungeons and treasure hunting while Mercenaries deal with wars or escorting jobs, to not get confused with the two. Of course, it was taught to me by the owner. "So that''s how this town got brought up. Thank you for telling me this necessary information owner. With this I''ll be able to survive even more possibly. Now, may I ask what''s for breakfast and if it could be brought up to my room?" I asked and pleaded. It''s always a good thing to be nice to those who are nice to you. Although in this case, the owner would just be providing a service to a customer, kindness still can''t beat being an ass even in another world. Besides, I''m feeling lazy today, I want to stay in. I''m rich anyway. My father always told me, "As a salary-man I have to be the humblest guy they ever encountered in their lives. That way they will let their guard down and will enable me to take advantage of that to make profit and deals. Remember this lesson son." And well, I really took that as something to live by. Human nature sucks and it sucks to be one of them in the era I was born in where people try to justify everything in subjective light so that no one''s opinion of you and what you do become relevant. Morality has already become a weapon to hold out to potential aggressors. 21 A Quest! "I''ll be sure to tell my husband to put something more for your portion. My daughter will be taking it up to your room so don''t worry and enjoy your meal. As always, thank you for your patronage." The owner, Dalia, said. See, kindness is basic. I turned to walk away after saying my thanks, but she stopped me from doing that, "¡­oh! By the way, you look young and strong, if you don''t mind me asking please do me a small favor." The owner, Dalia, revealed what''s on her mind. I had no reason to refuse now, however, I really want to laze around today you know! "Depends on what kind of favor it is, let me hear it first." I answered, turning back to face her. I still lean on lazing around though, but being nice is basic right? Dammit. Me and my big mouth. "O-Okay, you see we''ve been having trouble with catching some boars lately from the known hunting spots for them. And well, the adventurers here are all kind of lug heads who do little work and spend it all on drinks or merry making so I can''t rely on them to really do the job. Don''t misunderstand, these people are good at what they do but just too damn bloated in the head. So seeing as you''re young and I think the strongest of the people here, I figured you''d take on this favor and check to see what''s making the boars go in hiding and report it to the guild branch here, that''d really help. But if you could procure some of those boars then that''d even be more appreciated." She elaborated so. Hearing her concerns, I found that it sounded really like a quest. And if my "knowledge" is not failing me now, adventures like this usually start with easy tasks at first and then increasingly get harder as each task is completed. And if I''m really another world traveler, quests should be basic. However, this doesn''t mean that I''m leaning towards doing it now. I still stand by my lazy spirit, unless, there''s something that really benefit me I won''t move. "Hm, what will I get for doing this, owner?" I think it''s easy especially with my abilities. I don''t have to move far from the Inn as well, plus, I''d like to taste their pork meat dishes. Maybe I''ll be able to try that anime meat that''s very convenient looking to eat? Before she could answer, I already told her my price. If that''s what my reward will be, then, lazy or not, I will go! "You know, if I get to eat your meat dishes from the boars then I guess that''s good enough for me. What do you say?" Maybe my bargain''s too much to agree on, but I won''t stand down from this. I got two choices anyway, lazing around or eating anime meat, if one''s out of the equation then lazing around is going to win by default. You see, their dishes here were stew with some vegetables here and there and a piece of jerky or dried meat or the alternative of having hard bread and a piece of jerky. To have juicy meat dish for a meal is good enough to make me stop craving for it. Well then, let''s get to work. "I''ll do it. Wait for good news." I told her. I agreed to her request obviously, so I asked for the spots she was talking about and gave me a map with circles signifying the hunting spots for them and hurriedly hid from sight. That exchange just now felt to me as if I was a game character who''ve just accepted a quest and when I come back I''d get some EXP and bonus rewards with its completion, so it made me want to try it at least once, just like that Princess Giselle''s case, too bad for her really, she was likeable, just not companion material since she was dedicated to her citizens and what-not. Well, enough remembering about her nice curves, I''m already up in the skies and using my great vision, I can see the lay of the land and well that little patch of forest to the east should be one of them then there''s the other one slightly north of that little patch of forest and then the last one is¡­ way east of the forest patch. That''s the three of them, so I wonder if I can survey it this way. Looking at it with my eyes to see through things is awesome. The forest is laid bare before me and there''s no trace of any boar there. North, there''s movement but it''s of wolves instead of boars. Do boars and wolves leave near each other? Well then, the last one would be that grass-filled plain way east. There are also movement but those are human footprints right there. It leads to the town, so maybe the previous investigators. I can''t find anything else like this, I must survey some more and maybe even must descend there. The fact is this forest was big and beyond that forest was a forest-swamp that intersected. This forest had trees that had trunks big enough to give 10 people difficulty in circling it while grabbing hands. *Roar* Then I heard that distant roar of the frog monster I heard from earlier. What''s up with that thing? Is it really a problem of my ears being too strong or is it that it really is just loud? Anyway, I won''t find anything else but that now, so I better go back, I''ll continue my ''investigation'' later after breakfast. *** I ate my breakfast consisting bread and egg. Well it was a sight for sore eyes, the daughter of Dalia, her name is Daisy as she introduced herself. She is about 17 years old and well she''s already a consenting adult, so maybe¡­ nah~ After breakfast, I wanted to continue my investigation and walked out of the Inn to go to a more isolated place where I can take off and fly, however it seems that last night''s trouble has come back to bite me in butt. Janus and his companions are surrounding me in one of the corners of the street. "What do we have here; the pretty boy is going somewhere?" "Maybe he''s going out of town and never coming back right?" "Shall we help with that, men?" I''m really surprised that they still have guts to appear in front of me after yesterday when I used Overpower. Although that was very restrained, it should still have been enough to induce fear of me. As expected of veterans huh. "Your name is Janus, right? What do you have planned by gathering up and surrounding me?" I asked with an annoyed face. Yeah, I''m annoyed with this guy disturbing my peace again for the second time. If this were a novel, I''d allow him to speak after I asked but then, that would take too much time. *Hu* Wind broke as I moved towards Janus and held his neck in my hand. "Hey man, I don''t want any trouble from the start, you''re the one who provoked me the first time, now you gather up and surround me early in the morning as if a bunch of kids who think this part of town is theirs. You''re all grownups and you still play gang? Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. *Ack* "Now, I don''t really care if you do your business in town or anything, but don''t come near me from now on will yah? I don''t like my personal space to be invaded by people like you. I won''t kill you but do this again or anything that''s related to you that inconveniences me, I will kill you. I hope this is clear enough." Well Janus can''t answer right now because I''m holding his windpipe a bit tight just enough to keep him like this for a few seconds. I sweep him away from sight like a curtain and eyed the rest of his companions. If I use Overpower now when I''m certainly pissed, I just might choose to not hold back and make them faint or I their unlucky, die. "W-We understand. Please spare us!" Of the other two who were with him, he answered in high pitch and the other one helped Janus up. They''re properly scared this time. I think booze really does impair their mental faculties and the ability to think properly in response to reality. Good thing they were sober now. "This serves as your warning. Get it in that thick heads of yours. Also, tell this bitch when he wakes up, if he doesn''t listen to you then, then just beat him up yourself, I don''t care, just don''t disturb me again while I''m in town do you hear me? Go!" This guy''s a bit weak for a veteran; maybe I''m just very strong? I don''t know. My status has grown already with my STR stat having the valuation of over 100 instead of what it once had. That goes for my INT, MGC, and DEX stats. Currently if my guess is correct, if here was a Rarity system, there would be Poor at 1-10, Common at 11-20, Uncommon at 21-60, Rare at 61-99, Unique at 100-199. I don''t really think this is accurate, but it''s the only way I can categorize stats in this world. And then maybe after that would be Godly and above. I put Rare and Unique next to each other as Unique appeared together with it. However, Unique is, I think more personal than general that''s why It''s put as Unique for me. 22 Battle, Not! I finally found the reason for the boars going away. That damn frog scared off the predators close to the Salamander''s lair. That''s why the wolves on the north area of the forest dominated the area where the boars usually were at. The frog that I''ve been hearing since earlier roaring loudly was the real culprit. I''ve been keeping watch over it, but I got the feeling that it was also keeping watch of my movements. I approached it while keeping my self on the ground after I landed near it. Right now, I''m facing the frog and if it''s violent, I''ll kill it. If not, then I''ll just repel it. "Human! Who are you?! To dare face me, Agamemkeru, Lord of the Swamps, I shall teach you a lesson!" Agamem-wha? He introduced himself and where he came from. I don''t know if it''s custom for monsters to do this, BUT! What the hell! The frog spoke to me as if it was natural and without even moving its mouth! Is this some high-level frog or something?! *Bang* The frog Agamemsomething is slamming his legs to stomp on me. It''d get annoying if it starts something aside from that. At this point, I won''t be surprised if this frog can use magic. Something with this kind of intelligence is bound to know magic, strong magic enough to kill me in one shot I bet. First ask him about why he''s come and how long he''s been moving. Right? Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "Uh, Agamemkappa, why have you come here to the Salamander''s Lair? And is it your first time travelling here?" When I asked, it stopped stomping and made his head tilt in interest. "It''s Agamemkeru! You''re a human, so I will kill you! Stay still!" It wasn''t listening to me. Should I smack it a little? "Overpower" I released all my intent to kill the frog if it doesn''t stop moving around and attacking me. Its humongous body is enough to cover the town of Agera in one jump, so you can imagine just how big this guy is and when he starts moving around and even attacking, the ground ripples as if it''s liquid. I think it''s cool and all, but I think that''s what disturbed the natural order of the ecology here in the first place. So, this frog is the cause for me not getting to eat juicy meat. When my Overpower activated to the fullest, the frog abruptly stopped moving. And I took the chance to ask again. "W-Who are you? To have this much killing intent." It lowered its head and spoke again. It did not answer my question again. It''s getting annoying now. That was the moment that I failed to realize the implication of the frog being able to still hold his will and talk to me. It wasn''t something that can be fazed with my current strength. I understood that too late. "I''ll give you one last chance. Answer me right now and maybe we won''t have problems. If you don''t, I''ll sell your carcass to merchants as well just like that Salamander. Thanks to him I can live the way I like for quite a while." Don''t misunderstand, that Salamander was an ant compared to this guy. Its sheer size just can''t compare. Plus, that Salamander died when I crash landed last time, it''s embarrassing that I defeated a monster by landing incorrectly, but whatever method, I still defeated it so yeah. You know the story. "You killed my Salamander alone?! Impossible, but no, if you''re as strong as your killing intent, then maybe you''d be able to defeat him, but not kill him. To kill my lovely pet, I really liked the scales on that one and to think you killed him, unforgivable, UNFORGIVABLE!" The frog Agamemkeru was trembling and it can be seen all too clearly. Its fat in its belly were jiggling like jelly. His voice also lowered and chilly. *BOOM* A huge shock wave expanded from the Agamemkeru as the center and reached all the way to Agera and even beyond. What the! I hope the town''s okay. They should be on alert after that and see this big-ass frog from afar now. It stood up again and made a motion with its mouth opening. Oh no. If that is what I think it is, then I better go and escape now. With my current speed, I turned around to escape in a different direction from the town because if I''m right and that thing he''s charging up is a beam of concentrated energy and from the size of its mouth the size of that shot would be close to half his body''s size. If I don''t move away, the town would be no more. I can''t let the innocent people get hurt because of me. However, as I made some distance from it through flight, "WHERE.DO.YOU.THINK.YOU''RE.GOING.BASTARD?!" It yelled and simply jumped ahead of me towards where I was planning on fleeing towards. Dammit, is my current strength not enough to escape this guy? Don''t tell me I bit off more than I can chew? Shoot! I might just die from that! The earth trembled as he landed. The air that it caused to move worked as if a wall that I hit as I advanced and made me fall. "Argh! Shit! Dammit! Dammit! Fuck! It hurts!" Escape Plan is in motion and I don''t know if it will work. This gamble is risky, but I must give it a shot. Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Getting ahead of myself and letting my strength get into my head FUCK! "For killing my favorite pet, you will die without even ash left behind! I figured you must be the Hero the humans summoned recently, but it''s good contribution for the demon kind. I will be promoted after reporting it to them. Kerukerukerukeru take this, !" What''s up with that cool sounding technique name!? Dammit! No time to notice these things! Escape! Using all my strength, I even started flying already as soon as I got up, but the frog still redirected the shot towards me as if it was a homing missile with power enough to destroy a city as big as the capital of a kingdom with kilometers of diameter. If I can''t survive this then I''m a goner. If my gamble doesn''t work, it would truly be my end. Dammit! To think I grew too complacent and underestimated this frog just because I felt I''ve become stronger. SHIT! If I survive this, I''ll keep a low profile! Shit! FUCK! 23 Acadria Moves The same day that Clay got his butt handed to him by Agamemkeru; in one of the rooms of the castle in Acadria, four beautiful young men and ladies were having a heated discussion. "We must avenge our sister, for a hero, a mere slave; to do this to us is such a disgrace. We lost our sister, even the chancellor is lost as well and there''re no witnesses to what happened at that because he killed them all!" A stout young man started off the conversation like that. He wore a sword on his waist and stood naturally in a stance easier to unsheathe the sword in. This young man is called Gwendel the second son of Acadria''s king, in charge of managing the military affairs. "That''s right! Do you know how shameful it is for our royal family to be robbed of one of our sisters and let the culprit escape? We are already the talk of the whole empire by the end of this day if news spread! We must catch that bastard and make him pay!" The young lady who made known her grief and emotion is called Gwen, the second daughter of Acadria, she was the same age as Giselle and so they got along despite Giselle''s bad reputation in the kingdom. She had red hair on her head set up like drills and wore a whole green dress accentuating her curves. "We know the circumstance even without you telling us that, Gwen, so why don''t you shut up and think of a way to track that bastard instead. We feel what you feel and know what you know, so contribute by giving us something we don''t or else shut up!" The one who scolded Gwen was called Gillian who is the second eldest of the siblings. The first daughter of Acadria. Unlike Gwen, she wore a skimpy leather outfit that did not belong to the "royal" look. Maybe to compensate on her not being blessed with what Gwen and Giselle had in common; boobs. She also had red hair with a lighter shade than Gwen. "Shut up you hag! You say you feel what I feel? Why am I not seeing you seething in anger and instead just sitting there like all''s something that doesn''t concern you?! You''re the one who hated Giselle the most, everyone here knows that, you hypocrite!" Gwen argued. Her and Giselle go way back even before they were separated by their roles in the kingdom as they had the same age and were able to play together more than anyone else. She felt really emotional with the loss of her sister. "Gwen, you will arrange the information we will gather and make sure that we are up to date about the goings on in the kingdom''s surrounding and even beyond our kingdom. This way, we can cast a big net to capture that heinous man." He continued. No one else interjected and interrupted him giving orders to them. That was because he was the one, the one they all must respect or else there''s hell to pay. Guilbert was the crown prince of Acadria, meaning he was the eldest son of the seven. The other two children of Acadria are away to study in specialized academies in the Imperial Capital so they are absent. With the king currently bedridden, they had no choice but to take over temporarily as well as exact their vengeance on the killer of their sister. Even though Guilbert knew that it was not likely that the Hero killed their sister, he still used him as a common point to gather hate into and be able to unite his brothers and sisters through it. Even though it was already sure that he will inherit the throne, it still did not do harm to be even more prepared for it. Such was the tragedy of having a kingdom to carry as a burden. The choices one makes determines the future of all his subjects. Little did Guilbert know, that his lust for the throne and the decision he has made on this day, will forever remove him from the race to the throne he so covets and the subjects he should have protected. "Dammit! If only that bastard stuck to the plan and did not move on his own, everything would have worked out just fine. Giselle would have continued to sneak out of the castle and then one day meets an accident in one of the villages and would die there instead of the castle. This is such a mess, damn that chancellor." Guilbert thought to himself. His plan was perfect. If not for the chancellor moving on his own out of madness. It made a mess of his already perfect plan. He gritted his teeth and showed a very angry face, which to the rest of his siblings was rare and associated it with his anger for the death of their sister Giselle. He knew of Giselle''s outings but let her do it without hindrance because he had a plan to use that knowledge later to plot to kill her and blame it on someone else later, removing a competition while also making use of a useless piece. Although he did was not sure how she was able to sneak to the villages, he found it uninteresting to know for sure, he only needed to be sure that she really was visiting the village. "Don''t worry Guilbert, I will take care of the matters of the kingdom until you get back. Please hunt that bastard and drag his head here for everyone to see." Gillian agreed and pleaded. Gillian was eager to run the kingdom without her brother and be given free reign. Most probably because she found that it would be great to move around all this power without anyone contradicting her at least for a while. Such is the allure of power, borrowed or otherwise. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "Yeah, I will also take care of what you asked of me brother. Please, destroy that man. I want him crushed and reduced to ashes with these hands." Gwen angrily clenched her fist, very unladylike. Although, Guilbert sarcastically says in his mind, "How will you kill someone that not even the Chancellor could with his highest attribute magic? Stupid girl." Even so he still answered, "Yes, I will, be assured. Please prepare yourselves for tomorrow we will act according to our responsibilities for this matter. Do not let the news spread and put an order to not reveal it. Anyone who reveals the news that Giselle is dead, and she died within the castle grounds will be beheaded as punishment. Go my brother and sisters." Ordered Guilbert again before turning around and leaving the room to prepare the centuries he''s going to take with him. 24 Sorry State While all those things were happening in the human realm, at the border between the demon realm and the humans'', an arm was sitting on a branch of a tall tree. The branch was big enough to support a grown man, much else an arm. This was Clay''s gamble. He ripped his own arm off and lured Agamemkeru''s shot of towards the skies so that it won''t accidentally destroy his arm. Currently, the arm was growing bones out of itself and as one could expect this process took a long time. After a day and a night of regenerating with some troubles, Clay was fully regenerated and was breathing and contemplating his foolishness in challenging Agamemkeru as if they were a match. Agamemkeru was one of the trump cards of the demon realm, he was someone who even the current demon emperor could not underestimate, much less some Hero who''s only been in this world for a few days. "Dammit!" Clay still remembers the lingering fear he had of his death and the gamble that he risked. Even now that he knew that he won the risk, he could not accept the fact that he got cocky just because he found himself able to easily trash some mobs on some town far away from large civilization. After cursing himself for a good few minutes, Clay collected himself and started to reflect on his mistakes and what could have been done if he hadn''t gotten so bloated in the head. "I can fully trust my ability to heal myself even without a brain. The downside is that I won''t be able to sense anything if I have no brain to process it. Afterall, I now understand that my ability to make everything else seem like they are moving to a halt, is because my brain processing ability accelerates and I can perceive everything in such a way that my body can keep up with it or the other way around. Just imagining, myself moving at my full speed without being able to perceive my surroundings, all I can imagine is me wiping out crashing everywhere." If a single cell in Clay''s body is present, he can grow himself out of it. That''s was how he found and evaluated his ability to regenerate through Deadpool''s regeneration. Much like a certain cellular organism that grows and evolves through absorbing more energy. "Let''s look at our stats, shall we?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Name: Clay Class: Hero ?Transcendent? Title: Hero ?Alchemy Master? Stats: [STR ¨C 10 ?Unique?] | [INT - 10 ?Unique?] | [MGC ¨C 10 ?Unique?] | [DEX - 10 ?Unique?] Skills: ?Alchemy Master?| ?Regeneration?| ?Kryptonian Gene? [Observe - Master] | [Language Acquisition - Master] | [Human Language - Master] |[Overpower] Blessing: ?Guided by the Guide to Souls?| [Safir''s Champion] Status: Poor ?Weakened? *Whistle* "Wow my stats became piss poor. Doesn''t my body retain its most optimal form when regenerating? If it''s like this then I can only conclude that if my body reconstructed itself then it would be as if I grew with a baby''s stats. That means this is the result of dying isn''t it? If I think about it, that also means that my Kryptonian gene is the most awesome gene there is to have with this regeneration." Clay thinks of the endless possibilities of his body achieving invincibility if Clay continues to absorb sunlight. Deciding to hide himself for a while until he can recuperate Clay decides to fly up into the Sun and absorb as much of the its energy with his body. With heat manipulation as an extra skill, he needn''t worry about the Sun''s other radiations. And as insurance of this foolish decision he came up with, he left one finger in a cave protected by nothing but an spell. *** With Clay recuperating and waiting for his strength to grow again from scratch, news of Clay''s whereabouts has already been acquired by the royal family of Acadria. The source was no other than the town he was staying in just recently, Agera. The adventurers'' guild there wanted to profit and if the request was for one of their own, they would not have given information away; however, as Clay was neither an adventurer nor a mercenary, they gave him up quite easily. The Moonwink Inn where Clay was staying in two days after Clay disappeared was put into questioning. The owner answered the guild without any falsehood as she was the last person Clay was in contact with that morning. Not knowing that it was Janus and the rest who had contact with him last. Where were Janus and his companions then? "Dammit, man! You got us involved with someone dangerous! If the Acadria royal family is hunting for him, he must have done something stupid and terrible. If it weren''t for him trying to keep a low profile, would we still be alive today? No matter what, we must hide until the inquisition about him is over, unless we want him to come back and end us all?" "That''s right Janus! Don''t be stupid and lose yourself because of the reward. If you get the reward you won''t be able to enjoy it if he is free. Instead, you''ll live in fear of him every day and you''ll never enjoy a wink of sleep. Think about it! As for us, we will stop you from doing something foolish for all our sakes no matter what!" "Damn you guys! Have you become cowards already? I don''t know what kind of tricks he employed to trick you into turning this cowardly, but I will never recognize that he is stronger than me! I only lost consciousness when he grabbed me that time because I was still hung over! If not, I would have trashed his sorry ass. C''mon! Let go of me so we can tell the guild that we know where he was heading off to when we last saw him." "What are you even talking about man?! We don''t know where he was going remember. We only ambushed him here because we saw him going somewhere. He never told us where he was going!" "W-Well, you know¡­ we''ll just make something up to get the reward?" Clearly that was Janus. "Oh no you don''t, we won''t allow you!" And then they both ganged up on him and made him unconscious. It was safer for them this way. At least, the Acadria royal family did not know about them. If they finish their investigation without looking for Janus, then that would be peachy. So, they thought. That was the conversation that the three grown men were having, while in hiding at their hide out. Janus was their leader or spokesperson, but they all had strength equal to each other so not one of them could beat each other one on one, however if they ganged up on Janus, he''d be outnumbered and could only succumb to being beaten black and blue and restrained. They did not know that even if they did not go into hiding, they would still not have helped the inquisition as the owner of the Inn, Dalia did. She pointed the inquisition towards the right direction after all. Checking the hunting spots just as Clay also did at first, they found traces of a battle that occurred here and most probably was a fight of something big and something small, like a human. It most probably had been Clay, but they were not sure. Then they also found the tree where Clay''s arm was. If they had the ability to search the stars and look to the Sun, then maybe they''d be able to find him. 25 A Transformation Before Clay even got to the point of passing the stratosphere, he already felt his body grow stronger as if his cells became a blackhole that absorbed the Sun''s energy. Seemingly a hungry beast that found its feast. Clay stopped mid-flight and stayed there for quite a while and even willed his body to absorb some more. Doing so, *Ping* [Energy Absorption ¨C Basic Acquired] [Energy Absorption ¨C Solar Energy] "Whoa!" Clay was surprised with that seemingly unneeded ability he just acquired. Because it was a given for his current genes to absorb solar energy, so having this ability was redundant. That''s where he was wrong and will know about it in the future. After acquiring the ability to Absorb Energy, Clay continued his ascent to the outer layers of the planet''s atmosphere, even as his body was putting energy absorption as a sustained skill just like . Which he also now keeps on. If he faces beings like Agamemkeru again without properly looking at his stats, that''d be a waste of the skill and foolish for him. He grew complacent and started to turn it off when he lived a lazy life in Agera for at most two days. As he was already out of the typical ozone layer of the planet, Clay''s body''s absorption of energy became like that of a blackhole. The skill [Energy Absorption] advanced to the master level as he reached the exosphere. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. *Ping* [Energy Absorption ¨C Level up] [Energy Absorption ¨C Level up] [Energy Absorption ¨C Basic Level up] [Energy Absorption ¨C Advanced Level up] [Energy Absorption ¨C Master Acquired] Such was the advancement of his absorption skill, which in turn made him able to absorb solar energy literally like a blackhole. And no matter how fast his absorption was, the Sun remained unfazed by it. There was no way to tell for sure how his stats have grown or even quantify it via the growth system that Safir granted him with his new body. Now with his absorption in an insane rate, without him minding it, the gears of fate truly have begun to roll. Energy Reactor leveled up all the way to Master. And when his stats went beyond the thousands, abilities that correspond to his stats were developed automatically. For his STR stat reaching beyond thousands he gained the ability progressively evolving from Inhuman Strength past that was Angelic Strength then Dominion of Strength to Throne of Strength, Cherubic Strength, and currently was at Seraphic Strength. Closely inspected the order of strength outranks the last by one authority higher climbing to peaks unknown. His INT stat also managed to gain him evolving abilities progressing from Inhuman Intellect to Wiseman, Wisdom of the Saints, Venerable Ingenuity, Wisdom of Solomon, and currently at Sage. The clarity of his mind and the evolution of his skill pertaining to his INT stats also erased and incorporated its functions to Sage. As if saying that Clay needed no prompts nor game-like windows appearing for every insignificant thing that he sees. And as testament to that, Clay now no longer needs to look with intent to know the stats and even the background of each creature his eyes fall upon, it all automatically registers in his mind and he would be able to remember it without fail. In this way, his MGC stats also gave him skills the same way the other stats did and ended up having Magic Dominator which gave him the ability to fully control magic energy flowing from any source and shaping them into phenomena that suit his will for it. Its weakness lies on the fact that others who also own this skill can wrest control over his released magic as well. In addition to Magic Dominator, Clay also gained the ability to absorb into his body a new energy source called Magic Energy. Stored at a subdimension that grows along with his growth located in his brain area. Physically, it''s not there but can be accessed and can constantly be opened to supply Clay with Magic Energy that he has stored up in there. Further application of this energy makes Clay''s body boosted in all stats if circulated constantly in a sustained mode, which also drains his magic energy supply rapidly. He was able to gain this skill because of his body''s resilience and ability to take a burden unsuitable to normal human bodies. Similarly, Clay''s DEX stat enabled him to gain a skill called Unfettered. This skill enables Clay to move at speeds that defy even the concept of time and space. Enabling him to take one step to arrive behind himself passing through impossible speeds circling the planet. One must understand that time stopping is different from moving at these speeds. This is purely physical in Clay''s case and if he were to gain ability to stop time, that would be beyond any skill. 26 Arrest! Well now, I''m surrounded by hundreds of soldiers. There''s a shining magic circle below me that I reckon is responsible for pinning me down and I can''t do something about it while in this state. I''m not worried that I''d die if I was attacked but I''m worried about what I''ll do if they have some magic to make you into a slave. Now, I wonder what they''ll do with me. Even though I''ve been activating Overpower from the start, it seems to not be working at all, what kind of restriction is this? To understand how this happened, let me tell you¡­ Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. *** Three months has passed since Clay started to coop himself up in the Sun. No one has discovered him ever since and not that they could have. For the past three months, a lot of people came to the hunting spots, Clay already knew what they were trying to find, and it was him. Along with the power that was surging inside him currently, he also developed a kind of sense that you''d find in wuxia. He was now able to envelop the world with his perception and survey even the minutest of things through it. Although he has yet mastered it. So, while he was in the Sun, he gave it a whirl and found out about their activities. The adventurers came first and surveyed the surroundings and even kept a look out. So, for the days that followed he was very well informed about their movements. For the first week that the search for Clay started, food became a non-essential for Clay. By absorbing absurd amounts of energy from every source, he was able to keep his body in tip-top shape. By this time Clay''s strength already far surpassed Heroic and made it to levels that could only be called Legendary, but it stopped there for some reason after the third month he was there. Even though Clay''s stats grew, he still felt that if he were to face that frog again, he''d still be in danger so he couldn''t have his growth get to his head again or else. It should be alright to face a few guys at once but if they were to bring a few hundred and surround me, I wouldn''t even think of fighting and just fly away without turning back. Such was the amount of trauma that Agamemkeru had given Clay on their encounter. Even though it''s cowardly I must preserve my life, I''m not a warrior or anything. Clay thought to himself. So that''s how the three months of Clay went by and by the looks of it, the search was already slowly and steadily dying down. They must have thought that Clay had ran to the Demon territory and vanished there or may have even died. However, Clay wanted to go back to the Moonwink Inn in Agera to check things, of course what he really wanted is good food and a bed, but he knew that he couldn''t go back and have those things. It''s not for the sake of being full on good food and the nutrients for his body, but more of just getting that stimuli on his tongue and his sense of taste. Having no food for someone who''s already been baptized with good quality food and spices since birth is a big hurdle to climb from and out of. Clay slowly descended from the skies. He entered Alleucanth''s atmosphere and immediately felt the gravity of Alleucanth pulling on him which made his descent easier for him. Being in the vacuum of space where you''d freeze within a few seconds of being exposed, Clay handled it without problem because of his ability to control heat, plus his own newfound abilities that enable him to produce energy especially Solar Energy, it was no problem. And since he went into the planet''s atmosphere without using extreme speeds, the air did not compress and burn his clothes, not that he had any at all now anyway. When Clay entered the atmosphere, he did not experience the burning of air when meteors enter the Earth''s atmosphere which to him was quite a let-down. Thinking about how he''ll live his life from now on, Clay would have forgotten about Acadria and the whole Chancellor fuzz a few months ago if he just didn''t scan for the whole world''s activities. Although his mind can take all that information, he was too lazy to even focus on remembering all those things. All information was stored in his brain without being used, unless it was necessary to remember it. That''s how great his Sage ability was. The good thing was that if he needed the information, just one thought would be enough to bring it up to his focus and remember every detail. 27 Glimpse of The Ultimate Series They are using band made of what seems to be iron and are lined with what Clay can only identify as rune-looking characters which are shining on and off alternatively. The band is continuously restricting Clay''s use of Overpower and even magic so he could only conclude that this band is something to make the bearer be incapable of emitting magic energy outside of the body. "Which means my Overpower skill is something that uses magic energy. That''s good to know, plus, now that I have been restricted, I have the time to actually look at the skill''s description properly and it actually said that it can only make someone faint or die by shouting some kind of battle cry and it will automatically activate, which means I don''t have to utter ''Overpower'' to activate it." Clay murmured. Another effect of the band they put on Clay was the heavy pressure he was constantly subjected to as if the earth itself wants to swallow him which can only mean that it generates gravity to restrict his movements. "Although not enough to even be called restrictive, maybe if I can try to make an equipment like it, I can restrict my enormous strength." Clay thought further. From the known functions of the band, just like shackles, they seem to be used for retraining criminals. This band on him though had an added function which cancelled any emission of magic energy. However, with Clay''s now sharp mind, through the skill Sage, he was able to decipher the runes on the band and accordingly, *Ping* [Language Acquisition level up] Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. [Language Acquisition ¨C Evolve to Ultimate Comprehension] [Language Acquisition, Sage, Kryptonian Genes (Vision and Perception), Alchemy Master ¨C Integrated to Evolve Ultimate Comprehension] [Olden Gods Language (Ancient Language) ¨C Master acquired] [Olden Gods Language (Ancient Language Integrated into Ultimate Comprehension] Hearing a lot of pinging sounds in his head, Clay was rather surprised. Plus, its been a surprise when his skills evolved and progress and even now it still surprised him. Looking at the description of the skill Ultimate Comprehension, Clay was shocked, Ultimate Comprehension This skill itself gives Clay an edge over any other creature here on Alleucanth. Just breathing air may even give him a skill for it. Safir''s blessing was overshadowed by this very skill. As if losing it''s meaning already. Magic can easily be comprehended; skills and arts can also be mastered with but a glance. "Nice." Clay muttered with a smile plastered on his face. There was a magician that were among the soldiers who surrounded him and oversaw the magic formation. He had muttered earlier the spell for the adjustment of the band''s weight restriction and picked up the Old Gods Language from him. Earlier when this band was put on him, gravity was increased for him and his body bent down almost making him kiss the floor. However, there was no strain to his strength or even his exertion. Only his weight increased and surprised him, but it was no threat since he adjusted easily to the weight. [Gravity, command thee I do, increase.] Clay commanded but was not able to do see any effect. As his ability to emit magic energy was sealed now. Realizing this, Clay stopped trying and further waited for an opportunity to be naughty. Finally, an opportunity seems to have presented itself. When the guards behind him started chattering amongst themselves. "You know, I was thinking that this hero business was bogus and we were just hunting some adventurer who crossed the royal family but with this guy getting caught and looking really similar to the poster they posted, and how easily he was caught up in the trap, I think I don''t believe this guy is a hero." "How did you know this guy is not the Hero with just that?" The other one asked. "Well, if he was a real hero, he shouldn''t be so weak like this right? He should have been able to run away and hide without even looking back. Unless, right now, we are the ones that are actually in danger in having him with us?" The other guy explained. They were called Jon and Mor. Jon was wearing armor that looked to be from materials taken from monsters that he hunted personally or otherwise. And Mor was a young man visibly a junior for Jon from the way he respectfully conducts himself at least at the minimum. They were having this discussion while waiting for the order of their commander. "Isn''t it said that Heroes get to grow and absorb their target''s experience when they''re killed? If that''s true then think about it, to get this far up north he''d have to cross a whole lot of monster dens and territories, right? What if he came here as fast as he could in those few days that we were preparing for this man-hunt and grow a lot stronger as a result of that, that''d be asking for trouble to come under-prepared don''t you think so? I support the royal family using these methods to deal with him. At least this way, Hero or not, he''d be captured for sure without damage to our ranks. We get to get home and we get paid just by escorting them home. Sure, some of us might die while crossing all the way to Acadria fighting off monsters and bandits, but that''s better than facing the Hero in his prime and getting annihilated. Think about it." Jon stated facts and his opinion on how the royal family of Acadria is handling their politics and strategies. Clay was interested in him and also at this young man called Mor who was skeptical and curious. [Oh, right! So that''s how it is. If that''s the case, then it really was great thinking from the royal family huh?] Mor agreed with Jon''s conjecture at least. "What do you see the royal family as, same as us common folks who do not have education? Of course, they''d be able to use their brains for thinking unlike us. Now let''s keep quite lest we get found out and get our portion for tonight''s dinner reduced." Clay really wanted a companion just for information gathering but now that he had this ability called Ultimate Comprehension, companions that could make his life easier is what he needed. Giselle would have sufficed for knowledge but she was royalty and it would be hard to get along with her with all the strife in politics and all, plus she has this lofty dream of helping the citizens even though she was the seventh princess and the siblings she had, Clay didn''t think they would have helped her even if they knew she was how she was. 28 Attack on Monster! It came night and the horde of soldiers made camp. The way that they transported Clay was to make sure that the bands were secure so that they could drag him into a cage where the floor was also carved with anti-magic energy emission. Although Clay could have used that opportunity to escape, he had a plan brewing in his mind for how to utilize the information he got from earlier. He obediently put himself into the cage and silently accepted his place. The cold of night and even the snow falling sporadically could not even affect Clay with his active heat manipulation, however, even without that, he still had enough heat energy from the reactor that he is. Energy gained from the rapid release of atomic energy is nuclear, and energy gained from the fusion of two atomic nuclei forming a heavier one whilst releasing energy; that energy is what''s called Fusion Energy. Clay''s body has already become a moving energy reactor. The moment that he chooses to harness the power that he is creating within him and is storing all in one outburst, would be the end for all life on the surface of Alleucanth. After setting up the camp, the ones guarding him still were the two people; Jon and Mor. They still from time to time chat with each other and were entertaining Clay unknowingly with their chatter. With Clay''s senses enveloping the entire planet, Clay knowing that there was a horde of monsters coming this way, was but a simple thing. *** 300 kilometers away to the east from the spot where the army camped, were monsters led by a monster of legend. On Earth, this monster would be legendary because it had origins that related it to gods. A monster relative of the gods, it begs to be idolized by some. Some origins of it makes it out to be a man cursed by a god. However, in Alleucanth, it was a common monster of the higher tier. A rank B monster that prowls dungeons and caves which possess a treasure that release magic energy constantly for countless years which transforms the cave in dungeons that birth monsters in time. That''s why dungeons are sought after by adventurers. The monsters number more than half of the army that captured Clay. If seen in a strategic perspective, the army outnumbers the monsters, but the quality of their fighters is far apart in terms of strength. If they clash, they''d be slaughtered in time. Not to mention that Clay also knows that there are ninja-like people making this train bigger along the way. A train is a game-term that means to lure monsters towards a specific area, typically at the entrance of the dungeon, from the BOSS monster to all the possible monsters you can encounter on the way back, bringing it to your prepared party. It was fun for Clay to think that this game-like element exists in a real fantasy world. "What the hell was that!?" Jon sounded urgent and Mor thought that he was reacting to Clay''s amused mutter. "Yeah, you''re looking down on us even when you''re the one in a cage bound by a Demon Binding Array. You''re in no position to be having fun." The pride of a young man who was the strongest in their own tiny little town was hurt by Clay who to him was making fun of them and reacted just like a little child. "No, Mor, it''s not him¡­ I feel like we''re in danger right now. We need to move away from here. I have to tell the captain." Jon was feeling a growing sense of urgency as the monsters he could not perceive and the ones doing the monster train were coming closer by the minute. Clay was amazed that this guy Jon was able to perceive that much. Resolved to get him into his employ Clay further enhanced his plans for these guys. Clay watched Jon walking away wanting to report his discovery to his captain. Clay figured that the captain won''t believe him or if the captain believed him, the commander won''t believe his captain. It''s like that in a hierarchical system in the military. Mor was left behind, so Clay spoke to him giving him hints. "Hey, young blood. He went away to inform his captain about the danger he felt but I know what the danger is and where they are currently. Care to listen?" Clay said to Mor as if to enchant the young man into something. Feeling that he was being tempted, Mor answered, "Stop talking! I ain''t listening to you." Mor felt a bit tempted but pressed the urge to ask about it down. If he were an excellent and experienced soldier, in fact even if he was a greenhorn but with more cunning in him, he would have talked to Clay more and extracted information that can be proven by other means after. Clay knew this, and stopped trying to entice him but said to him, Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "Well, if you find yourself in trouble just call for my help." He then chuckled and closed his eyes waiting for things to unfold. *** Jon arrived at the camp''s center where his captain was last seen. He called for him and reported what he felt. His captain''s name was Caltec, one of the captains of their mercenary group. They were hired by the Acadria kingdom''s prince who came with them until the town which they are returning to. "Old Man, we have to move away from here. I have a very bad feeling about this situation we are in. We should move or fortify this position before it''s too late!" Jon let his captain know his bad feeling and suggested to act on it immediately. To which Jon was answered, "Are you sure?!" Caltec was a man that had already been with Jon in this mercenary group for a while now and that experience has taught him to listen to Jon''s gut feeling when he does feel it because usually it''d save your life. Caltec knew to listen and so he wanted to hear more of it. 29 Morale High *ROAR* Different kinds of roar and shrieks resounded and assaulted the unprepared within the camp. However, panic could not be seen inside as every single soldier grabbed their armors and armed themselves with their choice weapons. However, their response was a bit too late as the fastest among the monsters have already started to tear soldiers apart with their claws and their maws, moving from left to right, weaving through the sea of tents. Tiger-like beasts called Striped Madness, a monster of a beast that stands three meters and measures 15 feet long with red stripes on its fur that became its signature feature that gave its name opposed by the deep orange fur it has. Its fangs grew almost two feet and eyes that glowed green with energy. It was a terrifying beast and this beast had four others with it that were tearing the camp apart now. With it was a different monster that also boasted speed surpassing what any ordinary human could achieve. They are the Grey Steelfang Wolves. Grey Steelfangs hunt in packs of 15 at the minimum and doesn''t play around with their prey unlike the Striped Madness. The Grey Steelfangs hunt for food, not for fun and they mean business when they show themselves to their prey. They specialize in ambushes and chases that wear their victims down while harassing them for an easy kill. Never risking themselves and the pack in the process. Each pack was led by an Alpha that stays in an elevated place to oversee the hunt and issue orders through howls and barks. They have intelligence that could rival a learned general in making strategies. It goes to say that each Alpha has the battle experience of a hundred hunts and battles. Each Alpha cannot be messed around without intending to sacrifice a few people in the process. These two monsters that were fast enough to outrun the rest of the horde have begun tearing the camps apart and blood and gore had spread already in the first minute that they arrived. The whole camp fell into a mixture of chaos and order as these two hunters began preying on the soldiers. Clay closed his eyes the moment that the monsters arrived and awaited the first blood to be spilled. And unlike the other camps that refused Caltec''s advice from Jon, their mercenary camp was not surprised and was even well prepared to receive any sort of surprise attacks by fortifying their position and leaving the prisoner alone currently. They figured, this guy shouldn''t be able to escape right now, we must put everything we got to repelling these monster attacks. "Damn! I must calm down. Calm down." Jon said in murmur while arriving close to the cage where Clay was kept. Mor was there and he heard Jon, asking, "Jon, how was it?" Mor asked as if thinking this will make Jon more relaxed, because he became as stiff as a stick the moment, he heard the roars. "As you can see, it was too late Mor. We must defend this spot so that our mercenary order can be carried off without penalty. If we can''t in the end, then that answers the question; what are we really made off?" Jon was feeling nervous the entire time like a professor was watching his test paper while doing his tests, making him afraid of making mistakes. And a single mistake in this defense would end his life. Thus, his fear is justified. *hoot* Clay heard their conversation and whistled to them beckoning to them with his head like some gangster calling out a prey. Jon and Mor were on alert and did not want to have a chat with Clay now so they did not move an inch from their spot. They were nervous, very nervous. However, this does not impede Clay''s playfulness and tells them, "You two should just go and fight without fear for your life. I got you covered. HAH!" He then shouted a single HA, and chuckled when he got his face down and closed his eyes. That was the condition for activating Overpower as a buff to allies. The despondent air around Jon disappeared while Mor had a look of confidence on his face instead of his nervous look. As if Clay''s words had affected them and they believed him, although, they did not, but they seem to do because of the sudden change in their morale. The fighting intensified and the casualties skyrocketed when the head of the horde arrived at the scene and overwhelmed the entire camp. Caltec''s mercenary group were situated close to the ends of the west side of the campsite and so they became the last one to be overrun by monsters. There were fighting here and there but they were manageable enough to allow them to not to have casualties yet. The stronger ones are tired out and whittled down from the east, the center and then they die from their hands when they get to their camp. Their morale was higher than usual because of that. Jon and Mor along with their captain Caltec, already faced a few monsters on their own and defeated them without much resistance. However, when the main horde arrived, hell broke lose and the death toll increased by the second. Clay was monitoring the entire situation with his eyes closed; however, he was paying more attention to the status of three distinct individuals. He found promise in them in nurturing these three. The captain was well respected and feared at the same time while Jon was intuitive and Mor was a blank slate that can be molded however he needed. He wanted them to grow more and experience a fight for their lives and observe them like that for now before taking them in. (V: This where I think the story will really change for better or worse.) Clay was not a warrior, at least not yet. With one of the Ultimate Series in his pocket, and it being Ultimate Comprehension, it goes to say that any skill that he wants to learn will be easily acquired and mastered. Be it sword, spear, fists, knives, blades, magic, crafting, and so on will be so easily mastered that he''d be godlike to the likes of the ordinary mortals. What Clay wants to do is to live without being bothered while doing what he wants. And for him to do that would be to find people he can rely on to do his work for him. That way, he''ll be free to be as leisurely as he can be. While monitoring the situation, the Minotaur finally arrived at the scene and Clay got a better look at it. Stats, looking monstrous enough made Clay doubt if they''d survive without assistance, but that wasn''t a problem even if Clay didn''t move any muscle except his eyes. 30 A Close Fight with some help ***Caltec*** There was an even bigger commotion than how it was when we all found out that Grey Steelfangs and even Striped Madness were attacking the camp. We all were prepared in this camp and fought off those that slipped away from the defense that the central campers put up. However, we really can''t tell if that was even a defense with them just jumping the Striped Madness and messing up the pack-formation of the Steelfangs with sheer numbers. Each mercenary camp had about a century each and everyone here were gathered from the elite of each mercenary company. One cannot find an incompetent here, except the greenhorns that came to take care of menial tasks. The fighting force is great, and we were prepared. I feel sorry for the rest who did not heed our warnings, but I can''t change their destiny now. All we can do is fight and survive. After fighting off Steelfangs and Striped Madness'' and killing them. The commotion that I mentioned earlier increased by folds. A Minotaur that seemed to be the leader of this horde came charging into the camp right at the center of the whole campsite and started rampaging as if playing in its backyard. It swung a great war axe around as if swinging twigs. Anyone hit by that turned into incomplete corpses right away. The fear it brought was not something that mercenaries that were used to fighting humans could bridge. Some of these mercenaries are former adventurers who found that fighting monsters were boring and mundane as they fought the monsters with forces that could rival an army just to thoroughly kill a single Hobgoblin. A Hobgoblin had the strength to equal 50 people with military training easily unlike their smaller cousins the Goblins that can fight a man to man. And a Minotaur was on the higher scale of the Monster Ranking System of the Adventurer''s guild. A Minotaur sits at a high Rank B position. Which means this is a target for subjugation by an army of 500 specialists. When I say specialists, I mean to say that they should be adventurers focused on monster hunting and subjugation instead of exploration. They had to also be Rank A in the Guild''s ranking system for adventurers to face the Minotaur. These people are rank-less in terms of the guild''s standards, but they were top class mercenaries that can fight any human army that they are faced with. That''s where the disparity lies. They were being slaughtered because they were employing human tactics on a monster of this level. And we were being overrun by the smaller fries that came with the Minotaur. "Jon, you take charge in facing that monster! We need you to lead us into victory this time! Do you copy?" I shouted to him. "Loud and clear Sir!" Jon took charge and brought with him Mor. The greenhorn that joined the mercenary company not too long ago. Maybe he sees potential in him or whatever since he is taking care of him. "Tell us what to do." I said after discarding disrupting thoughts in my head and focused on watching the Minotaur''s movements. "Sir, I will take the vanguard position and you will circle around it to hit it with big attacks to whittle its health down. While Mor will give support from behind with basic spells primarily to distract it." Jon paused and then continued; I really think this guy would make a fine replacement for me one day. But still too early for that. "I feel very good for some reason and so, let''s do this without neglecting to freely move according to the openings that present themselves. That''s all. Let''s fight and have a good drink after!" Jon encouraged while I prepare my biggest attacks out of reach of the Minotaur for now. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. It''s time we face off with the Minotaur! *** Clatec, Jon and Mor prepped up to face the Minotaur coming their way while swinging left and right as if to clear the battlefield. Caltec thought of a funny idea, it''s cleaning up the place it''s going to have its own burial. He kept it to himself because it might affect their tension. The fight started when Mor shot a fireball at its face from 15 meters away. It was the standard range for magic users. Mor was not really a magic user in profession but he learned a thing or two from his noble background. He was a child born from the house of the lowest ranking noble in Hamilton. The kingdom where Caltec and the rest of the mercenary company are from. Capitalizing on Mor''s opening shot, Caltec moved to the blind spot of the Minotaur while Jon dashed to face the monster head-on. It seemed foolish but Jon had a skill he always relied on when facing enemies. Danger Sense. It was because of this skill that he could fight monsters and skin them after defeating them each time. He would be able to sense where the danger comes from and move according to his "sense." This way, attacks that are dangerous are avoided and capitalized even more. Just like now¡­ The Minotaur brought its great war axe overhead to slam it on the approaching ant that''s crawling closer to it. When Jon was inside its range of attack, it abruptly and without hesitation slammed the axe to his head. Knowing that this move from the Minotaur brought heaps of danger to him, and even without sensing the danger, one could see that this attack would result in death if it landed. Jon avoided that by doing an evasive maneuver where he dives down and rolls to get up immediately. That was an opportunity to counter and so Jon moved and attacked the Minotaur''s abdomen with his sword. *Kiing* The sound of metal hitting metal resounded with Jon''s attack. It just goes to show that the Minotaur''s skin was as hard as steel. Jon''s sword was not chipped but the Minotaur''s body also did not receive damage. However, that was not his main goal. It was to further attract the attention of the Minotaur to him and put every ounce of aggression it had on him. So that¡­ "HA!" Caltec revealed himself and brought down his fists. He was wearing a cestus for a weapon. It was a glove that had weights attached to it and a metal knuckle to produce heavy damage. Caltec was a fist fighter. He was good at dealing with enemies swiftly with heavy and swift blunt damage. That was why, Jon took the role of vanguard so that Caltec can deal massive damage to this monster. Jon also knew that his sword would do nothing to damage the skin protecting the Minotaur''s body, so he left it to Caltec. Without knowing it, Caltec had been entrusted with dealing the most damage to the monster. He gave it his most devastating attack after finding the right timing and opening whilst charging for an Art that he had practiced and used countless times. Jumping into the air overhead of the Minotaur, he slammed his fists down in the form of a hammer and shouted, "Heavy Smash!" A loud bang resounded as the head of the Minotaur was slammed into the ground right next to its great war axe that got stuck. It produced a crater centered on its temple as it groaned while blood flowed out of its mouth. Certainly, it received massive damage. However, Jon felt danger from his right side. The side where the left arm of the Minotaur lay flat. Immediately he shouted, "Old man, get back pronto!" While he himself scuttled away from the Minotaur posthaste. *whoosh* The left arm of the Minotaur made a sweeping motion towards its axe. It then slowly got up, albeit slowly and groggily. Right as it was fully upright, it roared loudly as if wanting the heavens to know its existence while also drowning every other sound in the battlefield. After roaring, it directly swung the axe it picked up with its left hand and horizontally swept Jon with it. However, Jon did not feel that much danger from it and dodged it without problem. He was not, however, the target of that attack. By now, the Minotaur had already changed its target from Jon to Caltec and this swing was fast enough to catch Caltec unprepared for it as he was preparing another big attack to follow up. Seeing that Jon had dodged the attack, he lost some of his tension and focused on charging his attack. That was fatal. The axe continued its trajectory and Caltec was late in reacting to it. With surprise, he cancelled his charging skill and immediately put up his guard against the tons of weight he is about to experience, the axe is about to reach its target and, 31 Salvation A fireball hit the Minotaur''s face with a bang and the axe it was swinging fell to the ground just a foot away from Caltec''s position which gave him the time to dodge instead of block. With the Minotaur currently stunned from the dispersion of the energy and the yet again stuck axe on the ground, Jon also moved and made his way to the eyes of the Minotaur to deal with its eyes. Jon brought his blade to the Minotaur''s face but why would the Minotaur allow itself to be harmed? It released the axe it was holding and nudging on and immediately defended its face. Jon''s attacks were swift but were ineffective against the tough hide of the Minotaur. Caltec also began his assault on the Minotaur''s head at the back with a combo filled with destructive force. Dull sounds resounded and the Minotaur''s groans could be heard as it defended its vitals. Mor could do nothing else but to just wait for another moment to provide support. He was not doing much damage but his presence in this fight made it easier for both Jon and Caltec to move around. In fact, without his support, Jon wouldn''t have faced the Minotaur like that. On the other side, Clay was observing the goings-on in the camp and the fight between the Minotaur and the three. He was fascinated by the fact that they had established a fighting system that would work against stupid enough monsters like the Minotaur who boasts more of strength and resistances than actual threat. He also noted the arrival of the ones doing the monster train inside the camp. They hid themselves rather well and were waiting for a decisive moment to do what they came for. As the pummeling continued to happen, the Minotaur reached its limit and finally entered an enraged state. Flames visibly spouts from its nostrils and its eyes bulged filled with blood as if its blood vessels in the eyes burst. Its muscles tightened and its fur turned reddish. It was showcasing its natural resistance to fire and its great strength. "It''s crunch time." Clay muttered with no one hearing him. And the fight continued. With the Minotaur in its enraged state, its stats went 50% up across the board. While Caltec and Jon were yet still pounding on them, Jon sensed danger directly in front of him, so he immediately yelled to warn Caltec about it and they both moved away from the Minotaur. With Caltec stopping his assault and backing away, the Minotaur stood up slowly. This time, rage filled its face and its horns were almost lighting up red from the heat it was emitting. It suddenly dived to the ground and prepped itself up for a charging motion. It was about to use its most devastating attack. And right behind them, was a cage that housed an unsuspecting monster. Finally finished charging up, the Minotaur released itself and unleashed its destructive force from its charge bringing along a strong gale that could not be defended from. Resulting in Caltec, Jon, and Mor to be brought along with it as it charged forward. The heat that combined with that strong wind started to really hurt the three like they were being dried via modern blower focused right on their faces. Clay saw this and raised an eyebrow. It would not kill them, so he doesn''t need to interfere, however at this rate he''ll be getting blown away by the Minotaur''s charge. No matter how strong he is, he still doesn''t weigh more than 70 kilos. Getting blown away would be a possibility. Although he has many means to establish superiority in any terrain, it doesn''t change the fact that he weighs just over 60 kilos. As the Minotaur''s charge came bringing with it the three people that fought with it, Clay prepared to intercept it. The only thing that this sealing array was holding is Clay''s magic energy emission, and that doesn''t even hinder him at all. Although the gravity was a surprise at first, his boy already adjusted to it without even thinking about it nor putting effort for it. Clay was in other words, optimally ready to spring into action. When the face of the charging Minotaur reached Clay''s cage, he floated above ground and broke the band that bound him to pieces by force thereafter extending his hands towards the Minotaur''s nose and grasping it while exerting a miniscule amount of strength. According to Clay''s analysis, if he were to put force more than what he would previously exert when picking up a cotton ball without squeezing it, that would put millions of G-force against the charging Minotaur and kill it and squash it like that. Cleaning up after that would be such a bother after all, Clay thought lazily. Deciding what to do, Clay then executed his plan of action and, *Silence* There was silence. The moment Clay receive the Minotaur in his hand, all sorts of battle seemed to have stopped in that instant. While Clay''s display of power even for that one instant, put every being in this place on high alert. It was to the extent that people felt an existential fear towards him. Their bodies screaming, "Get Away!" Clay put the Minotaur down as he also grounded himself. The cage was no longer useful, so he also broke it via heat vision; slicing it up to pieces. With the cage gone, there was no restrictions on him that made the people feel safe. His aura was leaking because of his excitement. Not from the excitement of meeting strong foes but the excitement of having new toys to play with. It was that excitement. The monster was slowly taking shape, whether he liked it or not. Only time could tell whether this man would become a Buddha or a Rakshasa. "Yare, Yare¡­ What does one have to do to have some peace and quite here?" Clay was scratching his head with his right hand as his left hand put down the Minotaur. The Minotaur was silently staying in place all stiff-like. It seems that being at the closest proximity, it knew that that existential fear was not a joke. This man in front of him was not to be trifled with. It became as meek as a pet cow. 32 Clay Makes His Move ***Clay*** "Yare, Yare¡­ What does one have to do to have some peace and quiet here?" I wanted to just chill out in this cage and watch the show, but this damn cow just had to charge straight to me. Don''t you have any sense of TPO? That guy Caltec and the two youngsters like me, they''re workable if you ask me. I really want to see how far they will go if they undergo my intense training regime. I mean, I''m no trainer but if my Ultimate Comprehension can analyze things like what they lack and what not, I''ll be able to simply guide them that way. Now that I look at them, it really is such a great idea huh. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Strange, why are they putting their guards up against me? Surely, they don''t have what the monsters and beasts feel right? Just a look at the monsters and it tells me they have existential fear of me, and how I know this is because an overall analysis and information loading is constantly being dumped into my head. Things that I am curious of or even think about in random contemplations and remembrance, my skill Ultimately handles it and puts it into priority giving me a bunch of sometimes over the top theories that I am hooked on. I think about the best training regime for the three individuals I just set my eyes on and boom, instantly there''s ideas and plans already brought up and even the corresponding risks and time of completion. Amazing right? It''s not me though, its this skill. It''s as if I gained another 50 brains working inside my head. Anyway, I should at least make them see this fight to the end, right? So, I threw the cow-head towards them and glared at it, even gesturing to continue the fight. Caltec, Jon and Mor, that''s their names, immediately sprung into action and distanced themselves from the cow-head. The cow-head instead was looking towards me as if waiting for my cue. I gestured with my head to get a move on, and as if it understood, the cow-head faced the three and swung its fists towards them. It was back from its enraged state and was suffering from weakening as a side-effect of being enraged and boosting its stats 50% more. I imagine a particle of magic to appear on the tip of my right hand''s index finger and it appeared silently. Although it looks simply as a particle and is too minute to even be noticed by untrained eyes, this piece of particle is in fact a compressed ball of at least 200 magic energy points if we quantify it according to the system. Let''s call it MP from now on UltiCom. Yep, I just named my Ultimate Series Skill as UltiCom, my all-in-one bat computer. Compressing MP this degree should still be impossible to the residents of this world according to UltiCo, but for me who has Magic Dominator skill, it''s simply a matter of thought-to-action process. I point silently towards the cow-head and shoot the magic particle I compressed towards it. Leaving no trace as if invisible to the naked eye and, *Boom* It pierces the cow-head''s skull and I made it explode inside before finally releasing the rest of the energy outside in a straight path towards the skies. The sound it made should have been eliminated but it seems I failed to put that into consideration. Oh well. It was flashy enough, I guess. The progress of the battle immediately turned silent and each stopped moving feeling the fluctuation of energy. But really, that was merely 200 points of MP, what can that do anyway, right UltiCo? Damn, I wish this skill had a voice I can at talk to, just like that slime''s skill. I must speak to break the silent now do I. "He was useless. I wanted to test whether you would thrive when faced with an impossible foe, but your teamwork has put my calculations into disarray. Now then, hear me: To every person here. My name is Clay. Survive this predicament and I will take you to be my people, if you wish so. Good luck!" With that, I dispersed my presence but remained in place. The battlefield immediately started getting chaotic again as the monsters felt that the threat to them had disappeared already. Fighting those they felt they could win, was their instinct. With the cow-head dead as the leader, the monsters picked for themselves targets that they wanted to eat. The three people I personally marked are still standing guard surrounding me. Closing off the escape paths I had. That was a good strategy but hardly effective for me. I just stay in place and let the battle progress. Besides, "they" will make a move soon. With those kinds of thoughts, I told the three in a cordial manner, "Hey, you three, why don''t you work for me. I''ll show you a brand-new world where you can thrive and be truly free. What say you? I am offering this only to you three for now, you have until the other nuisance appear." 33 Sunshine In the shadows of the trees that populate the edge of the campsite, were people who specialized in sabotage and spying activities, the Night Prowlers. The leader of this group is called ''Sunshine'' by colleagues and employers alike. It was a stark opposite to the line of work he was involved in however, Sunshine was not a name that invokes fluffy feelings and resounding reactions like "aww" this was a name that was dreaded and make people who know the background of this name to shudder uncontrollably like wet little chicks. Sunshine was a nickname that was branded to him because his victims, by the first light of sunshine, would already be reduced to corpses. This name was to be feared not to be admired and made fun of. Sunshine was assigned by His highness prince Guilbert who took over control over the kingdom of Acadria while the King was indisposed of and the Chancellor no where to be found currently. However, Sunshine knew that the Chancellor died, and that the princess Giselle had been thought to have died. Yet another point of information gathering power that the kingdom could not top, Sunshine knew the whereabouts of Giselle and what she was currently doing. The other royals did not have this information as Sunshine also did not tell anyone else about it. It was insurance for when the real threats have been taken out of the picture. Sunshine was a loyal retainer of the King of Acdria, Gracius vi Acadria. He was the one who put his trust entirely on Sunshine''s ability to move in the shadows and control outcomes without showing even the tip of his shadows. Knowing that the king had been poisoned by his own son, Guilbert, the crown prince, he had set out to seek ways to cure the king of this slow acting poison that continues to chip away at the life of the king by the day. Sunshine did not have the right to be angry, as he was unrelated to the King in any which way, however, to him he was like a friend that cannot be replaced by anyone. So, he set out to hunt the Hero and do his best to get the hero''s support towards his king. But to do so without gathering suspicion would be to follow orders and get his hands a bit dirty in the process. It was a necessary evil, he thought. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. He knew that the hero would be protected by a cage made from metal that could conduct magic energy well and a demon binding array which saps the very magic inside the person trapped inside it. So, he set out ahead of the march and found a cave that contained a certain artifact that can make fireballs without even doing the whole process of weaving magic. Only to recite the keyword and aim at the target. It was a good artifact; however, he did not come for such a trinket. He came for its guardian. A Minotaur, guardian of Caves and Dungeons that each holds artifacts inside. His plan started there and would have ended when every single person was killed or eaten by the beasts and monsters. To avoid having eyewitnesses. Sunshine lured monsters and gathered them behind the Minotaur to create a suitable monster train to annihilate the army. It was a brilliant plan that was also well executed by his comrades. And finally, the day when the monster train arrived at the campsite and brought chaos and death upon the unprepared army, arrived. Sunshine was confident that they''d all die if he just waited for the right time to reveal himself and clean up the rest of the loose ends that survive, take the hero and explain the circumstance and finally liberate the king from his torment. All were according to plan, except, he heard an explosion as loud as atomic bombs being dropped on the surface of the earth and a giant flash of light that pierced even the darkness in outer space. It was such a flashy display, but the magic power that he felt from that blast was the real deal. Not a dream, so he gave up on thinking he just fell asleep and dreamt that. The Minotaur died and the rest of the monsters were solid stiff. Sunshine wondered what happened to them but then suddenly they all started to once again slaughter their opponents and drink their blood. As if that prior silence was a dream, the whole place was in utter chaos again and at the spot where he remembered the hero should have been kept was a man who stood carefreely like it was his own backyard watching the fight of other people. Then suddenly, 34 Cleaning Up While Clay was watching the chaos that was ensuing, he called out the ones hiding in the shadows. They are affiliated to the organization called Night Prowlers and their leader is nicknamed Sunshine. Clay did not know why that name scared him as he thought about the implications of it. Although, he was not scared of the threat of the man, but names are scary that way. Behind him were the shadows that lurked and the reason for this current situation. Clay was able to analyze the goings-on in the larger scheme of things from the information he gathered through his ''Divine Sense.'' From their posture and confidence even when they were called out, it seemed that they were highly trained by this world''s standards, belying the truth that they were scared out of their wits from being discovered even from a far away and being able to hear the man''s voice without him even speaking out loudly. Their confidence has already been engraved into their core which gave them that confident look they currently have. With their arrival, the three who are currently guarding against Clay while also being vigilant against other monster attacks, knew that the time had arrived for them to decide their fate. Clay never gave them a choice in the matter. In fact, he told them to decide by the time that the others arrived, and that time is now. Not telling them what the consequences were if they were to choose other than working for him. They were apprehensive, but they also knew that this man was not intending to harm them, however, the stares they''ve been getting from him since earlier were scary and dangerous in a different meaning as well. All things considered, working for him would be beneficial for the three of them and would be life changing, in fact. When it was time to decide, it was Caltec who first came closer and kneeled in front of Clay. He stayed there in that position until Clay called out to him. Not long after, Jon came and then Mor also followed. It seemed that all of them chose the same thing and were now awaiting the dominant party to give them the final touches. Gathering a visibly dense amount of magic energy in the surroundings that also stopped the fighting again, Clay chanted in the Olden God''s Language the spell that he had cooked up and executed it perfectly according to UltiCo. *speaks in Olden God''s Tongue* [Soul Binding Highway] With those three words, the magic energy gathered up further condensed and formed into the form of a parchment where the lines ''Lifetime Subordination'' and the benefits and responsibilities they had to fulfil in order that they don''t break the contract. Once they break the contract, they would simply vanish from existence and their soul would belong permanently to Clay. It looked like a sinister magic, but Clay approved it because of its level of freedom that it gives to subordinates. Namely, they can still fight and spar which was something that had to be done. But schemes that harm the Master or any of his retinue will be punished in varying intensities. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. The parchment formed from pure magic energy also created chains that connected the hearts of those involved both ways and bound them thereafter disappearing into the heart of the Master. This way, the fancy ceremony that Clay cooked up finished and the atmosphere of the whole place dropped to an all time low and even the monsters attacking their prey were losing their enthusiasm. Some even started to just go back to where they came from and give up to some soldier''s relief. "With that done, let''s deal with the cleanup, shall we?" While saying that, Clay extended his sense and marked each monster that showed up in his consciousness and sent heat vision to each of their head. With that the cleanup was over in an instant and the rest of the soldiers tried to find the source of that earlier magic energy phenomenon. When they arrived at Caltec''s camp, they were surprised that the captive had already been released and some were even afraid. Some though were foolish enough to get in front of Clay to his face and tell him to get back to his cage. The courage of this man was insanely high that the ones who knew the truth were worshipping his godly skill of being an airhead. 35 In a New Direction The fighting was over and the clean up was fast. The corpses of the monsters were gathered in one place in a different camp while the head of each mercenary group representative were gathered along with the single knight that came with them from Acadria. Ortush was a man whose features reveal that he was a muscle-head. He stands a head taller than Clay at 6 foot 1 inches. He had a considerable amount of MP as a knight of the human realm and specialized in fire magic which was a common elemental affinity to have as a human. His knight armor was bulky as one can imagine. His helmet was generic as could be expected from an extra character. "The murderer has escaped his captivity! Men! Arrest him!" He said while breathing bad air towards Clay. He was ignored earlier but he endured it and said again when Clay faced him again. This time, he was emboldened even more. He ordered Caltec and the other two who were closer to him to capture their master. Those of Caltec''s mercenary company who knew what happened since the beginning all slapped their foreheads and shook their head left and right. They knew this man was a dead man. However, contrary to their expectation, Clay let it pass and just stared at Ortush while waiting for the rest of the people who seemed important to gather altogether. He waited not too long as the leader of each group came and positioned themselves along Caltec and the rest, avoiding Ortush who was clearly disliked by the rest of the mercenaries. "What are you men waiting for huh? Get him!" Being allowed to be this close to Clay was one thing but with Clay''s sensitive hearing he was close to snapping at this ant in front of him. Although he put in his mind to not let this power of his get to his head, having UltiCo was a saving grace, because it analyzed each and every person in this campsite and determined that none were even close to matching his energy level and physical prowess. Knowing that while still being cautious was Clay''s new resolution. It didn''t matter that he was stronger, it was in fact because he was stronger that he really had to keep his temper in check, just like those heroes and MCs that he idolized in his childhood. Fighting for what''s right and even the iconic, "With great power comes great responsibilities" by Uncle Ben. Although he wants to laze around and not take too much responsibilities, that just comes in package to great power. Clay did not use any kind of show of force to make Ortush back away, and so the muscle-head Ortush was even more emboldened by it. Thinking that Clay was afraid, "Who are you to tell me to step back? You are the criminal here and we are many. If you don''t want to die for resisting arrest, then quietly get back to you cage!" With a smug look, he even pointed his finger on Clay as his face was brought closer to Clay''s. *puchi* Caltec, Jon and Mor seemed to have been insulted by that action and was going to act without being told when, *thud* Ortush fell on his knees and face flat into the ground, forcing Clay to step back. Infuriated by this because of embarrassment, Clay ordered, "Beat this moron up and send him back to Hamilton where that Prince Guilbert is at. The rest of you mercenaries are free to go wherever you want. Go back to Hamilton." Clay ordered. It was not something they could negotiate from his tone alone, however, some expressed their desire to also join their ranks, but Clay immediately rejected it. Saying it was not time for them to join him. Indicating that time is needed to prepare for a place to gather them again. Since Caltec knew them anyway, they needed not leave contact information and they left. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. The campsite was bustling with activity except for where Caltec''s group''s camp were. They did not move without Clay''s orders. The others were collecting their gears and the monster corpses that they can carry in the supply carts. Then slowly disappeared from the place. A few hours of waiting later, Clay opened his eyes and a knowing look seemed to be plastered on his face. "Come." He said softly and Caltec, Jon and Mor immediately sprung into motion to stand before Clay. They would have kneeled, but they remembered what happened just earlier. It was now dusk, and the light of the sun had already almost fully gone. The others who were free lit up torches to light up the surroundings while Clay and the other three spokes. With one of the Night Prowlers still in that kneeling position. "The one behind me, come up in front. What''s your name?" Clay asked. Immediately the person appeared in front still kneeling. Caltec and the other two tried to tell him not to, but Clay did not do anything, so they also left it alone. "My name is An, Lord." She answered precisely. 36 Alchemy Masters Time to Shine Clay told An, the woman from Night Prowler, her task. Then Clay opened his inventory and employed UltiCo''s database to find a recipe for an all-cure medicine that can be made using the materials that he can gather in this place. His sense has a grasp of all the medicinal herbs in the vicinity and even the entire world, so he needed not worry where he would get the ingredients. Some of the ingredients are already in his inventory, from the time that he was going around in the forest to investigate the disturbance from Agamemkeru''s presence. He used his MP and spread it to the places where he found matches of the ingredients he needed for the all-cure medicine. He commanded particles to form right next to the herb and used his Dimensional Storage to directly store the herbs root, soil and all; all at the same time in different places in the world. Immediately he opened his storage and took out the ingredients washed it with water magic and dried it with water magic still, draining every bit of moisture from it. From there, he used his knowledge and mastery over alchemy to concoct a pill to cure any and all ailments. It was a legendary, no, mythical kind of medicine that can cure-all however, Clay was acting as if he was only mixing some ordinary protein shake. An, was looking at the process by which Clay made the medicine that she was to bring to Acadria with her according to plan. The herbs were floating in the air and then a high, yet gentle heat enveloped the herb and it turned into liquid, to syrup-like and then to slime. Each of the transformations turned the liquid herb smaller and the color purer and even almost transparent. This happened to all the herbs that Clay put up in the air just floating there and simultaneously becoming slimy. An recognized some of the herbs used ¨C Phoenix Grass that was said to only be obtainable by wresting it away from a dragon''s care inside a volcano; Icy Dew Herb, having the characteristic of freezing any predator to ice once touched; and even Dragon''s Tear Herb that was said to be able to cure poison, paralysis, petrification, and all manners of ailments, however, consuming such Herb results in the consumer to combust thus, its name, Dragon''s Tear. However, those are only some that An recognized, the rest were new to her or were to insignificant to remember at this moment of great stimuli. Clatec, Jon and Mor were also watching the spectacle in front of them along with the rest who were not going around in patrol to keep the surroundings clear of monsters. The spectacle before them was mesmerizing and godly. It was to the point that they would have changed their reverence to a Master to that of a god, if they were not restricted to kneel in front of him. Clay then made a kind of ceramic from earth magic and attached Olden God''s Rune inside to preserve time inside via x-ray and heat vision. The cork was made from a tree branch that clay took from one of the men that made a campfire just beside the 5 people including Clay. How thoughtful, Clay even mused. The cork was also turned into a Runic artifact that seals magic energy emission along with anything else that has been sealed with the cork. Clay did not know that he had created a weapon compatible to the Mafuba ¨C Demon Incarcerator Spell, which could seal anything inside a chosen container with the cork as the seal. Although that spell will be theorized and researched by later generations. Clay handed it over to An while breathing the stale air that he kept in while performing alchemy. It seems that even Clay was mesmerized by the process he had done for the first time like watching a master do his craft, only this time he was the master. "Bring this to the King make him take one in secret and wait for him to awaken before telling him the situation. After you accomplish your task, send for each of the Night Prowler''s family to be ready to move when I order to. Those of you Night Prowlers who do not wish to come with me, you decide for yourself. Now go, do not fail." Clay waved his hands and An disappeared like the wind. Determined to bring the package to the King of Acadria without fail, for herself and for her superior, Sunshine. "Now then. You are Caltec, Jon, and Mor. The two of you are single, and Caltec has a family in Hamilton''s remote farming village. There you have about 40 family members. Including the livestock in the move, you''d most likely have to travel for another three months and 6 months to really arrive at the destination. I want you to go and gather them and move to Moribor Mountain where we will establish our base. When you arrive there, bring criminal bands and things such as those to help in your training. If you can manage, don''t even bring anything to start over completely, but if not then bring the bare minimum to survive the move for 6 months of travel. Here''s a few thousand gold to take care of necessities. And regarding your mercenary company, bring only those that you can trust. I wouldn''t want to kill them in front of you because I found out they were having ill intentions." Clay continued his instructions, "Jon and Mor, you two are single, but you still have family. Bring them as well. And buy the same bands and such that you can find. 6 months later, find me in Moribor and we''ll all meet up there. By daybreak, you should all go and move according to what I order you now. For now, give me your weapons. I''ll enhance them for you." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. 37 Unbelievable ***Jon*** Unbelievable. This man is unbelievably strong. I felt a true sense of dread when he momentarily made a move. It was for a split second but that second was enough for me to feel as if my very life was not my own anymore. We were in the presence of a beast that can devour each of us whole any time he wanted. That was what I felt. I don''t know if the others also felt it, but I sure did. My senses were telling my that there was an even bigger danger behind me when the Minotaur tried to charge us. Then my senses were proven correct when the Minotaur was caught by that same person, the Hero, that the Acadrian Kingdom royals have deemed to be criminal. If it''s true that he''s a murderer, then what''s to say that he won''t kill us as well for siding the Kingdom? We were blown away by the Minotaur even when we already stepped away from its charge. The drag of wind that it brought with it caught us and made us fly unwillingly to the skies. Its momentum only stopped when it was caught by the Hero¡­ with one hand. How absurd! "Yare, Yare¡­ What does one have to do to have some peace and quiet here?" He spoke carefreely as if everything happening was such a drag and his peace and quiet was disturb because of the Minotaur''s clueless charge. We might die because of this. I thought as we fell from the skies towards the ground. A good thing that we were not wearing heavy armor that could squash us to death. We nimbly avoided injury and stopped moving carelessly while putting our guard against the hero who had already unrestrained himself after catching the Minotaur and putting it down in front of him. His next action was even more terrifying. As he lifted the Minotaur up and threw it towards us intending to make us fight with it. He glared at the Minotaur and the it hesitated before finally giving up and started attacking us. We stepped back and made some distance with it, but this Minotaur was already weakened. In fact, the fight became easier as our teamwork had become even more refined. After a few exchanges, we noticed a flash of light heading towards us, no, not us, but to the skies above us. It was a magic blast that came from the Minotaur''s head that killed it instantly. I know where that came from and so I started to even more be on guard against him. The other two also realized this level of threat but could not bring themselves closer to him. When everything was settled, we heard him saying something like "struggle for survival" or something but because we couldn''t hear properly, we just stood where we are and let the others handle the cleanup. "Hey, you three, why don''t you work for me. I''ll show you a brand-new world where you can thrive and be truly free. What say you? I am offering this only to you three for now, you have until the other nuisance appear." Then people appeared one by one behind the Hero, kneeling. Our guards were immediately put up in anticipation for a fight but, we turned to each other and nodded, as if a consensus was made. We wanted to beg for our lives and for the lives of our companions. Is what was written in our faces. We went in front of the Hero when the other people appeared and kneeled. However, I felt that I was being held by something invisible and was lifted out of the ground. Then I felt the ground again as the feeling of being held disappeared. "Those behind me, keep your heads down until I say otherwise. You three don''t need to kneel in front of me. A simple bow would do. I want you to become my retainers. I need of no one who fears but hates me. I want you to follow me and as I promised earlier, I''ll show you a new world where the strong stand and gaze over the horizon with aloofness and confidence." The hero said and right after we slightly looked at each other and nodded in agreement as well this time, without further hesitation. When we agreed to become his subordinates suddenly, I felt my breath become heavy and I struggled to further heave air into my lungs. The reason being that a big concentration of magic energy was being gathered right above our heads. Are we going to die now? There was an instinctual fear that I felt, however, I couldn''t sense danger from that massive magic energy. So, we just continued to bow our heads. Suddenly there was a blinding light and we turned our heads to look at it. In front of us were parchments that resembled contract papers. "Ah" I let out a dumb sound from my mouth as chains suddenly extended from the parchment towards our chests and seemed to have wrapped around our hearts. It must be the effect of the contract. The contract had lots of words inside, but we were unable to read it properly. However, I have a feeling that if we wanted to read it, it would show itself to us. I just had that kind of feeling. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. From there, everything happened so fast that I couldn''t get my mind around it properly not even until we left the campsite to bring our families to Moribor Mountain. That mountain of legend where the S-Rank class monsters reside and even the elusive SS-Rank and SSS-Rank monsters that just cannot be faced. What''s our Master thinking? However, there''s no need to doubt his power all we need to do is trust him. He even enhanced our weapons like it was child''s play as our insurance in travelling. What a thoughtful Master we have. I''m glad I decided positively, or I might have become a corpse now already. Who are those people in black earlier anyway? 38 Clays Experimental Log Clay was playing in the Sun, literally. After leaving the three subordinates to prepare, he left flying to the skies and going to the Sun directly. There, he first constructed a house in the Sun''s core that cannot be burned not even by the sun through some magic insulation techniques. Then he started to weave some clothes through thin magic threads. He used these clothes to make a blanket and pillows. It was a very wasteful use of magic, if he were seen by others who worship magic like that. However, to a Magic Dominator, it was essential. I need sleep too you know. Clay thought. He made all these on his first week here on the Sun. The first few days were used to conduct experiments according to UltiCo''s theories that had to be adjusted via repetitive experiments since UltiCo was gathering empirical evidences to further the research. The end of the first week was the creation of the insulated house. A house that could not be burned, not even by the Sun''s core. Earth magic was combined with Clay''s own Solar energy to counteract the amount of heat that the sun could dish out. The next few weeks were used to research on magic threads that can be used to make clothes and other textile products. As the only human on the Sun, Clay also thought of making a companion, but the research was still on going. With UltiCo though, it won''t take much time to be able to do it without a hitch. The next month Clay was finally able to create artificial life in the golems that he created. UltiCo''s calculations and theories are ever evolving whenever it is fed with information and ideas that are taken directly from Clay''s "knowledge." In seeking the answer to artificial lifeforms Clay thought about the golems and automata that he had encountered and collected as knowledge over time. In his ''knowledge'', Golems functioned via a magic core that serves as energy source as well as its central processing unit. Another lifeform that worked this way were the elementals that he knew. They existed through a core that served as the adhesive that put its physical body together. Having this knowledge, Clay sought the answer to making a real-life golem in this world he was transported to and finally arrived at the answer. He created a Magic Core the size of his thumb through compressing and congealing magic MP in the ten thousand range. For his first experiment, he created a ten thousand MP worth of Magic Core and inserted it to the highly insulated earth golem he formed with magic. The result was Golem Rei, the first of his kind. Rei was able to move robotically and in 5 second intervals. When it moved its legs towards Clay, it would stop every 5 seconds and continues to step until it reaches Clay. It was a very mediocre result; however, Clay was ecstatic for it. He was as if a father that watched his child take his first step. He also experimented on his own ability to regenerate and tried to clone himself using only Magic that he had a grasp on confidently. Creating containers and other such things was easy for magic the all-powerful solution to any problem. At least to those with his level of control over magic. While Clay had been playing with magic energies in his stay inside the Sun''s core, he also developed the skill to control the output of energies, not just magic. Energy Manipulation. It was a skill that was directly absorbed by UltiCo to help Clay control outputs and inputs to a master level. Any skill that Clay develops and gains were already elevated to master level because of UltiCo. Crafting also became a skill at the master level, Enchanting was also at master level because of his continued use of runes. All were absorbed into UltiCo his personal assistant. His cloning attempts all ended in failure. It seemed that cloning through a genetic means was impossible with how his original regenerative skill worked. Deadpool was never able to clone himself and was restricted to one body. Giving up after a few attempts, Clay made a complete copy of his body and put it in a glass tube that he insulated and simply left it to bask in the Sun''s energy. The body he made had the same basic genetic makeup as the body that Safir gave him, so leveling up was not a problem. The next hurdle was transferring his soul into that body. The soul was indestructible just as Imhoteph told him. So even the Sun''s energy could not annihilate it nor did any other forces. That''s where UltiCo''s calculations come in. It took Clay 3 months to find a solution for that problem by focusing solely on the current experiment. He made 7 copies of his body which were without thought or the soul and kept them lined up. Then through UltiCo''s calculations derived a magic spell which enabled him to enclose his soul temporarily in a body made of magic energy and project it outside his current body. In theory, it was easy to describe, and in practice, it made Clay realize the limitation of his current skills. Even with Magic Dominator to help shape and control magic energy, there was the problem of supply. That''s why every time he tries to execute the magic spell, [Body Transfer] the spell always failed. UltiCo''s analysis came up that Clay''s magic energy capacity was still insufficient for the spell to work, unless his body also develops into a reactor for magic. Although he currently had storage with unlimited capacity, he couldn''t produce his own magic energy. That''s why through UltiCo''s help, Clay determined to find a way to produce inexhaustible magic energy. UltiCo''s analysis of Clay''s vast ''knowledge'' enabled UltiCo to come up with a possible solution to the problem. That is, find a way to learn how to control and manipulate Spirit energy which according to his vast knowledge is some sort of higher form of energy than magic energy. If he finds a way to use the same concept of creating nuclear energy and even fusion energy, then maybe he''d be able to develop the skill for producing magic energy. His first step was to find the source of Spirit energy in this world. If not this world then in other worlds. Since the experiment needed more time, in fact an indefinite amount of time to complete, Clay settled with just cloning himself through magical means. Creating a magical body and connecting his thoughts to and controlling it. He even more so continued to spend more time in creating a magically controlled body. A body double for now, that could at least withstand a single no-bars-held punch from Clay. It had stats that he could not laugh off. Although it was a body double, it was still fun controlling it from a distance. 39 Clays Experimental Log 2 The fifth month came. Clay had used the latter days of the fourth month to start another experimental project. That was, to strengthen his body through a more precise and accurate distribution of energy to each cell. And this time, it was not Solar energy but Magic energy. He wanted to find out if he was able to strengthen his cells via Magic energy infusion. And the result was astonishing. Although his stats did not increase much, as compared to solar energy, the happier result was the rapid torrent of magic energy being absorbed to his body and into his cells. Meaning. His cells became storage for magic energy as well. To further enhance it, he compressed each cellularly stored magic energy so that its capacity was bigger than it looked. In his excitement, he even tried to execute that [Body Transfer] spell and miserably failed still. However, this did not discourage Clay. Since he found out that infusing Magic energy to his cells was possible, wouldn''t it be possible to infuse nuclear and even fusion energies into it? UltiCo''s analysis gave Clay the green light into trying this crazy idea. Clay prepared his body for some backlash, as UltiCo warned that pain of such misery will be administered to the physical body if such a crazy thing was tried. Clay did not fear injury since he can regenerate so he went for it. Clay infused Nuclear energy into his cells and a reaction came the next second. If looked at in the cellular level, Clay''s cell was currently overloaded with magic energy that was compressed to be able to squeeze itself inside. Now that a new energy was coming inside. The backlash was expected. The cells underwent a transformation that made it grow bigger. And each time it did grow bigger, as it swelled up, a part of Clay''s body would grow bigger as well. His muscles, tendons and even his bones underwent the transformation. Clay did not stop until UltiCo prompted him to take a break. And UltiCo, really did not give him a warning to stop and take a break so he continued unabated. The result of the infusion of the nuclear energy was that Clay'' had become a hideous hulk. He stood at 6 meters. His muscles bulged ridiculously, and his hair grew longer. He looked like a merge of hulk, vegeta and goku. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Now he needed to consolidate the power that he had acquired. Currently, his stats went over the ten thousand and shot over to the hundred thousand marks. The cost for that was his appearance getting an overall uglification. If there was such a word. So, he spent a week to make that power into his and control it flawlessly. After the week passed, Clay woke up from his meditation. It had become a habit for him to spend the entire night contemplating on ideas and consolidating his power to become totally his. It was like that because by the time he had passed the ten thousand mark for his stats, he had found out that he did not need sleep anymore. As energy was constantly being produced by his body, without it being depleted. One of the ways he could release those energies was to perform experiments on himself and expend a lot of energy trying out the theories he came up with through UltiCo''s help. This month was the fifth and he had spent it with consolidating his power and optimizing his overall strength and physique. He had to find a way to un-bulge every muscle in his body and make it lighter without taking away the mass. So, he thought of an idea and UltiCo''s analysis and calculations helped him greatly in coming up with a skill to develop. [Muscle Control] which enabled him to fully contract or expand his muscles and by employing magic into the equation, the all-powerful solution to problems, he was able to compress his muscles to such a degree that even on the cellular level, it was applied to. Overall, the stored mana inside his cells were further compressed to be of particle size already, while the nuclear energy was also contained in a membrane of magic that became an actual battery to his compressed magic energy. The way it worked was that what was used to execute a spell were the magic energy that was stored inside his cells, if they were not enough to fuel a spell, then the nuclear energy is used as a substitute via conversion of energy. The moment the nuclear energy passes through that magic membrane that was designed with Olden God''s Language Runes; the effect of conversion happens instantly to magic energy. And Clay had total control over the runes to switch it up whenever needed. All is within UltiCo''s calculations. Clay''s height visibly changed from over 6 meters to his normal height. Although a bit taller than usual at 6 feet. 1 feet taller than his original height. His muscles became ripped and well-proportioned. His torso had muscles in places where there should have none that shaped-up. 40 Moving-in Ceremony Clay flew towards Moribor Mountain, the place he determined to meet with his subordinates. Moribor Mountain was part of the Impassable Mountain Range that bordered the Human realm and the Demon Realm. Moribor was the highest mountain in the whole of the known world of Alleucanth. Its peak cannot be seen from the ground as it was covered by clouds all year long. The mountain range was filled with flourishing trees and vegetation, because of the level of monsters that reside in this mountain range and especially Moribor Mountain itself. When the creatures here died, the nutrients that the corpses have are absorbed by the land which affects the vegetation in general. Lush forests and even a lake that formed at the east side of Moribor. It was the lake where countless beasts and even normal animal drink from and was the only peaceful place in the entire Mountain Range. It was peaceful for monsters and animals alike, not for humans and other races though. Their kind were hunted down as priority here in this Mountain Range. Clay flew and descended in that very lake. He took a stroll around as if he was taking the surrounding beauty freely. It was refreshing to think that a place like this existed in this twisted world. Clay found a good spot to relax from and even started to hum some "chala head chala" song and continued to relax. As if he had no time to relax lately. From the experiments to the consolidation of power, everything required his full attention. So relaxing was not taken lightly. If he was disturbed now from his mood of relaxation, there''s no telling what would happen. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. And just as he had finished humming the song, came the threatening roar from one of the residents of the mountain range close to Moribor, the Tyrannus Reptilius. A dinosaur like the T-Rex that had horns and spiked tail. Tyrannus Reptilius was a local tyrant of the mountain range that patrol around the Moribor towards the lake. And seeing that a human invaded its territory, it was enraged. It wanted to teach Clay a lesson and then eat him as his snack for the effort. However, Clay had wanted nothing to do with it now and just ignored it while continuing to relax. The Tyrannus Reptilius did not take kindly to that and ran towards Clay with opened maw threatening to swallow him whole. *thunder* Those killed in one hit were lucky. Those who could not die from that shot writhed in pain and agony waiting for their death instead. The power of the spear diminished over time as the bodies that it had to pierce also became bigger and tougher. Clay had no worries about the situation. He still wanted to relax and let things simmer down instead of blowing it up in higher proportions. However, what plans went according to how you wanted? As they say in modern times, expectation versus reality. And right now, reality dictated that monster swarms assault him. Clay knew that monsters were coming and clicked his tongue. "Tch!" "What a bother. I was going to enjoy the unblemished beauty of this place first, but you just had to ruin that do you?" Clay released all his energy to scare away the monster swarm. As expected, those in front of the swarm stumbled and wanted to scramble away to the other direction. However, Clay released his energy not to let them get away, but to inflict fear and panic in them to kill them effortlessly. Clay waved his right hand horizontally while producing a sharp spatial attributed blade, a Dimension Cutter, and propelled it towards the monster swarm. As expected, nary any monster was left in one piece. They all rest in pieces. It cannot be called a fight. While Clay was dealing with the monster swarm, a sneaky monster thought it was not noticed and its killing intent gushed forth as it jumped towards Clay intending to cut his head with its claws. Clay without care lifted the same hand he waved to block the claw that was coming for his head. *boom* The impact from the hit made a loud sound as a tinge of metal hitting metal also sounded out. Clay was also blown away towards a tree trunk that''s bigger than a modern house''s width. *thud* A dull sound resounded as Clay cancelled his momentum by simply expending some magic to stop himself from crashing as he tapped the tree trunk with his palm. "Damn, my weight is still a bother. I need to find a way to make myself weigh more. Being blown away by bigger monsters is such a hassle." Clay was grumbling like so while totally ignoring his attacker. He even decided then and there to inscribe Olden God''s Runes on his bones inscribing runes that would directly increase his mass according to how much magic power he circulates to his bones. With that, he finally looked at his attacker. A monster that had a sneaky appearance as well. It was a raptor-like monster that seems to be able to adapt its skin color according to its surroundings like a chameleon. It was a nifty ability to have for a hunter and a scoundrel. It didn''t take much time for Clay to fully grasp the monster''s data and stats. Then, without giving it another chance to land an attack, Clay extended his right hand, palm towards the skies, in the direction of the sneaky reptilian and forcefully clenched it as if crushing a tomato in it. With magic, he grasped the space that contained the monster''s head and easily crushed it by compressing that space in accordance to his fist, clenching. *crush* 41 Moving-in Ceremony 2 Continuing his travel towards Moribor Mountain, Clay encountered many of the residents of this mountain range and have eliminated every single one of them. Not via physical prowess but through magic. The moment he sees monsters, he eliminates them collecting their corpses and blood. Aiming to make concoctions, decoctions and mutagens from them. He also aims to create varying equipment for his men and the men of his men. The monsters in this mountain range were all so far above Rank C and so had greater value as materials for crafting. Weapon Making and Armor Crafting has already been mastered and integrated to UnltiCo and even Accessory Crafting was mastered. Enhancing equipment was done primarily through the Olden God''s Language runes, just like the Runes he engraved on his bones. When he arrived at the ideal place where they should set up their little base of operations. Clay flew up and used his high perspective to scout the area and immediately do some terraforming. Clay atomized everything except the soil. He was using his hands to form a square and set that as the target for his spell. What he used was taken straight from the idea that every matter is composed of particles. Scattering those particles inside that set target, Clay achieved his desired result and descended. Then used earth magic''s higher tier knowledge and technique, Gravity Magic, to level the lifeless field. "Phew. It sure is hard work to establish a foundation huh. When will my leisurely days start?" He was anticipating the time when he can finally just sit back and enjoy life. "Those guys should arrive half a month from now. So, building the foundation should be enough right?" Clay looked at the Sun above him and wondered when they''d arrive. In fact, he was really looking forward to torturing those guys in the name of training them. "I''m excited about them being people I nurture and grow to one of those people who stand at the top of their generation." Hehehe. Clay laughed creepily. And so, he spent his time building making the sewage system first laying the foundation like this, Clay was having more fun that how he first thought. He even forewent rest and just went at playing city builder until he was able to set up the foundation of a great city. The area that he initially created was expanded little by little until it was of the same area as most of the Kingdoms in the realm. That was, after all, his motivation in building an impressive City. Although, he considered letting them build their own city so that they''d have a sense of ownership for it, that wasn''t such a big issue as anyway, their lives are Clay''s and in effect, whatever they possessed, was also Clay''s. *** While Clay was doing his work on Moribor Mountain''s sole City. Moribor Mountain also had a guest. He was a man that emanated tremendous frost and chill from his body. He was wandering inside the Forest of Despair. A part of Moribor Mountain''s area of designation demarcated by the rivers that flowed towards the Lake of Monsters. The Lake of Monsters itself was closer to the foot of the mountain to the east and was getting its water from a river that flows from the peak of the mountain and makes its final destination there, while another river, a bigger one, coming from further east of the Impassable Mountain Range also supplies it with water. The last river that supplied the Lake of Monster''s water was the river from the west side of Moribor mountain where the frost-man came from. The Forest of Despair was also divided by that very river from the west. These rivers would later be dubbed as The Rivers of the Garden. The bigger ones where called Chidekel and Phirat while the lesser ones were called Pishon and Gihon. The one who named them was obviously someone who knew of four rivers, that could be named as such, which was Clay. 42 Isaac The Forest of Despair was a forest that defied borders. It was a forest divided by a big nameless river separating the human realm and the demon realm. Both realms share the benefits of the river from opposing sides and so it was determined that the border between them should be the river. However, the Forest of Despair was not included in the divide. Since both the demons and the humans could not conquer the forest of despair without sacrificing precious resources and soldiers. There was also a kingdom close to the Forest of Despair a long time ago. It was a kingdom that lived in the colder north that barely escapes the demon realm. In a way, they became the frontier kingdom that defended the human realm from invasion. However, the demons did not even need to make their move on that kingdom as that kingdom was destroyed by internal conflict first before monsters from the forest invaded them. It is still under debate whether the attack was orchestrated by the demons but debating about it would do no good to the salvation of the kingdom or the rebuilding of it. It was deemed that the kingdom was unsalvageable, so the human realm gave up on it. The ruins of that kingdom still lay in that place. Isaac, the man haunted by tremendous frost and chill, was a noble of that kingdom. It was a long time ago, yet he still lived to this day fighting his fate. He was tortured by this chill since young and have caused grief wherever he went. He was no ordinary noble as well. Hiding a secret, that he chose to forever bear until his body gives up and he dies. He chose to live through the torture and remember his sins. He was Isaac von Quilo, prince of the Kingdom of Frass. When he was born, he already emitted a cold and chilling aura which killed his mother after giving birth to him. No one blamed him or even knew that it was him that killed his mother. And even until he grew big enough to rule a territory under the kingdom, there were no one who suspected his chilling aura. How this happened was because of their own natural environment. The cold has made the people of Frass to be indifferent to the cold so when they felt the chills, it just reminded them that they had to work harder in keeping themselves warmer. Nothing threatening enough to warrant Isaac being disdained and cast aside. Isaac was assigned exactly to the place where the party that wanted to relocate wanted to move to. However, he was part of the people who did not wish to abandon the more important castle in the capital because of the significance it represented as the security of the Kingdom and so he was torn. However, war did not allow for hesitation and Isaac was dragged into the battle for capturing the traitors only if they did not resist and by that time, resistance was already growing. He also found out that the rebels have resorted to raiding villages that showed support to the faction that wanted to stay and fight to the death. Pillaging them and razing villages after letting the soldiers loot and ****. It was chaos. Isaac was so brokenhearted by the fact that these people were the ones he was protecting, that at the end of the day, they still died because of a problem that could have been solved with words. He personally witnessed one day a raiding of a village near the territory that he oversaw, he was on his way to tell them to be wary of the rebels. Only to see people he knew, participating in the raid. People who he greeted from time to time at the stalls of his territory. The butcher, the hunter, the tavern master. They were people from his own territory, raiding other villages. He was so shocked that his mind went blank and he felt that anger, could not be contained anymore. However, sentiments kept running inside his head, making him remember them as the gentle people that he protected personally. The images in his mind kept showing him the gentle side and the cruel side and was confused. That was the last straw. Isaac remained in his position while his personal knights awaited his orders. Seeing as he was not moving, they also kept silent. Most of them shaking their heads as they also knew the people leading the attack. They were all friends from the same territory under Isaac, and the neighboring village was a place that they also visited from time to time when they patrolled. It was heartbreaking to them, but they were knights. When and if their lord ordered them to move and kill the raiders, they would move, if ordered to kill the villagers they would move. They were that loyal to a fault. However, they did not know that at that time, Isaac had already broken. The magic energy that he had not agitated for more than 20 years in his life had now been stimulated by anger. No one could distinguish this change in him instantly as they were not used to detecting magic energy. They fought what they faced in front of them, not the invisible wind. And so, Isaac''s wrath raged and boiled to the point of no return in that place. *boom* 43 Words Dont Matter! Clay had already sensed the presence of a strong individual releasing magic comparable to what he had when he first started to gain more magic energy. He was not a threat but the element affinity that he was releasing could be bad news to the city that he had created. He moved to intercept this threat and resolved to deal with it with force if need be. Clay appeared in front of Isaac who was walking at a steady pace towards the Lake of Monsters. As if he was also strolling. Nothing could hinder him in this place since his magic always froze those who he deemed enemies. He was surprised by Clay''s sudden appearance and immediately deemed him a threat which made his magic move against Clay. However, Clay was no ordinary person. He immediately wrested control over the magic via UltiCo''s integrated skill called Magic Dominator. It was as easy as taking candy from a baby. While Clay did that he also spoke, "Whoa, whoa! Hold your horses there. I''ll take this for now, but don''t attack me again or we''ll have a problem." Said Clay as if Isaac was not even a bug that he had to be bothered with personally. He needed to ascertain that Isaac was not a threat to his city before letting him leave or even live. Life and death had already become a simple concept for Clay by this time. "Who are you?!" Isaac exclaimed. He was threatened greatly by what Clay just did to his magic. Isaac''s magic had evolved and had already become seemingly to have a will of its own. When Isaac feels threatened. It moves to protect him or attack the threat. However, Clay knew that Isaac had a skill called Magic Control which enabled Isaac to move his magic energy by will. A skill that was lower-tiered than Magic Dominator, but also rarely seen in humans. "I''m Clay, the ruler of this place. What business do you have in passing through here? I made a city just up ahead and your magic energy might be a threat to the city I built, so I have to make sure." Clay explained patiently. The moment that Isaac asked a question, Clay determined the other party as someone who he could talk to. "I''m a wanderer. I have been aimlessly traveling through the realms all this time and have heard that the view on Moribor Mountains'' Lake of Monsters was superb, so I visited." Said Isaac, answering Clay. Without lies in his words. It was indeed because he wanted to see for himself the beauty of the Lake. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "I''m afraid I can''t." Isaac answered. To which, Clay had also raised an eyebrow. It seems that knowing the truth alone really isn''t the be all end all. One had to know the circumstance behind as well, as Clay has yet to understand. "Why?!" Clay had released some of his magic while almost shouting that question. And Isaac also felt threatened even more because of that, that his magic automatically started to move in order to subdue Clay. By now, Isaac should have also realized that just by being in close proximity, Clay should have been made into a human popsicle via a frost and chill of his magic energy, however, being away from the presence of other human beings for a long time, had left him in need of a review. That moving magic energy towards Clay that manifested as frost, made Clay think that he was being attacked already, and clenched his fist and was ready to move in order to eliminated Isaac but, *ping* [Detected Spirit Energy from individual Isaac von Quilo] Clay immediately ceased his action and stood still. Surprised. Immediately he pulled up, UltiCo''s analysis of Isaac''s stats and his skills and even blessings. He found that Isaac, was blessed by a Spirit King called Frost. Which explained to him why a human was able to live while also constantly emitting such strong frost. This blessing must be protecting him from being swallowed by his own cold energy. Awesome. Immediately, Clay thought of a scenario in which he could earn Isaac''s trust while becoming his Master as well. "Hey you. Why don''t you serve under me? If you do, I will do something about that overly taxing magic energy that always leaks out from you. I''ll help you control it better than you''ve ever imagined. How about it. I know you''re suffering from it hence you''re wandering around with no home to go back to." With that quick thinking of his, Clay dissipated the tension immediately and veered the focus on Isaac''s ''ailment.'' To which, Isaac was staring with wide eyes towards Clay. As if what he heard was a clap of thunder from the skies. A voice of god from heaven. A nymph''s song in the forest. "Really? Are you able to that?!" And biting into the bait, was Isaac. The poor soul. Of course, seeing his reaction, Clay knew that his initial gamble had paid off and was now going to capitalize on Isaac''s weakness. Such was a capitalist. And Clay was one. "Of course, look." Immediately, Clay wrested almost all the magic energy inside Isaac from him and stored it inside him as his own energy. It was a miracle for Isaac to look at it visibly traveling from his body to Clay''s. Not only had he made it possible to live a normal life for him, it was also part of the deal to help him gain better control over it. Which was supposed to be too good to be true and should have been rejected as fast as it was offered. However, Isaac was desperate for salvation. He wanted it, he longed for it. The day, that he would be able to live with others again. 44 Caltec Journeying from Hamilton''s remotest village territory, towards the capital city and then continuing to Moribor Mountain needed at least 6 months. That was the timetable that Clay, their Master, also set for them. For Caltec, that was enough. He immediately set off towards his family''s home and told them of the great opportunity that had befallen him which extended to them, his family. They were also happy for Caltec. Especially his wife, Sanya. Sanya had always loathed the days that Caltec had to leave home to go on a mission to escort some nobles or even merchants from city to city. When he got back there were more scars on him that she counted and would weep over them. Caltec always made him happy that his wife worried for her and worried at the same time. However, he could not stop from doing this because this was what brought food on the table not just for him but for the rest of their families. Sanya''s family were with them as they''re farmers by birth and they would also die as farmers. When Caltec married Sanya, they brought the whole family and moved to Hamilton in a village called Thorn''s Edge. A village that thrived via farming and paying its dues to Hamilton through produce tax. The addition to Sanya''s side of the family to the population had made this village thrive and prosper. However, as their produce increased, the tax also increased because of the policies that had been passed since long ago. In the end, they still had little left to have as consumable. Caltec had to continue his mercenary work to support the rest of their family. With his salary, he was able to lift the living standard of the family and even the village. However, if he stopped his mercenary work, they''d starve sooner than later. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Half a month for arriving here and another half a month to get back including the preparations to Hamilton. Caltec passed those days planning for their longer journey towards Moribor Mountains. Arriving at Hamilton''s Capital, Caltec situated his family over to a simple compound he rented for a week for their stay at Hamilton. While he settled everything, he had to in the mercenary guild he belonged to. Caltec was part of the mercenary guild called Horns of Vakthani, named after the founder of said mercenary guild. Vakthani was a warrior who wore the horns of the monsters he slayed on the way to each escort service. Thus, he named his company the Horns of Vakthani. Caltec left the guild and paid the necessary fees to become a free man not fettered by the guild nor any other authority except Clay''s. Before leaving though, Caltec asked for the guild to find him as many criminal bands in different forms as they could and give it Caltec, to a price accordingly. He had a lot of money anyway, it was Clay''s order as well, so might as well use it for that purpose. Caltec also armed his men who went with him from the guild to join his ''family.'' People he could trust with his life. He armed them for the upcoming continuous fights they''d need to face in getting to Moribor Mountain. The journey will be fraught with danger, but he had to take this test and pass it if he were to continue serving Clay and benefit from him greatly. Better equipment was bought and worn as Caltec warned them who wore armor and weapons. "The journey we are about to make, is fraught with danger. Each step we take from now on should be taken with utmost caution and prudence. One single misstep will lead to us getting annihilated by monsters of the rank C or even higher. We are journeying towards the Moribor Mountains as I have explained to you. We won''t be taking this journey lightly and so, be especially alert and sharp. The lives of your family are at stake. Now, let''s take the first step into a glorious life!" Caltec spoke with much power and resolve and it was communicated to his people effectively bringing their morale as high as the sky. They started their Journey, 2 months after their initial encounter with Clay. On the way, they really did face troublesome bandits and even monsters but because most of them were mercenaries that walked outside the caravan which carried their families who could not fight, the enemies could not even come close. Also, on their way, they met up with Jon and Mor''s families who also bolstered the defensive and offensive capability of their caravan. 45 Jon and Mor Jon and Mor moved together in pair when they left to get their families. Both had families that simply lived in Hamilton''s Capital. Mor''s case was an exception as his family did not want to leave Hamilton''s nobility even if they''re only Barons. So Mor had no one else to take but his little self. He also left happily as if escaping the life of a noble was all he had ever hoped for. Mor was the second son of his father and so he was not going to inherit the Barony and would be left to fend for himself in the future. In fact, he had already predicted this beforehand and already started associating himself with mercenary life once he could go out and find opportunities for himself. He wasn''t particularly neglected but he wasn''t pampered either. Which to him was fine parenting for nobles already. So, he didn''t show any ungrateful kind of expression and attitude to his family. What he did instead was to excel more than his brother in magic. Although, magic wasn''t his strongest suit either. He was more of a jack-of-all-trades now which made him pass Clay''s evaluation for apprenticeship. His situation did not have any dramatic turn abouts and was ordinary, and so he did not have any other motivation than to just live a life that he himself decided. From a young age, Mor had been educated in every field possibly available for him when he grew up. This was how his family showed their love for him knowing that he would not be able to inherit the Barony or the title. He could only either strive to become a knight and work his way up to the nobility or excel in magic and be appointed to the magic division of the military. There was also plans to let him handle a business, a small one to see how it would go. All three ventures received a growth when Mor had done them, but the result was not too good nor too bad. In other words, average. His family did not lose hope and enrolled him to a third-rate knight''s institution to receive instruction but still he did not excel in there either. Finally realizing that Mor would always be average in anything, they gave him the freedom to pursue his own career and growth path. Which was now, all according to Mor and he went for a mercenary career. However, Clay saw something in Mor that not even his mediocrity could not hide. That was untapped potential. Now Mor awaits the day when he would finally be able to reach a new height and find his own purpose in following Clay. Jon was once a hunter that served for a village specialized in hunting, still in the Kingdom of Hamilton. Although he had a hunting cabin where he would stay most of the time, he still came back to his family each month for at least a week. When it came to pass that hunting became boring for him, he went for adventures, thus, he registered to the adventurer''s guild and went to hunt monsters and treasures. He gained all his knowledge and insight from the adventures he went on to, and even developed a sense to feel when danger was approaching him. Over the years that he felt exhilarated by the adventures that he had alone, he finally came to realize that even adventuring becomes boring when you get used to it. All the monsters he hunted had become his trophy in the form of the armor and weapons that he had forged by blacksmiths who accepted to work on them. Most blacksmiths at the present time only made mineral based weapons and armors so imagine when Jon brought them bones and hides to fashion into armor and weapons? He was at first outright rejected but his efforts and persistence chipped away at the mindset of some of the blacksmiths he frequented and finally forged him new weapons and armors using monster materials. Though it is still not popular because of the inefficiency of using monster materials in forging equipment, it still paid off that he had started the industry of using monster materials for weapons and armors. After getting bored of adventuring for the lack of courage to face stronger monsters and worry for his family, he joined a local based mercenary group where he met Caltec, then later Mor joined the squad as a recruit working his way up to a regular. Jon enjoyed the times they had as mercenaries under Caltec, but there was a time when Caltec was gone for who knows how long and someone replaced him for a good long year in leadership. His name was Malcom, a mercenary from the Horns of Vakthani main guild at the Imperial Capital. He was sent to Hamilton to replace Caltec for a while. That year was a year of unpleasant memories for Jon. This Malcom tended to slaughter every enemy in his opposition even when they were already surrendering. It was as if this man had so much thirst for blood that he did not stop unless all enemy in front of him had died and been hacked to pieces. This displeased most of the mercenaries that were under Caltec prior to Malcom. Thankfully, Caltec returned after a year and Malcom disappeared to the Imperial Capital without any word of goodbyes and what-not. However, no one even bothered to question it and just let it be. Even Jon did not feel any danger from him for that whole one year, and so he also let it slip his mind. A few years later, a traitorous Hero had been branded as such by the royal lineage of Acadria to be hunted down and brought to justice, they were commissioned by the prince called Guilbert who had been received in Hamilton by the royals there. They went to the border between the human realm and the demon realm up north where Igelias Kingdom serves as the first line of defense. They went to Agera, a frontier town that specialized in monster subjugation hunts to find the Hero. However, it took them three months to get the hero and Jon had not even sensed danger from the hero himself. It was as if he walked into their trap to test himself. However, that was proven true by Jon and Caltec and Mor when the monster train had happened and they were all taken in by Clay, the very Hero that they had set out to capture. Now their lives are under Clay''s palm. 46 Useless Rage Going back in time. Ortush, the knight assigned to lead the expedition to capture the criminal hero in Agera, had been sent back to Hamilton all black and blue. He was beaten by Clay with just one punch that no one saw and knew but him. Even Ortush was not able to discern how he was struck. However, when he came to, he was surprised that he had woken up in a room that seemed familiar. It was his room in the barracks in Hamilton for knights. Ortush sat up and tried to recollect his memories before waking up here. And there, he remembered the criminal hero that they had captured and was intimidating him to go back to his cage and him ordering others to round up the criminal, but no one moved. Rage slowly crept up into his mind as he remembered the embarrassment that he experienced in front of many soldiers. Mercenaries they may be, but the information circulation of their own guilds were huge. If rumors about him being taken down without even knowing why, then his reputation as a knight would plummet. He had to protect his face. While that rage seemed to have bubbled up, he called for his knave. "Knave! Attend to me!" He yelled out loud towards the door. Immediately, a young boy who was thin enough came inside all flustered. He then stood at attention in front of Ortush''s bed and waited for his orders. Ortush had the urge to hit this knave of his but refrained from it. He then ordered, "Prepare my armor and send word to his Highness Guilbert that I have a report to make." "Y-Yes Sir!" The knave almost stumbled as he ran to another place to get the knight Ortush''s equipment and returned to help him fitted with it and again disappeared right after to set an appointment with the prince Guilbert. All Ortush had to do was wait for the appointment to be approved and he''d go to the crown prince''s quarters to report. He waited not too long and the appointment was approved. "Your Highness Prince Guilbert, it is Ortush." Ortush said loudly at the entrance of the prince''s quarters while kneeling to announce his presence and arrival. After a few seconds of wait, the door''s locked knob was unlocked and turned. The one to welcome him was a fellow knight, but of a higher position than him so he still had to show deference to the knight. Ortush was not like the others, he did not particularly worship Grasler as his hero, nor did he have ambitions to surpass Grasler. What he had for him was jealousy. He was jealous that this old knight can still stand proudly like he was still effective in combat beside the prince. If it were himself, then he should be able to match any who would dare harm the prince. Alas, delusion was the result of vanity and unproven might, was the bane of the proud knights. Ortush immediately kneeled in front of the prince to make his report and said, "Your Highness, we had succeeded in capturing the criminal hero, however, he had escaped from his cage and the mercenaries failed to capture him again. No, they refused to capture him who was the criminal who was the aim for this expedition. I urge the prince to punish those mercenaries responsible and execute them all in the name of having betrayed the prince!" Ortush made sure to forget telling the prince about the fact that he was knocked out and brought back here by the same mercenaries. All for the sake of silencing everyone involved. *chuckle* The prince chuckled which turned into a full-blown laughter a second later. It seemed something amused the prince from Ortush'' report. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "Sir Ortush, it seems you take me for a fool. I have known what happened since the start and yet you come to me reporting something so lacking in truth and consistency? Am I a foolish prince to you?" The prince''s face distorted in anger and indignation by the fact that he felt that Ortush had insulted his intelligence. Ortush did not speak further and only awaited the prince''s decision. He was scared, but he could not show it, no, not before these people present. 47 The Operations Failure The prince Guilbert had been rather mad about the operation by the Night Prowlers failing. The plan was to use the monster train to annihilate the mercenaries and even the knight Ortush in one fell swoop and then putting the blame all to the Hero again. However, the Night Prowlers came back after luring the monsters and left everything to the monsters without trying to even clarify the result. The ending of this supposed to be tragic fall of over 500 strong army had become the survival story of more people than expected and the money that was supposed to be kept because of their annihilation had to be given as compensation. Although not all of it, his heart still bled for those coins. What made him angrier was the survival of this useless knight he had disposed to lead the army of mercenaries. "If only I could order the Night Prowlers to kill people for me. That damn old man didn''t allow them to follow orders that took lives from me. If they did, I would have successfully killed off everyone that opposed my immediate ascension to the throne when father fell sick from the poison, I especially had concocted for him." Guilbert had been raging inside his mind even when he was listening to Orutsh'' nonsensical rubbish of a report. He already knew what happened from the mercenaries that did not respect royal etiquette and directly reported to him what happened. That''s why he had already planned to intercept the Horns of Vakthani lead by the captain that time, Caltec. However, the entire mercenary company had disappeared for more than two weeks and only repappeared in the capital Hamilton a few days ago. He was buying criminal bands all over the place, according to Night Prowlers information network. Knowing that, the prince thought that the Horns of Vakthani might still be trying to recapture Clay after that incident, but thoroughly denied that notion when he heard from other captains that Caltec had joined the ranks of the hero through what looked like a magical contract. Meaning, he was bound to the Hero along with two other unremarkable persons. Giving more headache to the prince. "Sir Ortush, you have done us years of service and have proven your loyalty to the throne. Therefore, I shall appoint you a few squads to go ahead of the traitorous Horns of Vakthani members under someone called Caltec and put them to justice for their deeds. If you do this right, you will have done us a great merit worthy of reward when we come back to the Kingdom." Exhausted, the prince had seemingly given Ortush the chance to redeem himself. However, Ortush himself did not notice that he had been sent to death by the prince instead. "I shall redeem my failure with this, your Highness! Have confidence that this knight shall accomplish this without failure!" Ortush was a bit emotional as he said that. He thought he would be sent back to Acadria because he failed to bring back the criminal hero. However, the prince had given him another chance and this time, he will execute this little task with utmost sincerity. At least on the outside, that is. Ortush thought. "You will leave tomorrow at first light. Your squads will be waiting for you by then at the gates. Good luck!" I hope this time you really accomplish your task. Your hidden quest will be to die successfully, you useless mutt. Guilbert thought viciously. Ortush having been scolded in front of many prominent knights had embarrassed him greatly. However, with this chance, he will have an opportunity to redeem his face. His pride as a knight keeps him from breaking down and even encourages him to move more viciously to achieve a goal and keep his position as knight. Such was vanity. The next day at dawn, Ortush woke up and had his knave help him put on his armor and then ordered to carry all his things on another horse. The knave promptly did as he was told and went with Ortush. Arriving at the gates where a few squads of knights. Ortush could already imagine the state of the Horns of Vakthani who betrayed the prince, ordering a charge with these knights on horseback will end the fight in a swift manner worthy of calvary. He was feeling excited. And rightly so, as the charge of knights was one to be utterly frightened off. At least, by ordinary soldiers. It was a week after Caltec, Jon and Mor had met up on the way. They had been traveling for a week facing some brigands and few monsters on their journey. But this day, it felt that the air was colder than it was yesterday, and the sun was dimmer. Caltec looked towards Jon as his was the highest senses he''d ever known. And just so, Jon also felt something was wrong. Not the same type of gut feeling that Caltec had but a real feeling of danger coming from in front of them. And it was approaching fast. With but a single nod from Jon, Caltec understood what he meant and promptly stopped the caravan from moving forward. He spoke to Jon immediately right after. Jon''s sense of danger was the most accurate of sensory tools that they can use now. Knowing when and how fast approaching the enemies are, was a boon that cannot be taken for granted. "It''s fast. Like a horse riding at full speed towards us." Jon spoke ominously while he crouched and felt the earth with his ears. The feedback was telling him, it was not a horse, but horses, lots of them! "Old Man! It''s a cavalry! We need to get the carriages away from the road and move forward so that we can meet the cavalry before they become a threat to the others! Mor, ready your most powerful and destructive magic right now and hold it until you have a clear shot. I will dig a hole on the ground enough for the horses to fall over once they come as the second line of defense. Old Man, you take the last line of defense and put pound a few holes into the ground as well. We must even the battlefield if we''re to fight with numerous knights all at ones. Keep the other soldiers to protect the carriages at all cost. They''re the hope of our families!" Jon was giving out orders left and right, but no one here seemed to doubt and even resist his orders. Caltec also followed without any word of resistance. It was a level of trust that couldn''t be forged between comrades in a day. Caltec immediately relayed the orders to his subordinates, the former Horns of Vakthani members. 48 Battle of Brokenknight Highway The Battle of Brokenknight Highway. That was how this battle was dubbed as, by historians that came to investigate what had happened at this unknown highway months before the establishment of the Claiomh Solais Kingdom later known as Claiomh Solais Empire. What transpired may have been the briefest and most one-sided beating that any knight order has taken from former mercenaries that recently became subordinate to the ruler of the Empire Clay, the Great Hero Emperor. According to historical facts and some rumors from credible sources the leading figures of the Empire had been ambushed by Acadrian forces on their way to meet up with their Lord. A now unknown knight who was ordered to lead a few squads of knights to ambush the leading figures of the empire. However, because of the heroic blessing of their Lord, the leading figures of the empire had managed to single-handedly repel the ambush and came out unscathed. It was a fascinating and glorious piece of history to be written down with utterly careful investigation and cross references. Here''s what happened. *** Ortush had already started their charge the moment that the scouts they left a few klicks away from their ambush spot gave their signals. Their charge became a torrent of overpowering force flowing straight towards their unknowing victims. Ortush was sure of his victory. He signaled to the rest of the cavalry behind his charge to gallop full throttle without holding anything back. A horse''s gallop could reach 40 to 50 kilometers full speed while a knight is riding it. The force that generates is devastating to any infantry that does not have a means of defense, like the caravan that Caltec leads. However, this was not a battle on the medieval scene, this was a battle in a world where magic and swords ruled logic. If only Ortush had seen the battle with the Minotaur that the three people had done when they had been overrun by monsters at that camp, he would have known that Mor, the youngster that was with Caltec then, knows magic and powerful ones at that. If only he also knew that Clay had given him a national treasure level artifact, the stick, then he would have gotten off his horse and ambushed on foot instead. Knowledge is power, that is true for any age or world. And Ortush did not have any information. While Caltec''s side, although not fully informed had inklings of the danger that they represented to them via Jon''s ability. An ambush has failed effectively when the enemy had already prepared for it in real-time. It was failure again and again for the sad and poor Ortush. He failed to grasp the significance of the hint that was thrown at him by the presence of Mor standing in their way. Even his small army behind him, jeered and snickered in contempt for this seemingly futile attempt to contain them. The next moment, and it was a literal moment. Above the young man was a ball of flame as large as a boulder, appearing almost instantly. It seems the horses felt the magic energy fluctuation and became frightened. If they were less trained as horses, they''d have abandoned this useless charge and just escaped directly, however, they were indeed very well-trained horses. They were courageous and followed command like a good little soldier. Which now have led them to their demise. Mor flung his hand forward in order to direct the flaming ball of burning gas and magic power into the ranks of the cavalry. Ortush was the first to panic. He wanted to stop the horse he was riding but was unable to just stop because he will get trampled on instead. He spurred his horse even more and sped up somehow to veer out of the way of that ball of flame! His knights charging behind him wanted to follow but they were too slow, and the ball of flame already arrived in front of them with accuracy that defied common sense. It even seemed as if the ball of flame followed them and was fully intent to burn them all with itself. *swoosh* There were no explosions. There were no theatrics. Just a hellish amount of flame that burned the knights'' lungs as the air they breathed in was burned. Effectively burning their insides thus killing them. The rest of the knights at the back were already aware of what happened and promptly stopped their charge and circled around the splashed flames in the way. They were able to survive. And seeing their leader had already escaped the range of the flaming hell, they followed behind him yet again and continued to charge immediately. Mor on the other hand had already disappeared to the back of the line where the rest of the former mercenaries protected the caravan. It was Jon''s turn this time as Ortush had returned to the more favorable terrain on which a horse''s charge was more effective, on the highway. It was yet another mistake on his part. If there were traps at the front, expect that there will be traps right after as well. However, Jon had disguised the ditch that he had mad with the mantle covering of the carriages and some dirt. Without knowing anything, Ortush had come charging through to reach Jon and behead him. And, *crash* Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Ortush was a fool. That was for sure, however, the state by which he died in was awful to say the least. Jon had taken the time to put spikes below the hole and the ditch he made had swords buried as the spikes. Currently, the soldiers protecting the caravan had no weapons so to speak. His gamble yet again paid off for himself and his company. 49 Acadrias Salvation An traveled night and day, without rest to deliver this package she was entrusted with. It was such an urgent matter that she even forewent her meals and sleep. An knew that if she did not deliver it fast enough, she would be in anxiety longer. As a young lady, An had been left in the slums of Acadria where the laws of the kingdom doubled with the rules of the slums made her life miserable. In her hour of need, there was the King and Sunshine who extended their hands towards her giving her a place to call home and become someone, instead of continuing to be a nobody. She was an orphan that was left behind by her parents because of debt. She did not know if they were still alive, but she did not particularly care. She only wanted to dedicate her life to the King and Sunshine. And now, she was presented with a way to do just that and her excitement and anxiety made her extremely agitated. She arrived at the kingdom and straight to the palace she went. Staying in the shadows and even entering the King''s chamber unnoticed by the rest of the servants inside. There were no other covert operatives in the palace since all of them were assigned to Guilbert who had the highest chance of revolt. They also knew that it was guilbert who had poisoned the King; however, evidence was still needed to convict him and judge him. With the efforts they had to make to find a cure for the poison that Guilbert had administered to the King, it was a painful struggle. Now, she had with her, the legendary All-Cure pill that the Hero Clay concocted for the King. It was their salvation, no, the whole of Acadria''s salvation rested on her delivering this cure for the king. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. An, stood in the shadows inside the chambers of the King. She stood and stayed there for a good 10 minutes before she moved quietly and quickly. She reached her hands on the king''s mouth to open it up a little and make him swallow the pill. When she reached his face and grabbed his mouth, her hands were suddenly grabbed by the King which scared her. *wheeze* The King wheezed as he wanted to speak and finally after finding his voice, he said, "My Liege, it is An. I have come bearing a cure for your illness. Swallow this pill and quickly get healthy. The Kingdom needs you still, after all." She said that with a forced smile on her face. The king had already lost his sight and most of his other senses due to the poison. They did not know how long he would have lasted still, if a cure couldn''t be found. An immediately shoved the pill down the King''s mouth and made him swallow by assisting his swallowing with her water magic. For a few seconds, there were no changes to the King''s condition and An had an even more anxious face to show. However, just as she had thought and comforted herself that the medicine might have a delayed effect, the King''s body became wrapped in a gentle green light. It was the light of healing and transformation. The light effects were Clay''s doing. He wanted the effects of healing to be visible via some light shows and added ingredients that did just this. In fact, the healing would have immediately happened if not for dissolving this layer of the medicine first. Seeing what was happening to the King, An stood at the ready behind the door to the chamber and unsheathed her dagger. She did not want anyone to disrupt the healing process of the King. However, her worry was for naught as the effect was in, fact, immediate. The King''s complexion gained more color by the second. And by the tenth second that passed, the King''s body had already been rid of any impurities in his body. Any scar was healed as well as any unseen injuries that he might have sustained. In fact, it worked too well, that even his life force had come back to that of when he was a man in his youth. His hair was still grey and long, but his face was rid of wrinkles and his muscles gained their previous tone. An couldn''t close her mouth even until after the King had already stood up in front of her. Realizing her rudeness, An immediately kneeled in front of the King and greeted, "Long live the King! Congratulations on your healing." Said An, still looking at the floor. The King in response extended his hands towards An to make her get up and stand as equals with the King, in the presence of no one. It was that same image that she had always remembered the king extending his hand towards her in slums some years ago. "How long has it been since I have extended these hands of mine towards those in need?" The King smiled and muttered as if to remember the last time he had done this gesture. "It doesn''t matter My Liege. What matters now is that you''ll be able to extend those hands to others in need again." An added. "How did you come upon such a godly medicine child?" The King, who has regained his youth somehow, Gracius vi Acadria, asked as if a father to a child. An felt happiest for his ''father'' who took her in. His recovery was every bit her wish after all. 50 Clays City Building Completed To the present, where Clay had continued to build the city via cheat means. To see the day when he completed a city all on his own, well, plus one, but the other one did not matter in the creation process. Clay had made a sewage system and then hardened the floor pavement so that it can withstand weights than run up to 300 tons. This way, even if he and his ''pals'' walked around with weights than multiplied 10 to even 50 times, it would still be able to hold on. The standard for setting that up was Clay''s fully activated runes inside his body, specifically his bones. He had analyzed that his total weight when activated exceeded 200 tons but did not reach the 300 tons mark, so he reinforced all the flooring and foundations to be able to hold up that range of weights. After making the sewage, the outer walls and even the city hall, he began to construct an arena and a training hall for all that he had to train. It was a big Rome Colosseum style building that had plenty of room to let loose when practicing moves. The entire structure was reinforced not by magic infusion but by Runes this time. Clay had to work, day in and day out to completely cover the inner walls with Runes for indestructibility. Although a Rune''s abilities still could not become the very definition of the word, it still came close to how ordinary people would describe sturdy things in exaggeration. What made Clay even more excited was the City Square where the city''s transactions will be focused on and be located. It was a well-thought plan for a city if Clay only had to listen to his own voice of praise. However, location and target audience aside, Clay had nailed that his work was worthy of praise. It takes a stupidly free person to finish even just one building and Clay had even finished an entire city in less than a month. With Clay leisurely building the city and Isaac undergoing the hellish training, the sixth month finally came. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Caltec, Jon and Mor, along their families arrived at the borderline where the Forest of Despair started on the human realm side of it. An entrance to the forest was there. However, effectively it wasn''t supposed to be an entrance. It was supposed to be a marker and a warning that this partition was put there to be a reminder that the lives of whoever ventures forth would be forfeit. Caltec and the rest also hesitated in getting inside to travel towards the foot of the Moribor Mountain through the Forest of Despair. At the foot of Moribor, Clay also noticed his retainers coming into the forest. With a nod, as if to signify his action, he disappeared from the place via space magic. In the next instant he appeared he was already just ahead of Caltec and his company. He then walked towards them slowly as if on a leisure walk at the park. Sensing the presence of someone, Caltec ordered the rest to stay put while putting up their guards. "At least you haven''t gone less vigilant. That''s a good trait to continue to have. Come on, let''s go to the place where your new home will be." Showing himself to them, Caltec heaved a heavy sigh and lowered his guard just a few seconds after he heard the voice and saw Clay, his master. The ones with him also breathed sighs just as Caltec did. Jon and Mor beamed with smiles as they finally felt safest with Clay coming to get them. In fact, Clay had not planned to get them personally and just let them fight their way towards the foot of Moribor, however, in his excitement to show off his hard work of building the city, he forewent the plan and just hurriedly met them on their way. 51 Welcome to Claiomh Solais! Clay led them towards the city and in about an hour of walking and receiving reports from his retainers, they had arrived. On the way, Clay had stopped walking and wanted to ride on one of the carriages and just sat beside the driver. Caltec wanted to at least have him seated inside the carriage but Clay dismissed their courtesy and told them to just mind their own business. Without any power to veto his decision, the three of them acquiesced and just walked beside the carriage and reported what happened on their journey for 6 months. They recounted their encounter with Ortush and his knights, the monsters and bandits they had to fight off using Clay''s bestowed armaments to them. All these while feeling the rush in their voices. Like children that were so excited that they just forget themselves and talk on and on and on. Clay patronized them and just listened to their stories without showing his boredom. All that happened to his retainers had already been transmitted to him via the perception he had that encompassed the whole of Alleucanth. So simply focusing on their presences, he was able to monitor their progress and see if they needed help or whatever. And since it was not necessary to help them at all in their travels because of the simply made weapons he gave them, it was all good. Caltec also reported about the Acadrian prince called Guilbert and his current whereabouts and plans, however, Clay had only let it pass his ears as he knew that Guilbert wouldn''t even be a threat to him anyway. As if an ant, could greatly threaten him at this juncture. Besides, he made sure to keep his promise to someone some time ago. As the walls of the city appeared in their views. Caltec, Jon, Mor and the whole company gasped and even let out restrained voices of excitement. And that was what Clay had been waiting for. The achievement of surprising his retainers and their families through the sheer size and height of the walls of the city. And he knew that their surprise for today will not end at just seeing this. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Arriving at the gates, Clay opened the gate without ease to the surprise of many among the following. The Gate was a 20 or so meter high, 2-meter-thick as well and must have weighed more than 10 tons and he so easily opened it as if pushing a normal door. However, the more surprising thing was that the frames that the gates were attached from did not even issue any loud noises that it should have from its enormous size and weight. The grating of the floor should have come naturally. The craftsmanship of this gate and the walls must have been to perfection. More than that, now that the inside was exposed to them from the opening of the gates, the empty city that they could see inside was breathtaking. The buildings rose from the ground as if mushrooms and boasted heights that they had never thought possible. The buildings looked seamless. Meaning it did not use bricks and whatever conventional materials to build. According to their common sense, buildings like this should have less lifespan and would fall to the ground by just introducing it to a little bit of shaking from an earthquake, but what they were feeling from the tall standing buildings were astonishment and safety that came from out of nowhere in their minds and hearts. Caltec looked at Clay quizzically while Clay answered with a nod. As if they had an agreement in that, Clay took to the front again as some of them couldn''t help but step forward and look inside to make sure they were not dreaming, and extended his hands wide, saying, "Welcome to Claiomh Solais, the City of the Sword of Light!" With a hearty laugh that he could not restrain, Clay let it out of his mouth surprising his subjects, while he himself entered the city, without looking back. Seeing this, the rest followed him and excitedly looked left and right. Clay directly brought them towards where he wanted them to settle down as his first subjects. He did not want them to be treated as ordinary people because they will be from now on, the pioneer of this city, this country that Clay had build just for his pleasure. Bringing them to a location close to the City Hall that he had built up. A residential building stood close to the walls that separated Moribor Mountain from the city itself. It had a fence that were from the same material used to make the outer walls which were only at 1.5 meters. The residential building was separated by yet another fence of 1.5 meters to allow neighbors to see each other. The building itself looked to be a condominium type. It was rectangular and was clearly divided into three parts. One for Caltec and his family, Jon and his family and then Mor, and the mercenaries along their own families as well. 52 A Year of Hell and Heaven A year has passed since his subordinates arrived and settled down in Claiomh Solais. A week after settling down, Clay brought all of them to the Training Area. The Roman Colosseum look-alike stood proud close to the center of the City. Isaac had already been training for almost a month and this proved to be his advantage and an unexpected motivation for his other three subordinates. Caltec, Jon and Mor seemed to have their backs lit on fire as they competed between themselves who would improve most in training. Isaac showed a smug expression when they were all introduced to each other. Unfortunately for him, Clay had yet to make a contract with him effectively making him one of his people. So, his smug face was replaced with a despondent look when the three of them summoned their own contracts and shoved them to his face. With a look of indignation and pleading, Isaac also looked towards Clay expecting him to also make a contract. At that time, Clay had yet to evaluate Isaac as someone he could actually use in the long run, however, he reckoned that if Isaac were to fully control his own leakage of Magic energy, then perhaps Clay would be able to analyze how the Spirit Magic signatures coming from Isaac are coming from. Although, from his initial analysis, Isaac''s spirit energy is from the Spirit King called Frost but connecting to that spirit king may prove to be a challenge. So, he sought out other ways to make a contact with spirits and he succeeded when he analyzed Isaac''s spirit signature and traced it back to its origins. The way to do this was to grab Isaac, invade his own mana storage and find a link to the spirit energy signature. When Clay grabbed a hold of that spiritual energy signature, he was able to trace the origin back and saw the surprised look on the Spirit King, Frost. It was not only the spirit king who was surprised but also Clay, which made him somehow lose concentration and let go; disconnecting the line. After that first encounter, Clay did not try again, as Isaac may come to danger if he tried that again. In the end, Clay did make a contract with Isaac to be one of his subordinates. He personally told Isaac to be the mayor of the City, taking care of it to his utmost. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Of course, his gain for this, was if he were to incorporate Haki in his already formidable body, it would develop into a weapon that can be used however he wished to. Toughness was not a problem and sharpness can be honed through Haki, there would be nothing that could hinder him except the truly tougher than him. Without any other progress from then, Clay made it his daily routine for a year to train his subordinates personally. He gave Caltec, Jon, and Mor the same load as Isaac had and witnessed their faces pale and their veins bulging out of pure pain. Just like Isaac, he also healed them at the right time and never let them rest. Of course, Isaac was not exempted from this. He was also lining up with them. "Isaac, you should also tell them the important points I told you about this training. I''ll leave these here while you guys train your bodies first. I''ll be back after a week. You don''t need to rest to sleep or eat. Just drink the potions at specific times and you''ll live to see your families again." Clay told them with a serious face. It was not a joke to train like this. If they made a mistake, they could very well die in a moment. Leaving them behind, Clay turned towards those people behind them looking quietly towards the 4 people who were being tortured, in the name of training. Clay announced: "Those of you who know how to take care of herbs and plants, move to the right side." And the people were divided. Most of the farmers from Caltec''s family stepped towards the right just as Clay had ordered. Then, "Those who know their magic affinity, stay at your side, but move forward. More than half of yet again from the farmers group stepped forward and from the left side almost all of them except the children below 12 also stepped up. They had the same number of children. "Those who know how to take care of herbs and plants will from now on become alchemists. Those who know what their magic affinity is, should learn magic from me after I instruct the alchemists. The children are required to attend the Primary Education program Isaac and I set up in the evenings so that they can learn how to read and write by the time they graduate." Clay made his voice clearer and firmer as he spoke. The families in front of him had looks of admiration but also fear plastered on their faces. But Clay did not mind this. It was better that they fear him now, than later when there''s no place for regret. "Alchemists, go to the botanical garden a kilometer away from this Training Area, to arrive at the Botanical Garden, you only have to follow the scent of flowers. When you arrive there, I will also get to you. Now, those who know your own affinity, divide yourselves into your corresponding affinity. Fire to Fire, Water to Water and Wind to Wind and so on! Once done, as a group shout your affinity. Proceed!" Clay''s instructions were clear, and they followed without much mistakes. It was the fear and awe and respect that gave them this much trust in him. 53 A Year of Hell and Heaven 2 "Alchemists are the masters of medicine and whatever else that needs the expertise of being a chemical composer. An alchemist''s job entails that one must grow his own stash of medicinal herbs to use for research. And once your experiments are approved and given a high valuation, you can proceed to creating the pill, concoction or decoction as freely as you can. However, an alchemist must remember one thing in this life, every medicine recipe you create cannot and should not leak to the outside world. This is my personal rule for you. If you break this, know that a consequence will follow. With that, let''s start the lesson." Clay took out a furnace for Pill concoction and a distiller for potion creation. He gave each one of the farmers the same equipment without any differences in its quality. Clay''s aim to is to make sure that the farmers themselves know ho to process their own harvests so that production is up to demand if need be when the time comes. Alchemists needed not any kind of strong combat ability but the precision of following the recipe to the letter. Any research done to enhance an existing recipe will have to be done according to your own preferences and free time. "What you are holding in your hands are the Pill Furnace. And those beside you are the distillers for Potion Making. Once you master the art of temperature manipulation, I will have you try out recipes. However, for now, keep those tools away and focus on what I will teach you." Clay pointed towards what they were holding and the distiller on the ground and proceeded in teaching them the basic process of manipulating heat. It was using magic. Fire affinity was no longer needed when doing magic, because Clay found out that the skill associated with it was used to just help in controlling the output and to produce the "fire." Clay was not going to teach them Fire magic, but natural phenomenon manipulation. "What I''m about to teach you, you should never teach to those who do not wish to become alchemists. Only your children are illegible for learning this technique and outsiders are without any right to learn this. Not even your family members that are not part of the group you are currently in, the Alchemists." "Once I teach you this, you will keep everything you have learned from others and only practice here. Understood?" "Yes Lord!" The Alchemists nodded their heads right after shouting their answers. The determination they showed even rivaled that of Caltec, Jon and Mor when he made contracts with them. Jora was the impetus, then day after day, they were able to feel and see the flow of magic particles in the air. Through their practices, they were able to master the feeling. Then proceeded into the next training menu. Clay assigned Jora to be the leader of these alchemists and appointed him as chief apprentice. In the end, even after a year, Jora had remained the chief apprentice. While the rest had followed behind him in their training. It seems that when they thought Clay wasn''t looking, they were exchanging notes and teaching each other what they felt and what they learned. Leading to Jora and the rest to have almost the same ability and mastery over the skill [Magic Perception]. Although not as good as Clay, they still had the qualification now to be proper magic and alchemist apprentices of Clay. The next few months after that until the year ended, they were taught by Clay to next take control of those particles by attaching some of their own magic energy into the particles to control them. This was a hard process and thus, their training became even more arduous, but no one gave up. And the result of such perseverance was Jora, finally attaining the skill, [Magic Control]. The rest have yet to do this, but Clay was not in a hurry. In between training the Alchemists, his retainers and the different affinity magic users he called, Elementalists, he was also conducting his own research on how he could further trace Spiritual Energy from Isaac''s connection to the Spirit realm. He trained the Elementalists with the same magic principles that he taught the alchemists, however, as they already had affinity to either Fire, Water or Earth, they needed less time to master feeling the magic particles and attaching their magic energy onto them. Resulting in them proceeding faster than the alchemists. What they did have difficulty in doing was, mastering the imagery of their spells to cast them without chanting. The logic to this is rather simple. Clay hated to sound so chuunibyou-ish. So, he pondered and analyzed what made the existing magic spells tick. And he found the answer. The chanting was used to give the caster a clearer image and aid them in maintaining the image as they cast the spell. Without it, there were many cases of magic apprentices burning their faces of or even cutting their limbs off with their own out of control imagery. 54 A Year of Hell and Heaven 3 Other people experienced the heaven of being taught by Clay techniques for magic, and others, they were not so fortunate. They experienced hell. And who they were are four people that were constantly beaten up to the brink of death each time. Such people were Caltec, Isaac, Jon and Mor. They were constantly being beaten to a pulp by Clay whenever he teaches them techniques in fighting. In fact, it was Clay training himself to fight by acquiring the skills needed for it. Clay preferred to use his fists just like Caltec, but Clay did not need to use weapons for it because his own flesh was stronger than most weapons. So, he practiced hard with all four of them with their own fighting styles. "That''s it! Feel the magic energy within you!" Clay shouted as he sent a punch containing his normal weight behind it and blew Caltec away. Caltec showed signs of being able to perceive magic particles after three to four sessions of being beaten up by Clay. From the first week to the months that followed, they all learned how to control their magic energy flow and even incorporate Haki into their own moves. Clay had learned [Pugilist] Skill as his reward for fighting bare handed. Even Caltec did not have this skill yet. However, mastery was another thing, so Clay still had no way to beat Caltec through sheer technique alone. He did not show such a weakness to them though, as befitting a master to his subordinates. After all, 4 of them learned how to control the magic energy inside their bodies without converting them into elemental affinities, he taught them moves that took advantage of his "knowledge." He taught them the Turtle Destructive Wave as a finisher. He demonstrated to them how to do the technique and unsurprisingly, they all got the hang of it after trying it out a few times. However, the problem was the gathering of the magic energy they needed for it to be considered strong enough to use in battle. At their initial level, it could only be compared to a fart from even the original template for it. At least when Goku did it in his youth, he was able to produce a Kamehame as big as his own head. Caltec and the rest though, were not even able to make it go past 1 meter until it limped down to the ground as if a dick having just finished one shot off. Their stats were all lowered to the average stats an adult human should have when their enhanced criminal bands are activated. And sure enough, it was activated almost every time, except when of course making love. However, without it, their stats would shoot up and reach the 800s mark. It was a really great way to train the body in a balance. Their STR, INT, DEX and even MGC stats were all enhanced equally. Their muscles were enhanced due to the weight they had to constantly bear; their intelligence were enhanced due to them having to know exactly when is the right time to use potions to heal themselves; their agility and flexibility were enhance due to their training in precisely controlling their own bodies to make the most of how much power they can generate; and lastly, their magic energy capacity and the ability to dish out magic attributed attacks were enhanced due to the fact that they had to use some magic to reinforce themselves and carry their own body without help. That was a hellish kind of training in a sense that they would have died any, moment if they were late in using the potion and heal themselves. It was scary to think of. Regarding the City, Claiomh Solais, it was announced to the world that this City was a city that welcomed those who feel like they have nowhere else to go. As merchants came and visit the city when they found a real path towards it from the borders of the Forest of Despair, they immediately propagated its existence and the quality of products they produce. The main attraction were the potions that the Alchemist apprentices made to master concoction taught by Clay. The recipe he taught them was of the lesser healing potion. It only heals a small portion of anyone''s health but now, supply of potions was hard to come by. So, the production was jacked-up, to prevent Clay''s brand to be mixed to some inferior products. Taking over the market of potion industry within a year. And of course, those that were sold were the lesser quality items. What the apprentices were working on were greater healing potions. A High Potion costs 2 gold coins each and selling this to ordinary people would drive them nuts. It could be sold for more than just 2 gold coins, however, since Clay himself said that the materials were from lesser ingredients, he ordered to sell them at the price lower than expected. And most of the profit were given to the apprentices and their family, only giving to the city treasury a portion of their income. The city itself had been accepting some immigrants so that their population would grow, and other people would find their partners in life here. Safety was also guaranteed as Clay himself had set up immaterial barriers that would materialize whenever a threat is detected. Either from monsters or from people. Once detected, the barrier would enclose the city and lock out any invading forces or lock-in any criminal to be apprehended. The scarier part is, that Clay did not make any Prison to keep criminals in. That meant that criminals would be directly dealt with. Although, those considered criminals are only murderers and abusers. The rest are left to Isaac to handle. 55 Rumors Rumors have spread towards kingdoms surrounding the Impassable Mountain Range. In particular, the Moribor Mountain where that Forest of Despair originates. The Lake of Monsters, which supplies its waters and the rumored city built at the foot of the mountain. A city called Claiomh Solais, the Sword of Light. Such a rumor was dismissed by those who held common sense and held onto it true. They knew that it was impossible or people to live inside the Forest of Despair or even the Lake of Monsters, why? Because of the presence of the King of Monsters and the rumored Dragon inside the Moribor Mountains. Although, rumors of the dragon were probably false, there truly existed Kings of Monsters inside. They were the S-Ranked monsters that the adventurer''s guilds and the mercenaries refer to. In one of the taverns in Igelias, a man was spreading such a rumor. "Hey partner! Did you hear? A city has appeared inside the Forest of Despair and is currently thriving like no other city has ever heard nor seen! Can you believe it?" The drunk man said. "Hah! Who would believe such a tall tale? A city, in that god-forsaken place? Only madmen and dead men would find it daring to even go and confirm. Where have you heard such tasteless rumor?" Answered his friend in front of him. "You know Bartlan, the merchant?" replied the gossiper. Putting his pint of beer on the table and seriously looked at his friend. At least he tried to, if he could see his face, then he''d have avoided to even take that expression. It was hideous. "Yea, Bartlan the merchant who goes around our Kingdom, Igelias towards Hamilton and then to the far south where Acadria is and then towards the Imperial Capital to the east. But he''s never really taken a route towards that Forest of Despair now has he?" His friend answered in a matter-of-fact kind of way. "Yes, Bartlan, hehe.. He went to that city and saw for himself the city like no other!" The gossiper spoke as if he himself have been there. "If that''s true, what else did Bartlan tell you?" Raising his eyebrows, his friend asked back. "He said that there are riches to be had in that place and that he would apply for a permit to procure their specialty products to sell all over the Empire and went there in a hurry as well. He did not even stop here to sell his wares and just went back as if motivation was right behind him." The drunk gossiper revealed. "So that''s why Bartlan did not come and stay and drink with us this month. So, he already met you. Can there really be a city in that heartless forest?" Asked the friend without expecting a reply. However, Similar conversations also happened in one of the taverns in Hamilton where the prince Guilbert had once been in, trying to capture Clay. Guilbert had one day disappeared and was never heard off again after he received a letter from one of his minions inside the Kingdom that his father had awoken and was planning to execute the crown prince for treason. He knew that his father knew that he had poisoned the other. However, it was in his plans to kill his father after settling down the matter of the Hero being captured and enslaved to also keep what he knew of the Chancellor''s plans a secret. He thought that the Hero probably knew what happened and who was responsible already. So, he ran. In such a cold weather, Graso, with his hand holding a glass of ale, took a sip and settled his mug over the table. He whispered to his comrade in the guardsmen. "Hey, do you know what the talk of the town is?" he asked. "Yea, it seems the mercenary and even adventurer guilds are interested in that rumor. Do you have any information about that that''s new?" His fellow guardsman asked back. Graso with his mug leveled to his cheeks said, "Yeah, I inspected a merchant carriage earlier and he said that he came from the Forest of Despair in the Moribor Mountain. And even excitedly spoke about the beauty of the city and how it must be the largest and most developed city there ever was in history. Unbelievable." Graso said while shaking his head in disbelief, however, Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "Then it seems that this rumor really is true after all. The mercenary and adventurer guilds have been getting ready to check out this city they call Claiomh Solais in Moribor. If it''s real, then they plan to establish a guild post there and continue to expand. If it''s real, then certainly it will become a center for grand opportunities and fortune. Even I''m tempted to just make a trip and go back." His friend Dietre spoke with a longing expression. A longing for fortune and a new opportunity. "But I also heard that the previous guest of the Kingdom, that prince called Guilbert, has gone missing. Rumor has it that the King of Acadria, his father had summoned him to appear in the capital to receive his judgment. The prince is cunning in making sure that no one knew where he went after receiving that letter, they say." Graso spoke about another incident that involved their Kingdom. "Then you only know half of the rumor!" Said Dietre. Then he continued saying, "The king of Acadria had summoned his son to execute him on Acadrian soil, because he found out that he was poisoned by his own son. And get this, the one who helped the King to recover was none other than the Hero that the prince had been pursuing with a large army last time. Can you believe it?" With a shake of his head, he grabbed his mug and chugged his ale to appease his dried throat from talking so much. 56 The Princess Returns Turning back time to two or so years ago. To the time when Clay was just summoned into this world. To a hut where a humble family lives and strives to survive. To a bed where a beauty of unparalleled proportions lay. Bloodied rags cover her body and her countenance, pale. This was Giselle. 7th Princess of Acadria Giselle Vi Acadria. She was the one who was supposed to enslave Clay by way of making him fall for her looks and trap him in guilt. The Plan went awry when the Chancellor then, made rash plans of his own and jeopardized the plan of prince Guilbert, his collaborator. With Giselle, thought to be dead, being able to lead herself to safety and find help in the person of the chief of the village who she trusted with her life. The chief, called Holder, found Giselle as she entered a Rift created by her space magic and fell on the floor inside his home. Hurriedly, he called for his wife and daughter and had them take care of her without delay. They had to employ the local doctor''s help and made him shut his mouth against spreading the information that Giselle was here and she was injured. The doctors code, it seemed, still held power over them even in another world. With Giselle''s condition progressing for the better, the wound had closed and regenerated, but her overall health did not stabilize even until 3 months passed. When the next month came, Giselle woke up from her coma and started to get slightly better by the day and the next after. "Your Highness! You''ve awakened at last!" Holder exclaimed as he entered the room where Giselle had been laid down for three months. "V-Village Chief¡­ I''m sorry for troubling you with my sudden appearance. However, we must be careful about my location right now. I''ve become a hindrance to a nefarious plan to usurp the throne a¨C "before she could finish, Holder already interrupted her and told her the truth. "H-How could it be? The Chancellor died, and the Hero¡­ Clay, escaped. It''s been four months since then? And no one has bothered to look for me? How could that be?" Giselle was at a loss for the truth. However, that truth was against her own prediction. She predicted that she would be hunted down by the people behind the Chancellor. She had a suspicion about her brother Guilbert, he was crown prince, but he was too eager to get the throne. Although, on the surface he was doing great as the crown prince, behind the scenes he was having illicit deals with the other nobles. With her mind at ease knowing that she was not being pursued, Giselle, formulated a plan to get in contact with Clay again in the future and fulfill the promise they had made. To do this, she had to venture forth and find allies she can count on including this village in the Kingdom''s outskirts. A year passed since she went on her journey and she had already established and found for herself allies she could trust. There was Gran, the former knight-turned-mercenary who led a guild in the neighboring Kingdom of Aroshia. Aroshia was a Kingdom in between Acadria and Tongkil Kingdom. They specialized in military development and their troops always had infantry superiority when it comes to wars. That''s why they were named the Warrior Kingdom by neighboring kingdoms. Tongkil on the other hand was a religious kingdom centered around what they proclaim as Theocracy. Meaning, their god is their only king and any other human kings were mere imitators and usurpers of god''s throne. Safir was their god of course, but they called him in their kingdom as King of Benevolence. They proclaim that the god''s benevolence is so far reaching that he even blessed those who were not chosen by him directly. However, there are no historic evidences that they were at all chosen by Safir to represent him to the world. Most probably, it was a political maneuver to manipulate the populace into giving their loyalty and money to the kingdom without much resistance. In Aroshia, Giselle found Gran who had at first doubted what he was hearing from Giselle, however, as the conversation went longer, Gran''s face had been distorted so visibly that his anger had shown and his rage boiling within. Giselle shared the story of Clay and how her kingdom had maltreated the Hero sent by the god and even plotted to kill him, however what really made Gran angry was that the "warrior" that the god had given them was plotted against and now may turn his back on humanity. That was a disaster waiting to happen! "I don''t know what you were taught about by your elders and historians, but heroes that were summoned eons ago had been recorded in one of the books of the royal castle in Aroshia to have strength to rival even the dragonborn and even surpass the demon tribes nobles if fighting with life on the line. That is, when they grew to that extent. However, a hero whose growth had been impeded by the very summoners that brought him into the world, that could spell a disaster to all human races in the human realm!" Gran had been dramatically explaining the importance and danger of making an enemy of a Hero. He was scared and frightened at the fact that the Hero who was plotted against was currently on the loose. It was as if holding a bomb in one hand while the other holding the lit wick. When the wick was consumed and the bomb was ignited, the summoned becomes the calamity that even ends the whole world as we know it. 57 The Princess Returns 2 "Gran, have you heard the rumors already?" "What rumors might you be referring to princess?" "The rumor about a city that suddenly sprung up inside the Forest of Despair in the Moribor Mountains. I smell Lord Clay''s paws on the move out there. I want to go there and meet him at once, however, there''s another information that piqued my interest as well. The news about Guilbert''s disappearance and His Majesty, Father''s healing. As my adviser, how shall we proceed?" "Princess, going to the Forest of Despair is a no-go for us now. Not unless we pose as a merchant group and enter it. No other group with some military might have been able to enter that city. It seems that they have banned military expeditions towards the city. So, finding out what happened in Acadria should be our topmost priority. Your Father, the King, should give us a good idea about what happened. If I guess correctly, the Hero Clay, should be involved in his healing, how though, I have no idea." "You''re right. If we''re to find out anything significant, we must go to Acadria first. Well then, let''s clean up here and proceed to Acardia first thing in the morning." The smell of smoke and blood permeated the air as the conversation between the two finished. Giselle vi Acadria was speaking to her Adviser, Gran. They were discussing what to do next after conquering this group of bandits in the outskirts of the Kingdom of Aroshia going to Tongkil. It was a popular gathering spot for bandits and was where most merchants had been using as a trading route before it was overrun by them. Knowing this, Giselle set out to eradicate these bandits and bring peace to the merchants. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. There was a two-step move in this situation. One, Giselle wanted to see for herself the power of her troops and two, bring herself closer to merchants and use their connections in gaining more power later. However, things changed when rumors and new information came to her. She had to get back to Acadria and make sure that her father the King, was alright. To see if none of her siblings are still plotting against him for the throne. She had to protect him and the Kingdom. That was her motivation in doing all these preparations, and so now is one of those times when she had to go back and help. When they passed Aroshia as well after half a month of traveling, they have finally arrived inside Acadrian territory. Giselle heaved out a sigh. These past few days have been less taxing to her body but to her mind, it was a lot. She was anxious about knowing what had happened to his father and how the kingdom has responded to the things that Clay had done in the past. She wants to seize the opportunity to promote a cooperation with Clay in uniting the kingdom''s territories and even having peace agreements with other kingdoms as well. "Gran, when we arrive at the castle, you have to stay with me. I''m afraid my siblings may also be part of Guilbert''s schemes and wishes to kill me when they see me. If father stays with them, he might be yet again put to danger. I cannot allow this. Please help me." "Don''t worry Princess, I will be with you all the way." Gran answered with dignity in his voice. It was a big deal for him to stay honorable as a soldier and as a noble knight. 58 Clays Experimental Log 3 Inside a perfectly temperate mansion that needed no other lighting than that of the outside world seeping through to the gaps in the room. Where heat and uncontrollable energy continuously assault the walls. The room that if compared to the outside world looks so different that its difference can only be described as heaven and earth apart. A man sat on a chair modeled after a throne that was fought over by foolish monarch-wannabes. He had his fist supporting his face and the calmly closed eyes as if he was sleeping was as steady as still waters. His breathing was even, his breath rhythmic. The face of a young man with the skin of a baby, unblemished and perfect. He was wearing a black shirt with red accents and had belts instead of buttons. Under that shirt was another cloth. The identity of that black cloth was an inner shirt. His outer shirt had long sleeves that extended until his elbows. The inside of the shirt was colored red, thus, the accent. His trousers were also dyed in black made from the same material, a little baggy going towards his legs and groin area and a bit tighter around the calves and the ankle. He wore shoes that looked like modern Jordans. His wrists wore black metal bracelets that had chains connected to his rings. It was not an unfamiliar look as he copied the look of a certain hunter whose eyes turn red from intense emotions. His hair color had also changed from black to silver since his stay in this place, unknowingly. This person was Clay. He was currently unconscious. Or he was supposed to be. As he was currently controlling the golem-body he sent to Alleucanth to manage his affairs while his real body continued to absorb the energy from the Sun and growing his own ability to produce energy like that of the Sun. It was the strategy he worked with Ultico who calculated that a few years of stay here would enable Clay''s body to finally become unfettered by mortal standards. At this moment, Clay''s closed eyes suddenly opened, and he abruptly stood up with such force that even the super reinforced floor he made was cracked and caved in. It was testament to how much his current strength had grown. "I have finally found a way to gain the ability to control and produce magic energy!" Clay exclaimed excitedly. He then proceeded towards his own laboratory where all his cloned bodies were stored as well. The 7 bodies lined up in glass containers floating steadily. If anyone other than Clay had come to this place, they would have been too scared to look at it. Since at this time, just one Clay was enough to destroy a planet, how much easier it would be with 8 of them moving about? "HAHA! I have finally found a way to contract a spirit!" Yes, after a year of constant research, Clay had finally found the method of the elves and other spiritual races by which they could use magic. It was by contracting these spirits that are also present in this world that lives in another dimension. The first hurdle was looking and going into that dimension, but with Clay''s proficiency with Space magic, he figured out how to open dimensions and even travel inside. However, with his double-body on Alleucanth, he could not afford to use it for an experiment. He had more confidence in using his own body for things that could destroy his hard-worked-on body double. As the Magic Circle finished, Clay uttered the words written on the magic circle though Olden God''s Language and his body was directly sapped almost all his accumulated magic energy. Then he recited a spell that the ancient people of the elves as recorded in a book. Suddenly, a blinding light emerged and encompassed the room in an instant. What came next was a laugh and an oppressive aura appearing. "HAHAHA! Who can call unto me, the Spirit King Agni? I shall see if you are worthy of a contract with me!" Said the Spirit King Agni. Agni was a Spirit that ruled over the Spiritual Fire. He was the one who ruled over Spiritual Fire in this dimension. Even the Six Pillars of Faith did not have enough authority to borrow from his power. They had to create their own flames with their own effects. The effects of the Spiritual Fire of Agni were to cleanse and revive any other flame. In a way, it stood above other Spiritual Fire. Spirit King Agni looked like Jafar when he turned into a genie in Aladdin. Albeit, fierier and was intangible as well. He was wearing fire as his garment and his eyes themselves were made of fire. He did not possess legs and was floating freely in the air. The temperature inside the room raised a teeny bit when Agni appeared. A testament to how much insulation Clay''s mansion had. "Heed my call, oh King of the Spirits, Agni. My name is Clay, I need a way to harness spiritual energy. I humbly ask that you teach me the method." Clay said as he bowed his head to Agni appearing in front of him. Agni, who totally fit the setting and location of where he as summoned. Immediately after summoning and his entrance, Agni felt the fire energies that were rampaging in this place and felt ecstatic. Finally, I will have a successor who likes to play fire more than any other Spiritual Element. Thought Agni. He was a spirit King, but in some other dimension, he was called a god, but he admittedly does not think himself a god. So, he was happy to be called upon by a fire junky. "Human. No, your soul, smells different. But you are human I''m also sure. What is this?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. What the Spirit King, Agni, muttered was picked up by Clay and this alarmed him. Is this spirit saying that I am slowly becoming less human? "Oh, spirit King, what do you mean?" He asked Agni to clarify, however, "Human! I have answered your call and I am pleased with your dedication. I don''t know where you learned of the method to summon us spirits, but I will grant you not just the method but a contract with me. I will give you this opportunity to become one of my successors. This will give you a greater power than just a simple contract of power. What do you say?" Agni ignored Clay''s question and directly went to the point of why he was here as if running away from the question. Clay did not pursue it and declined the contract outright saying, "Spirit King, I do not wish for your power. I wish for you to teach me how to control Spirit Energy. If you teach me this, then I will find for you a successor that will be worthy of your grooming." Promised Clay, he already had someone in mind. Clay did not mind that he sounds like he was speaking to the Spirit King like they were equals. And right now, Clay did not feel any sort of threat from the Spirit King at all. "Preposterous! A human who summoned me, does not wish for my power but to train in spirit magic instead? HAHAHAHAH! How preposterous! I quite like that kind of haughty thinking. However, human, I have one condition. Defeat my disciple in a duel and I will teach you the method to train spirit energy. What do you say?" It was a typical development, Clay thought. He really thought of the possibility of fighting the Spirit King itself, but his disciple should be a piece of cake. "I agree to your condition. Let us set the rules of the duel, such that none of us perish even by accident." So, both Clay and the Spirit King, agreed on rules. The rules are as follows: Both fighters will have a minute to fight. After that minute is over, a 30 second break is required and then the fight resumes with another minute as its time limit. If in any rounds any of the two fighters admit defeat, then the winner will be determined. If the winner is not determined even after the third round of minutes, then the Spirit King Agni will decide who won and who lost. Killing blows will be prohibited (the Spirit King suggested considering Clay''s safety). With those rules they established they used the room for the duel. Clay slowly distanced himself from Agni for him to summon his disciple. "My disciple heeds my call. Come forth!" Agni raised his right arm towards the sky as if trying to lift something telekinetically. Right after, a magic circle a tad smaller than the one Clay drew opened and lit up the room. Then the presence of another being was felt by Clay and he instinctively look towards the place. There, a smaller version of the Spirit King Agni emerged and made a bowing gesture towards Agni. Then faced Clay in a battle stance. Although this spirit was without legs, its stance was made as if it had legs. Fists up like in boxing, then the spirit introduced itself politely. "My name is Efrit, disciple of the Spirit King Agni, ruler of Flames. I shall do my best in this duel." Efrit said in introduction, to which, Clay also said, "My name is Clay, no one important. Come, let us fight." With the introduction over, Clay and Efrit turned towards Agni to find approval in starting the fight and Agni nodded while raising his right hand into the air and compressing a ball of fire in his hands then slamming it to the ground. The sound of its explosion prompted both fighters to start fighting. Clay stood still and withdrew his senses away from Alleucanth and concentrated on the fight with Efrit. Although he could not feel any threat from him as well, it was disrespectful to your opponent to be facing him half-heartedly. So, Clay gave it his best in this duel. He was just standing still, yet he had no obvious openings that Efrit may exploit. Efrit dashed towards Clay without holding back and appeared in front of his nose in an instant. If this were not Clay, he was facing then they would have been so frightened out of their minds from just that display. However, Clay followed Efrit''s movements with ease. Efrit covered his hands in flames as an attempt to land a hit on Clay. However, as his fists came closer to Clay''s jaw, Clay took a breath and swiftly parried the fire-fist upwards while also mounting his own counterattack. He sent his punch with his right hand that was free and sent a punch to Efrit''s abdomen as if he had a tangible body. Efrit was confident of not receiving any damage from the punch as it was a physical one and Spirits have the nature of being incorporeal which nullifies any physical attacks without exception. However, Clay''s attack was covered with a bit of Overpower by putting in a slight amount of killing intent. Flooded by even that small amount of killing intent, Efrit was surprised and plunged into a state of fear while Clay''s fists went directly in and out of Efrit''s body leaving behind a gouge in his body. At that moment, the fear of having his own body destroyed by Clay''s attack was embedded in Efrit''s mind. While Clay also clicked his tongue while muttering something, "Tch! I knew it. Physical attacks don''t work. But I guess the other attack worked." Clay looked at Efrit who had backed away after receiving Clay''s attack. Although, if Efrit realized how Clay was able to parry his first strike, then he would have had double the fear in his mind. If Clay was able to parry his strike then what''s to say, that if he used the same principle in attacking, then his body would materialize, and he would seriously be hurt. Agni also noticed this and shook his head. It was a clear win for Clay already but stopping the fight right after it started is way too boring, so he let them continue. Although Efrit was not arrogant of his strength, so was Clay not looking down on Efrit. It was a true showing of respect to a duel. And this character was admired by Agni. With this, he decided to teach Clay the method of training in spiritual energy after the fight. "I think we should stop. Although, I know that you are strong, it seems that according to my calculations, if you receive a single strike from me, it''s going to be game over for you. I don''t mean to sound condescending, but you are still too weak to face me in my full power. I wonder if King Agni would like to have a go with me for the sake of comparison?" Clay said after Efrit backed away. It was not that he was looking down on Efrit or Agni, but that he knew he was capable of doing and if he really hit Efrit with a strike that could hurt him, then, it would not end in just hurting him, it would end in his annihilation. Efrit also knew this is true deep inside now. He finally realized the moment Clay parried the first strike; it was already over. So, he bowed his head towards Clay and apologized to his master, "My King, I am sorry for showing this disappointing display of skill. I shall receive any king od punishment!" "Efrit, no need to be down. I have seen this human''s strength as well. You are no match for him. As promised, Human called Clay, I shall bestow upon you the method to train spiritual energies. And I look forward to your chosen person to summon me later. We shall bid our farewell here. That fight you propose, let us have that in the Spirit Realm in the future. HOHOHO!" The Spirit King Agni extended his hands towards Clay''s direction and a wave of energy hit him. At that moment, knowledge on how to train Spirit Energy was imprinted in his mind. UltiCo''s comprehensive knowledge pounced at that new information and integrated it fully into its core. With this knowledge Clay understood how to cultivate Spirit energy and a greatly awaited ringing sounded in his head. *Ping* [Energy Absorption ¨C Spirit Energy] [Magic Energy Reactor ¨C Acquired] Immediately, Clay''s body transformed again. The cells in his body became real magic energy reactors. His [Muscle Control] reverted and his size ballooned to more than 6 meters. His body grew even larger by the second as his [Magic Energy Reactor] at master level kept his creating magical energy. In a panic, Clay released a blast of pure magic energy outside his body to prevent it from growing even more than his current growth speed. The blast was a linear one like a certain Super Turtle Destruction Wave. It was on a planetary level that even people in Alleucanth was able to witness the Sun giving out a linear blast outward as if it sneezed. Fortunately, after his panicked state, he analyzed the situation and finally remembered that he had an unlimited storage located in his brain area. Magic Storage, so he called. So, he directed all the energy that his Magic Energy Reactor created inside that space. Clay was relieved once his body''s growth stopped and he was finally able to use [Muscle Control] again to compress his own body. Clay scared himself in remembering the size of certain gods in the hit game series that featured a human becoming god and turning gigantic. What would Clay do, if he became gigantic even without becoming god. 59 A Doctors Visi Clay sat on his throne in Apollo''s Lair. And recited the spell for transferring his consciousness into the body double he had in Alleucanth. "[Body Transfer]" said Clay and his eyes immediately closed while his posture remained the same he left his body, soul-less in this state, but it still continued to absorb energy from the Sun soaking its cells in radiation, making him even stronger as time passed on. Inside the Clays private residence beyond the City Hall, at the mid-part of Moribor Mountain, Clay''s body double opened his eyes and stretched. A series of dull cracking of joints resounded in the room. It was only after a year of intensive research here on Claiomh Solais, did Clay find the way to cultivate spirit energy. Basically, spirit energy was the energy that Spirit Entities living in the Spirit Realm used to influence their world. Although they exist in another realm, pockets of rifts in dimensional space enable some of that energy to leak to the physical world. One such worlds, was Alleucanth. Usually, spirits would only grant a contract to individuals they liked, because of their moral compass leaning to righteousness. However, in Clay''s case, cultivating spiritual energy was something that he exchanged for with the Spirit King Agni. Granting him that knowledge was akin to acknowledging him as someone worthy to be part of the Spirit Realm. It is true that Spirit Energy is a higher energy form than magic, as through analysis, Clay found out that Magic particles were created via the leakage from spiritual dimension rifts. When these Spiritual Dimension Rifts form, the spiritual energy that are leaking from it spread to the physical world and attach themselves to the already present matter in the world, altering them. The air, the earth, the clouds, the plants and even animals. If they are touched by this spiritual residue will undergo changes. However, it is truly rare for spiritual residue to attach to living organism, so its occurrence is quite slim there''s a 1 in 1 million chance of that happening. And whenever beings that are changed because of this appeared, they would have power beyond measure, mortally speaking. Beings that have appeared in Alleucanth that have been touched by this residue for example are the beings called Dragons. They are half-spiritual beings. They possess magic energy that no one can rival and physical strength that none can surpass. These Dragons live and often never die unless killed. That''s how powerful these spiritual residues are. Commonly though, these spiritual residues only attach itself to the air particles in the world. Which changes their properties into magic particles than can change their properties depending on the stimuli. This secret is unknown to common humans, but Clay gained this knowledge from getting it from Agni. Spiritual residue for millennia has already accumulated in Alleucanth and even in the Sun. Plus, Clay now has access to the Spirit Realm via using Space Magic if he aligns its wavelength with the Realm. Having his own dimensional rift locked close to his brain constantly open gives him that source directly. With that taken care of, Clay had another goal in his mind. It was to finally fulfill a promise he made. Clay called for his retainers to convene at his private residence. Their training was halted, and they immediately went to present themselves. When they arrived, they bowed their heads and sat opposite Clay in his lobby. His private residence in Claiomh Solais was also made by him of course. Although the interior was not very elaborate, it was enough to call elegant. The walls were dyed with a bright color in blue, and the floor was polished to a shine. It was glass that was reinforced. Although it did not reflect too much, it also did not absorb too much. The sofa was designed with comfort and convenience in mind, so Clay made it as if making a leaning chair. Comfortable and convenient. Its cover was made with monster material and dyed with alchemical mixtures. If one were to look at roman type leaning chairs, then that would be the picture. In fact, that design is called Triclinium. That was how leisurely Clay wanted to be in his residence. There was also a coffee table set at the center where there are snacks prepared beforehand by golems he created as well. Having his Dimensional Storage was convenient after all. He just had to transfer his consciousness back to his body and he can deliver materials to Apollo''s Lair and then get back to this golem and voila, he can pick up whatever his real body made from it. "Hmm¡­ I see that Isaac''s body had already almost fully adjusted to the magic energy that you have in your body. Try to contact your own spirit using this spell later and see if you can come to an agreement. It seems you have the power, but don''t have the contract, hence, your power overwhelms your body. As you are now, you can control your power without the spirit, but, with the spirit, you''ll be able to learn more than I can teach you. The choice is up to you." Clay seriously said and advised. Isaac was silent and just nodded his head as if an answer had already formed inside his head. "Thank you Sire, for giving me this opportunity. I will decide when the time comes that I can fully control my powers and no longer must worry about it going out of control." Isaac thankfully said. "Caltec, Jon and Mor, you guys are training in physical strength and even magic control, right? Just continue your training with both aspects. In time, I''ll teach you ways to utilize both and incorporate them into techniques according to your specializations. Build your foundations firmly, all for protecting what''s important to you. If heroes come, fight heroes, if demons come, fight demons... and even if gods come, fight gods. That''s the true extent of my expectations from you guys. I know you''ll be able to do it in time. Just continue to practice. Don''t forget to make variations on the Turtle Destruction Wave I taught you. Make it your own secret technique." Clay also gave them instructions on where to take their training. They all nodded seriously and accepted his advisory. After speaking about that, Clay then told them the real reason why he called them. "I will be leaving for Acadria for a while. I need you to take care of things here while I''m away. If you can, recruit more people into the military. Merchants are welcome here, so have them make a base here with a merchant''s guild taking care of them, allow mercenaries to take missions from a guild controlled by the city hall. The merchant, the adventurer and mercenary and even craftsman guilds should be controlled by the city hall. Protect our citizens from outsiders and visitors and penalize those who violate our peace here. I don''t care how you handle it, just don''t let out home get disturbed by outsiders. With that, I am leaving. Continue to do well. I expect a lot from you guys." Clay said and disappeared at the same time. A second after Clay disappeared from Claiomh Solais, he appeared at the hill where Giselle took him when they met for the first time, where he promised to make her queen. This hill was later called the Hill of Promise. The queen of Acadria named this hill after the promise she made with the Hero. After the rebuilding of the kingdom of Acadria, it had become a tourist spot where couples also exchanged vows with each other. Even the village that once had no name, became the Village of Salvation. Where Giselle was saved from certain death by the people of the village. Although no one knew why it was named that way, they accepted it and cherished the name. "Giselle, it''s good that you didn''t die. I''ve come to fulfill our promise. I hope the King isn''t glued to his throne that he''d deny his savior''s demand." After muttering so, Clay disappeared again from his spot. This time, he did not use magic to transfer here, he used his body''s physical might to propel himself. Moving at speeds that left a blur. He arrived at the Castle Gates after just a few minutes of running. With a gust of wind, he stopped in front of the gate and the guards flinched and covered their eyes to protect from dust. Clay saw the Castle for the first time in close range and he was amazed by the size of it. Although Claiomh Solais was a city he built, a castle really does make one''s heart palpitate a bit just seeing it. He put in the back of his mind to build a castle at the top of Moribor later. The Castle stood more than a few tens of meters towards the sky. Its grey exterior intimidates thse who have never seen taller buildings, but Clay was a modern man, skyscrapers are what scared him. Now castles only invoke the feeling of wanting to experience making one himself. Although not a perfect replication, but an imitation, it should still look good. And that''s is one of man''s romance, so it''s worth doing. Clay waited for the guards to notice him. After a few seconds of cleaning their own visors, they finally noticed a man standing in front of them without moving. He was looking up and down the castle walls as if checking out his own courtyard. This irked the guards and called him out. "Hey! You there! Turn back, this is restricted area if you have no appointment then come back when you have one." Said the guard. Although he wanted to really berate this ignorant fool, he could not do so, as a citizen of Acadria. Acadria had changed over the course of the year when the King had come back to actual power. The policies that he made all favored the citizens instead of the nobles and the nobles have distanced themselves from the king. It seems that a civil war was boiling behind the scenes and was about to erupt but the castle and the kingdom still did not know this. Or so the nobles thought. "I''m here to visit the King. Please go and tell him someone wants to meet him. Tell him it''s regarding ''watering the withering flower''." "Watering the withering flower" that was the code Clay gave to An when she told her to bring the All Cure medicine to the King, Gracius vi Acadria. An told the king this message the moment they were all able to think clearly again from the joy of seeing the king in tip-top shape. When the King ordered for Guilbert to come back, he also secretly ordered the Night Prowlers to all go back to Acadria and spread their net all through out the Kingdom and focus on it along its neighboring Kingdoms as well. It was to prepare for the coming storm and that storm seems to be on the verge of boiling over now. The guard was hesitant, but since the man seems to be sincere with his visit. They also could not disregard it. So, one of them gave a nod to the other and then said, "Please wait a moment. We need to deliver the message first." And stood erect again, ignoring Clay who was standing there looking around. Clay while looking like a fool, was looking around the entirety of the Castle and located all the personnel he needed to take a note of. The King was having a conference with his ministers while Sunshine was keeping to the shadows just behind the king, An was also with him. The Princes and Princesses who were left in Acadria by Guilbert are also in each other rooms with guards on their doors and even the windows. It looked like they were under house arrest. Giselle was nowhere to be found, but he can hear her heartbeat somewhere in the Kingdom at least. He doesn''t need to go to her for now. Clay had to set up everything so his promise can be fulfilled in a way that is legal and legit. With Clay standing around for a few minutes to half an hour, the guard finally came back running and out of breath. He wanted to alert the other guard, but he was still catching his breath and so the horses that came from behind him as if chasing him caught up. On those horses were knights that looked too heavily armored to be called ordinary cavalry. Clay guessed that they must be royal guards or royal knights. Clay knew that Sunshine was one of those knights riding a horse to greet him but refrained from calling him out. There were five of them who greeted Clay, the King could not make it due to the ministers'' presence and so he had to stay behind. "Are you the guest that wishes to see his Majesty?" Asked the foremost royal knight wielding a giant shield behind him and a lance on his lap. Clay peeked at his face and answered when he saw he did not know this guy. "Yes, are you here to escort me to the palace?" Asked Clay back. "No. You are not welcome here. His majesty does not wish to be disturbed now. Guards, take this man and lead him away from the palace!" The foremost knight ordered. Although he did not sound rude at all and his voice was calm, his words itself felt like he wanted to slap Clay in the face. However, Clay knew the truth that the King ordered them to escort him to the royal chambers where he and the King can speak freely. Sunshine knew but he refused to move currently. Clay was perplexed for but a second and then a second later burst into laughter right at the face of this knight. "Oh, I know what''s going on. Hey, are you guys planning to rebel against the king at this junction already? A simple guest is turned away because it just might make your plans awry. How ridiculous. Let me tell you something Sir Knight. I already politely asked to come and meet him. Don''t make me regret coming here politely instead of getting here with blazing momentum¡­" Clay paused and continued, "¡­ wait, are all of you in agreement to this guy? If not, say so... if you don''t your families will regret that you died without reason at all. Speak up." Saying, "speak up" Clay put a little bit of mana over Overpower and designated his targets to be all the knights. Including Sunshine. Part of him wanted to test how good Sunshine improved since last time and how skillful these knights are to be called royal knights. *neigh* The horses neighed and whined. They were subjected to Clay''s Overpower as well and were close to rampaging already if not for the trained horsemen that rode them. However, the knights riding them were not of the same situation. They were stricken with panic and fear in their eyes. Shivering at the thought of dying. Just from the voice of this guest, they felt that they really could die if they supported their fellow knight who was acting out of bounds. They hurriedly answered, "N-No, no, no! We were ordered to take you to the Kings chambers." They defended their lives with this sentence. Even they they were not sure if this guest would really be able to enact his threat, they still valued their lives more than pride and so left their fellow knight to his own devices. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "Hmph! Why should the king allow you entry? I shall stop you from going inside even if I have to resort to force!" Said the foremost knight. At this moment, the knight at the most back of the five of them spoke up with cold but shaky voice, "Sir, please don''t pull us into death just because you want to die. We don''t want to perish just yet." Said Sunshine. He finally spoke up after feeling Clay''s killing intent and the truth that he knew. That Clay would not hesitate to kill him as well if he stayed quiet. "Good choice. Now please remove this man out of my face and bring me to the king. I don''t want him in my vicinity ever again. If I so much as smell his bad odor from a few meters away from me again, I will kill him in cold blood. You understand?" Clay clearly made his threat clear. It was a show of power so that he won''t be too bothered. He finally realized now that in this world, being humble equals being a footstool for others to step on. If you have power in this world, use it to come out on top. If not, you risk being looked down on and stepped on. "Tch!" Clay clicked his tongue and stepped to the front through the center of the knights that came. He then slowly walked at the same pace as the horse. And no one noticed that he was walking slowly yet the horses were moving to a canter, keeping up with it. They arrived to the castle in a few minutes and Clay directly went inside the castle door when the butler opened it up. As if he knew that the butler had been there keeping watch already. And as a testament to that butler, Clay gave him a nod and said, "Oh, I''d also like to have a butler like you in my home. Shall I ask the king to put you into my service? Haha!" Clay was in a good mood after seeing the butler''s timing. It was exquisite. He had experienced nothing like that since coming into this world at all. There were no other servants that knew Clay''s face here except that maid that showed disdain for Giselle, which even Clay had already forgotten the name of. And he even forgot that that maid had died already. So inside the castle, the only ones who knew he was the hero were those that saw the wanted poster that Guilbert handed out some time ago, which to these servants would be impossible to do, since everything in the castle should be kept in wraps. Even those who get to go outside must be replaced regularly to avoid inside-job crimes. Sunshine was the exception, who was with the knight squad outside currently. Clay knows that he''d be able to move towards the King''s chamber faster than him even at this rate. "Surely you jest, my Lord." Said the butler. Clay kept his smiling face even at the butler''s answer. He then asked, "Please lead me to the King''s chambers. I am having a meeting with him there." When he opened his mouth to voice his intent, the servants all stiffened up and stood their grounds. It seems they were surprised that a random guest could be allowed such an honor and not even in the audience chamber. The butler read the atmosphere and coughed to release the tension and said awkwardly, "My Lord, please let me lead the way for you. This way please." While bowing his head keeping his eyes lined up to the ground and then glaring at the servants present surrounding them to get back to work. "You''re really good. I envy the king. I want a butler like you to serve me as well. Sigh." Clay expressed his longing for a butler like this guy, "What''s your name?" he asked. "My Lord, my name is unworthy to be heard by such a lofty person." Humbly said the butler. "Bullshit! Come on, tell me. I''ll tell the king how lucky he is to have a butler like you. Go on." Clay was in a happy mode obviously. He had an ideal for his butler golem now. But to fully integrate it to his creations, he needed actual butler knowledge and training. Which he doesn''t have so he wanted a real butler. "My name is Albert my Lord. You''d do me such honor if you mentioned this servant to the king." And he also knows how to flatter! Clay exclaimed in his mind! Perfect butler! 60 Civil War "Your Majesty, your guest has arrived. Shall I open the door for him?" Said Albert as he informed the King of his guest''s arrival. His service skills amazed Clay repeatedly that even after he finished leading him, Clay was still nodding his head and praising the butler Albert over again in his mind. "My King¡­" Clay bowed and curtsied as he continued his introduction, "¡­ I am Clay, a pleasure to meet you. Finally. How has your health been lately?" Asked Clay as his curtsy finished and his back was straitened. He no longer had that subservient air around him like a humble man. But of a tyrant looking over the horizon and claiming all the lands his. He looked at the king as if looking at his subordinates when he seriously talked to them. "No, it is my honor to finally meet the savior who have given me back my health and even some of my youth. To you Hero, Clay, I am most grateful." Said Gracius. His initial response has already put Clay in a good mood so he hoped that he would still acquiesce on the things that he further needs to take care of. "King of Acadria, I did not come here to check up on you or your health. You must know this. I came to collect debt and to fulfill a promise once made. Your debt is your life that you owe me. To compensate me for that, what do you think is the most appropriate price?" Clay asked mysteriously. In fact, Clay did not plan to do it like this, he did not even want to ask for payment, but would the king in his position in politics think that someone can do something as big as saving a king''s life without price? The answer would be no. So, Clay played this role so that he would think of this as a charity case and then when he comes back later, he''d collect with interest. That would be detrimental to everyone but Clay. "This¡­" The King shut up and thought for a long while. And when he was ready to answer Clay, he said, "In all honesty, I cannot think of anything at all except my throne to offer you, yet even a man such as you, I know you do not want to be tied down in one place. So, the throne is not what you would want. I am at a loss, hero Clay." Why are you thinking so hard old man? Clay grumbled in his mind. However, he had to maintain his position in this discussion. "In fact, King of Acadria, I came to elevate your daughter to the throne and leave you to work behind the scene to support her. Of course, I''m not going to take any more than that. If you say yes to my request, then I will consider your debt to me paid in full. However, if not then I will have to resort to other means. The easiest way for all of us to have a win-win is to abdicate the throne and give it to your daughter. For her to reign with you working alongside her in the shadows. How do find my proposal?" "But, who among my daughters do you mean?" Asked Gracius sincerely. "Ah!" As if realizing he had forgotten to mention her name even once in the conversation, Clay exclaimed. Then he continued his answer, "That would be Giselle. I want Giselle to take over. Remember what I said earlier about collecting debt and fulfilling a promise? Well, I made a promise with your daughter to give her the throne as queen. So, as your debt, just abdicate the throne and give it to her officially without any fuss. Silence every opposition to it with sheer force if need be, I need to fulfill my promise to her." Clay then paused another two seconds while holding his hand out as if to stop anyone from responding and continued, "AH! What perfect timing. A civil war is floating around the corners of the Kingdom. If we use that as pretext to eradicate the opposition, then there will be no problems anymore! How remarkable!" Clay clapped to his realization and directed this clap to no one. Gracius and Sunshine both had faces that said, what the hell. We thought we were the only once who knew the movements of the opposing faction, yet this man already knows at least inside information that should not be available to any one now. How frightening! "This¡­ This, is going to be harder than you think, Hero Clay!" Gracius exclaimed and continued to say, "I understand that Giselle is an excellent child, worthy of the throne, but if she ascends the throne in a situation where we just finished a civil war, then her rule would be fraught with resistance and danger to her life. I cannot give her that lifestyle!" He defended. "Well, how about we do it this way?" Clay came closer to Gracius and told him all about the plan he has cooked up. With the civil war clouding over Acadria now, and the rebellion of his son, the previous crown prince. With that position not occupied right now through his power to veto on giving the title to another prince, he avoided having anyone directly inheriting the throne when he died. Clay''s plan was not fail-proof, but with him as their strategist, what could go wrong? So, the king entrusted Clay with having command over his soldiers and knights through out the kingdom. However, Clay refused to do so. They had to do everything on their own. He only offered to advise them of their next move. Success of failure all depended upon themselves. With Clay''s plan centered around giving information about the enemy and their fighting strength, it was already as if this battle has been won before it even began. It was late at night when they finished talking. At an unknown time, at the chamber of the King, even Sunshine showed himself to participate. Clay certainly did not mind, and Gracius also felt relieved over that. Knowing that Clay had known Sunshine''s whereabouts even before showing up, gave him a certain sense of fright after all. "So, with that, in the coming days, you will deal the final blow and the last straw for the opposition. In effect they will be so peeved by it that they will start to act even more recklessly. If all goes well, the rebellion will take place sooner than later. And their troops would mostly be mercenaries that they''ve hired all over the place. Soldiers who have no coherence at all. While you would face them with unified soldiers and knights with confidence at their side." "While that is cooking up, I know Giselle will also do some covert operations using her own troops stationed all over the kingdom as well. They will surely target the supply center of the enemy forces while the civil war is yet to be underway. Giving us advantage over supplies. I will stay here to remotely see the overall situation of the battles." Clay reminded them as well that he will not be personally getting involved in their war. They had to resolve it without jeopardizing the citizens that are innocent. So, they had to silently evacuate the towns people whether secretly or overtly. "Since this is going to be a rebellion, they''ll surely be invading the palace as their goal. They want to behead you for passing laws and policies that don''t benefit them at all. And so, your head is the price. There will be 6 families that will majorly be taking part in this rebellion. Excluding the Dukes, the Count of Cord, Viscount of Lamet, Marquis of Vernan, three Barons and some other knights that have considerable number of army men, have joined their cause. Their overall numbers should be at about 800-900 knights, foot soldiers numbering about 4000 and mercenaries to be canon fodders numbering about a thousand hires, would give us about 6000 troops give or take. While we have about 500 royal knights, 1200 ordinary knights, 3000 heavy infantry units and 500 archers, plus the Duke''s forces if they choose to join us, 500 elite knights each giving us a total of 6200 troops of well balanced proportion, so defending the palace should not be so bad. Depending on the placing and positioning, things could even go so well that none of your soldiers die." Clay laid out the information he gathered through extending his senses to encompass a few hundred miles away from the Castle. The troop size was comparable and only slightly advantageous for the defending troops, but who''s to say that everything goes according to predictions in war? That''s why Clay had to plan and give them a sense of urgency in preparing everything before everything else becomes chaos. A few weeks later, the preparation of the opposition had already entered its final stages and Clay had waited long enough for them to attack. If they still stayed their hands after this week, then he would have already attacked them himself and ended this farce. Clay, Gracius the King and Sunshine convened inside the King''s Chambers. The chamber was renovated to accommodate the planning and delegation of tasks with Sunshine and his group as relays. The bed was moved to the side and a big table took its place with maps and floor plans on top of it. "King Gracius an attack is coming from sewage system. A troop of 100 strong lightly armed infantry are using the exit of the sewers to move in the direction of the palace. And a troop consisting of knight cavalry and foot soldiers are approaching the west gate." Clay suddenly spoke and informed the King who was waiting in the room while walking back and forth the same spot. Without waiting for the King''s orders, Sunshine relayed the order to his troops who were on standby inside the room, staying in the shadows. It wasn''t as fast as mobile phones, but it''s still faster than giving out letters as orders to them. Clay found the convenience of mobile phones and missed the technology. He could also design something akin to it, but his priority was not set on it and he put it at the back of his mind. The troops of the biggest shot doing the rebellion was the Count of Cord, although he made his knight cavalry and foot soldiers to wear different uniforms, Clay''s eyes could not be deceived. Just looking at them and their affiliation reveals itself in front of him. The lightly armed troops inside the sewers were mostly mercenaries. They were tasked with doing the dangerous task of blowing the gates by sneaking up inside the palace. Of course, there was an exception to them. Among them was a noble, one of the Barons that aligned himself with the rebellion called, Gustam. Gustam was a small-time Baron who owned a tiny piece of land west of the capital. He was assigned that land via bribery and underground work. The businesses he had raised up in that land were mostly of farming, but beneath the farming was slavery. It was not that he wanted to rebel because his underground dealings were being threatened, it was that his greed got the better of him. With Guilbert''s influence, the soldiers and knights were replaced with unscrupulous and corrupt men. The noble knights the king assigned in the capital were assigned to remote places so they could not respond to an attack to the capital in time. The King, Gracius, had a hunch that this rebellion was orchestrated by Guilbert behind the scenes. He may not be at the front but who among the nobles would benefit most from a rebellion they know they would be fighting so hard for, even with prospects of the future if they won¡­ but would they win with the troops they had on hand? As a wise king, he knew that Guilbert must be sending reinforcements from somewhere. He wants to watch the dogs fight over a bone until they are wounded and tired and snatch the bone from them easily right after. It''s a good tactic, certainly for a schemer. However, with Clay on Acadria''s side his plans will not come to fruition. With the forces of the Count of Cord, and the evacuation of the citizens inside the palace''s protection, the Civil War started on Acadria. The Gates were left open and the streets became empty. The sound of marketing and noisy children running around the streets have disappeared replaced with the sharp sound of metal boots contacting the paved roads in the capital from the soldiers marching towards the Castle''s Gates. The Palace only had one entrance and it was fortified to the brim with siege weapons in concentration. It was all to defend this position without fail. Clay devised this plan from a defender''s point of view. He wanted them to not tire their soldiers out by marching around and chasing after the rebels. "Let the rebels come to us." Said Clay to the King of Acadria. The king also followed what he said and ordered the evacuation and fortification of the castle walls. Archers were stationed in squads in all four directions four squads of 125 trained archers and all the supply of arrows they procured from merchants inside and outside the capital. Defensive battles were less stressful to the defenders if their supplies lasted. And Clay made sure about giving them the advantage. The troops inside the sewers were getting ready to burst out of the sewers and assault the people inside the castle courtyard where the sewage line ended, but a surprise waited for them where they reared their heads. Once they opened the cover of the manhole, a flood of flammable oil gushed towards them and some died from drowning from it already. The bigger bad news was that a single fire-arrow shot towards the hole and set them all up on fire. Right after, the hole was once again sealed up. All this happened quietly so that the troops outside the castle did not know what happened to their advanced troops. Certainly, the troops of Count Cord were waiting for the fighting to start inside, and that would be their signal to attack the castle, however, as time flew by, their signal never came and the wait was making Count Cord''s face to be flowing with sweat. Having no other choice that to think that the attack failed, he decided to order the attack to commence already. However, before he could give the order, sounds of struggle coming from inside the castle''s courtyard resounded and this pleased him to no end. Resolutely, he ordered his men to mount on the momentum of their advanced troops to assault the gates. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. On the other side of the wall, were the soldiers waiting for the assault to happen. As the fighting did not happen even when the Count''s troops were already outside, they were growing anxious. However, when the time came, an order was given to them to perform mock battles with as much struggling noise as they could make, while also clashing with their swords and shields. This order confused them all, but they followed, nonetheless. Soon, they sparred and kept on making loud noises that they made when they struggled with something. As if heaving heavy objects to lift, they groaned and whined like little children. Some even shouted battle cries like "Ah!" and curses like "Die!" Obviously, their tactics were effective as the troops outside started to move according to their orders. The order was to commence the attack. The archers who enjoyed the struggling noises their comrades where making, finally stood up from their hidden positions and started shooting the troops of Count Cord as they marched closer. The foremost knight cavalry knew magic and they relied on him to destroy the gate with his fire magic in one shot. However, they did not need to do that at all. The gate was closed but it was neither locked nor reinforced to keep them out. If they only knew this, they''d have saved up time to try to destroy the gates and troops that died from arrows above. The foremost cavalry knight chanted his magic and casted his fire magic towards the gate, blowing a hole at its base enough for their troops to come inside. Seeing this opportunity that their magic cavalry knight gave them, the troops behind him gained morale and the intensity to fight increased in them. What happened next was a slaughter. The arrows continued to fall on them and killed more armor than the guys wearing it but heck it was good as distraction. The moment they rode towards the arch of the Gate, was the moment they felt hell coming down from the heavens, or at least just above, from the gates. Just like those Christian Music chanting "Fire fall down, your fire fall down, on us we pray" wanting the Christian God, to send fire down on them presumably from heaven. That''s how hell is brought down on people. That''s an experience that surely Christians don''t want to experience at all. And right now, the soldiers of Count Cord were experiencing hell of their own. Literally falling on them. This fire was a chemical concoction by Clay. It''s combined chemistry and magic to create an unquenchable fire that spreads infinitely if there is fuel to burn. And the fuel to burn was human fat. That''s why those who handled it wore special material clothes that prevented them from being burned by that same substance. Screams and the smell of blood permeated in the air as the blood was burnt and fat was turned to fuel, the fire that was burning became hotter by the minute. No soldier was able to come inside the gates and they could only jump and roll around to try to extinguish the fire to no avail. The arrows continued to rain on them. Horses died, bringing about the death of their riders. Just like the Literalled trailer of a popular assassination game. "Kill the horse the rider falls down; kill the rider the rider falls down¡­" 61 Civil War 2 "This time, wear the armor of your enemy''s troops and stage fights against each other, burn some of the houses to make it look legit. In the end, if the puppet master appears after the fighting is at the critical stage, seemingly, then they''d want to swoop down and take the marbled meat." Clay explained to Gracius. Sunshine was listening intently. He did not want to miss any information that Clay had to give and recorded it well in his mind. "Oh, and well, the puppeteer is already done with his preparations. According to my calculations, they''d arrive at about 3 days later. Send some of your Night Prowlers to serve as relay from a distance to scout for their arrival. Don''t tire your soldiers out without reason playing war with each other. Wait for the enemy to sent scouts to observe the situation. That will be your signal to start deceiving them again." Clay continued his instructions. Then shut up altogether. Closing his eyes and looking as calm as still water. Everything up to now have been going according to Clay''s predictions and rightly so, because he knew where and when the enemies came from. How fast they were coming and how far they are from them. All these are information gathered in real time via his expanded perception. Although his perception is limited when he uses it with this body, it still covers quite a large area. Clay did not worry about any hidden dangers within his ranks. He even knew and incorporated the movement and plans of Giselle and her hidden forces throughout the capital. So, to Clay, suspense was non-existent. The only thing that gives him enough dopamine to keep himself entertained is the fact that his predictions never failed. After a day and night of waiting for enemy scouts, the Night Prowlers brought information about the enemy movements all according to how Clay described it and amazed Gracius and Sunshine and even those staying in the shadows even after knowing everything beforehand. Clay never ceased to amaze them and the growing fear inside the heart of Gracius and Sunshine continued to constrict their breathing. If this man deemed them as enemy, then not only their lives, the whole of Acadria would not be able to lay a finger on him. That was how much they feared his strength, even when he was not moving at all. "For the past few weeks that he has been staying here, he had never, not once have taken his butt from his chair. He neither ate nor drank anything, did not even relieve himself. Is he still human after knowing all this about him?" Gracius asked his heart of hearts. It was so deep a thinking that his face also scrounged up as he thought so. "What''s the worry, king of Acadria? Clay opened his eyes and asked Gracius what was wrong, since his face was distorted quite much. "¡­" Clay only kept his silence and closed his eyes again. He noticed movement from the enemies and from the soldiers of the king. They were enacting a gigantic play which encompassed the whole kingdom. Some houses were burned, and some were even destroyed partially to bring the realism to a whole new level. While the soldiers fought as if their lives depended on it. Putting up a show that not even veteran soldier would be able to discern easily to be a farce. Guilbert, just as predicted had led reinforcements from the barbaric west of the Kingdom. Where the bandits and the low lives gathered and made their home. Guilbert had vouchsafed to them a part of the kingdom as their territory and any loot they could take from the palace were they to help him win the throne by force. Of course, knowing Guilbert, that would be big fat lie on his part, the poor barbarians. His troops consisted of cavalry knights and bandits numbering over 7000 combined. The gates to the palace were already torn open and destroyed. And the remnants of the previous sacrificial troops were still fighting for their lives which means that if a savior had come for them in Guilbert, then their trust and loyalty to him would be but set in stone. So Guilbert hurried up and ordered his troops to march towards victory. What awaited him and his 7000 strong, was a massacre yet again. The moment they closed in on the capital to enter the wide-open gates to it, they saw the allied soldiers of theirs fighting for dear life and so he announced loudly, Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "All troops! On me! We shall crush the remnants of their sorry defense! We shall conquer Acadria and we will rule for all eternity!" Which was again, a lame ass promise he gave to rouse the soldiers. He expected them to cheer and make battle cries, but now he finished his speech, the allied soldiers of his, charge towards their direction as if they saw their salvation in them and shouted, "long live the almighty Guilbert! Long live!" It was a celebratory cry that made Guilbert immediately lower his guard. The enemy troops looked at that scene and made use of that opportunity to get back inside the gates of the castle in retreat. The archers stationed on top of the castle walls nocked their arrows and aimed towards the skies. If Guilbert''s troops so much as tries to get in range, a rain of arrows will shower them. In the King''s Chambers inside the palace, a serene voice sounded just as the troops of Guilbert appeared. 62 A Promise Fulfilled After another day of battle with the rebels led by Guilbert, the overall outlook of the battle finally turned for the worst, for Guilbert that is, on the final day that his troops had continued the fighting. Arrows stopped raining from the castle walls and the battle turned into a melee from both groups. When they clashed just outside the gates, the ''sleepers'' that infiltrated Guilberts ranks finally came into being and decimated the enemy army from the inside. They first dealt with the ones who looked stronger. These ''sleepers'' were part of Night Prowlers and they successfully did what was tasked to them. When they retreated to the shadows after the backline was thrown into chaos, the forces of the kingdom gained momentum and pushed the enemies into retreat. Guilbert was the first to notice that the battle was going unfavorably for him and so he retreated on his horse. Too bad for him, Giselle''s troops that had been hiding in the empty houses that the citizens evacuated from, came out and brought the hammer of justice on Guilbert, capturing him and presenting him to the king. It has been a week since the battles and the rebellion ended. A civil war that started and ended without Clay making his move personally. The capital of Acadria celebrated their victory with a feast and merrymaking. They were worried over their homes needing repairs, but surviving a rebellion was something that one just had to celebrate. The people celebrated as simple decorations were set in the castle courtyards close to the castle gates of the palace. A stage was set up at the center beside the fountain; its back towards the palace entrance. Clay had already disappeared by the time Guilbert was captured. In fact, he just flew high up and monitored the situation calmly. He let them celebrate before cashing in on the king''s debt. This celebration was also used by the king to announce his abdication with reasons that say, "I have failed to rule the kingdom effectively by allowing a civil war to happen, as it stands I deem myself unworthy to be your king. However, as my daughter is the one who captured the culprit, although he was my son, I no longer count him as part of me, so he will be executed publicly. My daughter then will take over the position of Queen of Acadria from henceforth. The crowning ceremony will be held a month later after the initial repairs to our homes are done. Please be assured that the Acadrian Royalty will compensate you for your loss this time. That is all!" The king finished with his speech that left the venue with gaping mouths. Even Giselle was surprised. She did not know that Clay had a hand in this battle, better yet, he was the one who orchestrated the beginning and the end of this battle. So, this battle looked pretty much generic if one were to analyze the flow of events. The whole of Acadria celebrated the success of the defense against the rebels. "Woo!" Celebrated the people. Some of the residents of the capital even shed tears of joy for the minimal damage they took from this potentially disastrous war by the nobles. Even the king admitted his inability to stay and rule the kingdom after allowing the nobles to raise their hands towards the crown. They were overjoyed. *** Clay did not have anything else to do so he hid himself in the chamber of the king for the whole month''s duration. Awaiting the coronation of Giselle as the new queen. As for her siblings, they were sent to other kingdoms as envoys of peace or to study. They were all stripped of their power to influence Acadria in any way other than underhanded means. The king assigned Night Prowler agents each among them to protect them as well as monitor them. That was the last deed that the king did to preserve his bright but foolish children. Clay did not interfere with this as this did not directly affect his promise with Giselle and this would help her consolidate her power easily since the resistance from her siblings are cut off. "I have to say Old King, your last move is impressive. Clearly stating your stance. That''s nice. I shall give you my proposal next. The next time I appear in front of you will be the time when our kingdoms become one through marriage. I shall take Giselle as my wife, that makes you my father-in-law in this world. The benefits you and your family will gain from this will be beyond your imagination, unless of course you or any of your family become foolish and scheme against me. The ceremony will be tomorrow is it? I shall appear in the grandest fashion for the world to see." After saying so, Clay disappeared from the place and reappeared in the skies above the palace. The stage was set, the promise was to be fulfilled the next day. *** Dawn, the next morning. On the same balcony where Clay escaped this palace on his first day after killing some men in the hallway just outside it. Giselle was standing there and staring at the distance, the direction where the Forest of Despair was located. Beyond the horizon she could she currently was that dreadful forest that any human in the realm was afraid of even stepping foot in. That is where Clay, resided currently. She was wondering what he was doing and how strong he''d have grown from fighting the monsters inside the Forest of Despair. Surely, that''s why he had the guts to establish a kingdom inside that dreadful forest and even gave safe passage to refugees and merchants that visit. That was one thing that certainly sustains the kingdom to function as is. Founding a nation is hard if there''s no funding coming in and out of your kingdom. The traffic of money is just one of those things that are essential in establishing a kingdom and Clay had done so all on his own. She slightly felt lonely that he could do whatever he had intended without needing any help from her. "I wonder if our promise still stands. I don''t even know if he knows I''m alive still. However, my crowning will certainly inform him of our promise, and he''ll come knocking on my doorstep as soon as he hears. I can''t wait to see the look on your face!" Giselle made a fist pump and imagined Clay''s face of surprise and defeat. *** The ceremony was already done preparing and only the stepping down of the king and the crowning of Giselle were left. When the king made his official abdication a sound like booming thunder resounded above, in the skies. A visible dispersion of the clouds happened, and many people were afraid of this omen, however even after waiting for some time for an unexpected event to occur, nothing happened and so Giselle''s crowning ceremony proceeded. The king''s crown was taken off him, and the queen''s crown was presented to him in a pillow and a fine silk cloth to cover it with. The king then took off the silk to reveal the late queen''s crown. His wife had died after birthing Gillian, who was after Guilbert. King Gracius had loved her wholeheartedly, after her obligation to give him a son as heir she had never made any statements or claims to be the only wife, instead she understood the duties of a king and encouraged her husband, the King, to make more children with other noble women to establish bonds by blood with them. The Ducal houses were one of those that saw this need and supported this. However, when she died, the mistresses quarreled among themselves to claim their rights, which led to their children looking at each other like wolves looking at prey. Seeing her crown now going over to his child, Giselle, becoming queen, not out of unfilial treachery but out of loyalty to the family and her country, he admired her. Instead of the late queen''s children, it was the child of the least who was born out of a Marquis household that understood the late queen''s intentions. The King held the crown and as the ceremony dictated, Giselle had to bow down and receive the crown with her head. The king then made a speech, "I, as the previous king of Acadria, hereby pass on to you the responsibilities and burden of taking charge over our kingdom with all that you have and with every fiber of your being. Do you, Giselle vi Acadria, solemnly swear to uphold justice and peace in this kingdom for all generations as its queen?" Giselle answered not out of script but out of heart. And said, "Yes, I do. For my fellow men and our kingdom!" As the king heard her answer, he put the crown on her head and pronounced, "Rise your Majesty! I present to you, Giselle vi Acadria, Queen of Acadria. Long live the queen!" He shouted at the top of his lungs and the people that were gathered in the courtyard of the palace all stood in awe for a few seconds before bursts of clapping and shouts for joy resounded and thundered throughout the venue. It was such a resounding praise for the new queen. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. And when the moment of joy had reached its peak, another thundering sound exploded from the skies. The people all looked up and this time, there were no clouds that dispersed but the figure of a person slowly descended from the skies towards the courtyard''s fountain just below the balcony where the ceremony took place, it was Clay. Dressed in fine clothes that boasted style and fashion from the modern era cosplay generation. This level of cosplay would have made world renowned cosplayers to be amazed. He wore a robe that fluttered around as if a fiery flame around his body. The robe had been embedded with gemstones that formed a pattern at the chest that looked like a sword that had pierced the darkness with its shine. It was the emblem of Claiomh Solais, the sword of light, Clay''s kingdom. His hair was kempt like a royalty according to his "knowledge" and his body emitted majesty like no other king in this world could imitate. "Your majesty¡­" Clay kneeled on one knee in front of Giselle and greeted. Then he continued to say, "¡­ I have come to fulfill our promise. I see that you have received my gift already. I hope you like it as my wedding gift for you, your Majesty Queen Giselle. With our union, brings the unification of mine and your kingdoms of Claiomh Solais, and Acadria. This shall bring about glory and prosperity for many years to come!" With a voice that was filled with dramatics and magic, Clay announced their engagement to the whole world, or at least to the whole of Acadria. With his, proposal that did not sound at all like a proposal, especially to those who knew the inside story, the whole venue was completely silent for a good few seconds before some of the citizens of Acadria realized what has just been said. "W-What!? Queen Giselle is already engaged to the King of Claiomh Solais, that newly risen kingdom to the north? Is this real?" "Idiot! That''s not the issue here, that guy, I''m sure I''ve seen him in posters somewhere sometime ago¡­ Ah! He is the Hero Clay! He was being hunted by prince Guilbert, a year ago for a crime he did not commit!" "What!? The Hero Clay? So, the king of Claiomh Solais is the Hero who had been summoned in our Kingdom and was accused by the previous prince wrongly? He had finally come back. This is great news!" "The greater news would be that this unification is not just a piece of candy but a big piece of dog shit! Our Acadria must have stepped on a mountain of dog shit some generations ago to have windfall like this!" The courtyard was filled with discussion and Giselle who was up in the balcony had to be woken up with an elbow by her father to respond. "C-Clay! Hero Clay! You have finally come back! I accept this union between kingdoms through our marriage. May this union being about prosperity and growth to both our kingdoms in the years to come!" 63 A Great Union It was all under Clay''s initial plans to have Giselle become queen to live a sheltered life and become able to have adventures without any worries. In short, a lazy life ¨C a laid back kind of living where things that he wants to do can be done without much opposition. That was the promise that Clay made with Giselle on the first day they met and was separated. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Now, that promise is fulfilled and even for Clay, an unexpected event was unfolding in front of him. The capital city''s inner districts have been decorated with wreaths and bells to symbolize a union between kingdoms and of two hearts. This was not an idea that Clay gave but a custom in the human realm. When leaders of two kingdoms unite in marriage, it was something that both kingdoms celebrated. The surprising thing was that even his retainers had come to this place, in Acadria, to take part in the preparations of the wedding itself. What Clay was seeing in front of him were his retainers and some of the Acadria Kingdom''s citizens working together with Isaac in preparing the venue of the supposed wedding. Clay had a very confused expression on his face even up until the altar and the stage for the wedding had been finished. "How the hell did you get past my detection and set up this nonsensically speedy preparation?" Clay asked Isaac who seemed to be in charge. And to that the answer was, "Sire! It is only natural for us to prepare for your wedding that should happen only occasionally! Your servants are excited to see you, Sire, uniting two kingdoms into a glorious rule!" Isaac was quite excited with it and let it show on his face. Not really answering Clay''s question. Clay''s mind was too surprised about something else that he just let his answer slip by him. In the end he asked, "How did you even get the information that I was here? I know it would spread all the way to Claiomh Solais, the news about what happened here after quite a while, but not this fast!" "Sire! We made use of some resources we found on the way here, and so, with a cooperation pact as well as the uniting of our two kingdoms, such resources will now become available for us as well. Your planning and advanced thinking really exceeds out expectations Sire!" Isaac again excitedly showered praise for Clay even while he was wearing increasingly confused looks on his face. Giselle also came occasionally to check on the progress of the preparation. Although there were no hints of the feeling called ''love'' from both of them, learning to truly love each other was only a matter of time, and with Clay''s standards and skills, a few thousand years of being alive should be a piece of cake, his retainers thought. "I have no idea what you''re talking about." Clay thought to himself and just let them be. It was a week later that the preparations were completed, and the ceremony took place. The one who presided the union was the former king of Acadria, Gracius vi Acadria who now moves behind the scenes to help his daughter to reign the nobles into submitting to her rule. The scenery was reminiscent of the wedding of the century. Music by bards holding different instruments, singing by the professional singers and dancers from the entertainment districts of the capital and many more artists participation. The hanging decorations were outstanding with white clothes in thin slices hanging over the courtyard of the Palace that once had been a battlefield just a few days had passed as well as Guilbert''s execution ground. Clay had also been dressed by the self-proclaimed fashion designer, Jon. He put together a design of wedding suit that made use of monster materials that he personally hunted a few days prior. Clay was wearing an inner wear that can be called an actual modern suit in white with accents in dark red. While his shoes were made from Moss Alligators, from the Lake of Monsters. He was also adorned with an outer robe which covered everything except his face and hands. Although in Clay''s mind it was useless to dress him up when his own clothes were being blocked by the robe, he still shut his mouth and just let his subordinates take care of things. That was one of the reasons why he even took them in in the first place, to be of help to him. Giselle had worn the previous queen''s wedding garment. A long gown that had slim-fitting curves that accentuate Giselle''s sex appeal even more. Her cleavage was covered and all, but it still managed to rouse Clay''s desire to eat her when he saw how wonderful Giselle''s well-sculpted body was. She did not wear any veil, however, her tiara as the queen had to remain on her head. Although Clay never claimed to be King of Claiomh Solais, he was considered as such by the people in it, which included his subordinates and so he accepted the crown that they handed over to him prior to the ceremony. With the king and Giselle and Clay facing each other, the ceremony began after Gracius said, "I give my blessing to this union as both father and previous King. May the god of humanity make your union prosperous and yield many fruits in the future. We shall start the ceremony." With that, Gracius proceeded in marrying both into one and successfully acknowledge the union of both Acadria and Claiomh Solais. "Will you, Giselle vi Acadria, take Clay as your lawfully wedded husband?" Gracius asked Giselle. "I do." With resolution in her eyes and voice, Giselle answered and felt embarrassed a little. "Will you, Clay, take Giselle as your lawfully wedded wife?" The king asked in anticipation of Clay''s answer and finally breathed out a hidden sigh when he answered, "Yes, I do." With their answers, Gracius continued the ceremony until he announced, "This great union between our kingdoms gives birth to a strong and prosperous rule between the two. And as individuals, a couple, both shall be blessed by the god of humanity to bring forth the new generation! Cheers!" He toasted the whole venue and it was a success. The Wedding was finished and the Great Union of two kingdoms had been victorious. Clay and Giselle then greeted the guests that came and then went away after a moment''s lapse of sight. In literally a blink of an eye. 64 An Obligation Completed Bearing children to become heir is one of the obligations of a king and a father. And these two responsibilities and obligations were two of Clay''s troubles as both King and husband now. Back in Claiomh Solais, 6 months after the wedding had been completed and other projects also finished being set up. Clay was cuddling with Giselle in their bed at the personal residence of Clay he made just at about the center height of Moribor. Their room consisted only of a bed, a warmer, like a fireplace and a room for personal bath and toilet business. Giselle''s responsibilities as queen of Acadria were never neglected as she could just come and go as she pleased between the two places through her Space magic. Clay brought her there the first time and then he let her set up a rift to get her familiar with the coordinates. After just a day of being wed, Clay brought Giselle to his kingdom and there introduced her to his people. She was well received and were blessed by Clay''s citizens. However, after only a day of observing the workings and the training Clay''s people had, Giselle found that it was out of this world. The result of his training regimen produced national-level magicians with no-chant abilities and larger magic energy capacities. This was unprecedented. And while normal magicians and citizens couldn''t sense the magic energy emission of his people, Giselle was one of those that knew how to sense magic energy capacity. His workers were all bearing with them a thousand-man-army kind of feeling and this scared her. She went to the training arena, the Roman Colosseum-like structure Clay made for training his people and saw the military that Clay had been nurturing. Their training was literally, Hell. She found that apart from his four primary subordinates, even the city guards were training with strict guidelines and intensity. Hell, the city guards were probably on par with the Imperial Guards that defended the Imperial Family to the east. \"I know you''re ridiculous in many senses, but seeing your own people training like crazy as if they''re mad men, just how did you garner such loyalty and motivation?\" Giselle couldn''t help but ask. \"Well, I told them that they had to defend this haven they built for themselves. I won''t move unless it endangers them with total annihilation in one-shot or a disaster that strikes that would kill most of them. That''s why I put in their minds the principle that the most dangerous enemy of progress is complacency. When they think they are strong enough to protect themselves is the time when they will fall into catastrophe.\" Clay said nonchalantly to answer Giselle. No wonder I felt like I was facing some deep well of magic energy when one of his subordinates came. That man named Isaac; he gave me a feeling unlike Clay did. Clay''s magic energy felt natural, Isaac''s was as if coming from somewhere unfathomable. Giselle thought. Although she felt Clay''s magic energy as natural, it was in fact because Clay had been trying to cultivate his magic energy to become pure and convert into spiritual energy. The higher form of magic energy from the spirit realm. *** In the 6 months that she had been introduced to the kingdom of Claiomh Solais, he and Clay had never stopped to try for a baby. An heir that can be said to be the most important part of ruling in any nobility-dominated world. Of course, Clay, had to stop playing in Apollo''s Lair and switch places with the body double to do so. And on the 6th month, after day and night of hot and steamy sex, Giselle finally found herself with child. This was the second great news that the kingdoms of Acadria and Claiomh Solais received in the span of 6 months. A week-long party celebration was held and even guests from outside the Forest of Despair were welcomed to join, though they were not invited. Merchants, contractors, slave traders, mercenaries and adventurers had come and celebrated the child. There were no nobles in Claiomh Solais, so there were no gifting ceremonies and what-not, however, each citizen had taken it upon themselves to gift Clay''s child with things that they found would be of use to him in the future. \"Thank you all for celebrating with us the birth of our son, Ryan, although he has yet to come out. We expect his birth to be joyous and so, we thank you for your support. Continue to show your support by making our haven a safe place for little children like our Ryan in the future.\" Clay gave a heart felt speech for the first time in a long while. The celebration lasted a whole week without neglecting their duties of course. Isaac and Giselle hit it off as partners for developing both kingdoms. They had plans that could easily be executed with the manpower from Claiomh, and materials from the Forest of Despair. The economy of Acadria also underwent a series of blooms. The arts industry, the farming industry, mining industry and other essential specialties were being developed in Acadria as Isaac and Giselle made plans for them. In the six months that Giselle ruled, the standard of living for citizens in Acadria had undergone drastic changes for the better. After 9 months of carrying Ryan in her womb, the time of his birth finally came, and another kingdom wide celebration happened. At his birth, a beam of light came down from the heavens towards the child. Clay was alarmed but sensed no ill-intentions, so he let it be. \"With Ryan''s birth comes great changes that will certainly make our haven even more lively. A dungeon was discovered at the northern foot of the Impassable Mountain Range. My subordinates have made initial investigations about it, what''s inside and how extensive it is. From their investigation, the current monsters that are born inside the dungeon were simple Porkers and Slimes. The size of the dungeon extends only until about half of the Impassable Mountain Range, so it''s quite a long journey to the end right now from the entrance which looks like an ordinary cave. We have taken it upon ourselves to sell a map and guide for those who wish to challenge the dungeon from the city hall. Do visit the city hall for those who are interested!\" Clay spoke enthusiastically about a dungeon. It was as if he was itching to also go inside and explore. However, his priority is making sure his son is recognized by the populace of Claiomh. \"As my gift to all the people who are welcomed to our Kingdom, I shall lower the tax for merchants and the guilds by 2 percent for the next year. Isaac shall oversee implementing this. That is all!\" Clay finished his excitement-filled announcement and opening remarks and the celebration officially began. Clay then looked carefully at his son, Ryan''s stats from the get-go. Name: Ryan Class: None Sub-Class: None Title: Hero''s Son | Inheritor Stats: [STR ¨C 10] | [INT - 10| [MGC ¨C 10] | [DEX ¨C 10] Skills: [Space-Time Magic ¨C Master (Locked)] | [Energy Reactor (Locked)] | [Magic Master ¨C Archive] | [Creation Magic ¨C Master (Locked)] Blessing: Father''s Blessing Status: Normal ?Optimal? \"I can understand where Magic Master ¨C Archive, Energy Reactor and Space-Time Magic ¨C Master comes from but the Creation magic ¨C Master is a bit of a brow raiser for me. Looking at its description it seems that Magic Master ¨C Archive gives Ryan the ability to perform magic that are known in this world and even gives him extra ability to perform magic that he sees once. That''s already cheat-like if you ask me. And then Creation Magic ¨C Master seems to be a skill that I am unfamiliar with, however, from closer inspection, it seems that I also have this skill under UltiCo''s supervision. The assimilation of All-Elements and their affinity into a single skill in evolution. Thus: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Light, Dark, Null and Space all combined to create the skill Creation Magic. \"It seems Ryan really did just inherit my body''s skills not my hidden abilities. It would have been super OP for my son to have kryptonian genes as well as hyper regeneration. However, thinking about it, magic is the all-solution to this world''s problems so he can achieve anything with it if he get''s creative. I''ll just have to direct him to the right path. \"Ryan''s Space-Time Magic ¨C Master is also a new addition, even I don''t have Time Magic, so how did he get this skill? From evolution or from a mutation? Whatever it is, looking at the description, it just says, Magic concerning Space-Time manipulation. Basic magic spells are, [Borrowed Time], [Reverse Time], [Chrono-vision], [Teleport] which gives me the idea that the only space-related spell there is teleport. But still, damn, this kid is going to be awesome!\" Clay basked in his imagination of how he would guide his son to becoming a great figure worthy of ruling this world in the future. And Giselle, seeing that smile on Clay, had pitying thoughts towards their son Ryan. 65 A New Adventure Starts After their son, Ryan''s birth, Clay stayed in body double mode and made his real body rest and absorb the Sun''s energies. He wanted to expedite Ryan''s growth and were always scolded by Giselle because he was too excited in trying to train his son. Although Giselle and Clay still had not developed that deep a sense of relationship with each other, their marriage still brought about for both, joy and fulfillment that they knew they''d have not gotten if they hadn''t met. Giselle''s heart would sometimes warm at the thought that Clay fulfilled his promise to make her queen and help her people in secret even when she was out of sight. The word of a man like Clay weighed heavily on them, Giselle reasoned. However, sometimes there''re feelings that make her heart flutter when she thinks of it. Clay on the other hand was deeply attracted to Giselle''s curvaceous body and pretty face, however, love was still not in that equation. He admired her and gave her an heir, but his heart was still in denial of the feelings that are already brewing inside him. Besides, he had too much on his mind to even think about something as fleeting as love. He saw too many people broken because of the feeling they had called love. Love destroyed families and even grand companies, organizations and worlds. Although some of those references comes from his \"knowledge, it still cannot be denied that love had too much hand in the state of the world both previous and present. So, love was the last thing in Clay''s mind right now. Although, with his son, Ryan''s addition to the equation, it seems that Clay''s irresponsible way of thinking about love and family is slowly being transformed. *** Giselle had gone to Acadria to manage the kingdom there, and Clay was left in their residence. Clay gathered his retainers by summoning them and they are sitting across Clay waiting for him to tell them what''s up. \"That Dungeon that we discovered, how goes the investigation?\" \"Sire, the dungeon had become a place that adventurers frequent since a year ago. We developed the road for them and made it safe enough to travel there in groups in a party if they wished to explore the place. Adventurers have been thriving in our territory since its conception and the Adventurers Guild had been established to be the most influential institute next to the city hall. They commission many jobs for citizens that were attracted to adventure. Unlike our family members that have been restricted from making known their strength, the rest of the immigrants has freedom to choose whatever profession they choose to. Many warriors have appeared, and the dungeon situation had stabilized.\" \"That''s good. I want you to try to conquer the dungeon by 6 months as your training. If you can accomplish this, then we would move on to the next phase of our training.\" Clay commanded them. \"Sire, won''t conquering the dungeon be too easy for us currently?\" Mor asked, feeling confident of his strength since they continue to investigate the dungeon day and night noon-stop to determine its danger factors towards the city. \"I just found out that there is a larger energy signature inside the dungeon. I think it only appeared today. You will receive reports from those you sent to the dungeon later anyway, so discuss among yourselves how to conquer it. It''d be best if you moved faster, but perfection takes time as they say. So, take time to plan and prepare. This adventure you''re about to have seems to be quite a challenge, just right for the current you.\" \"As you command!\" Caltec expressed powerfully. The rest also nodded to his intent, stood up and left the room without saying anything else to Clay. To which, Clay smiled gleefully. That smile had a hint of playfulness in it and of someone having fun. *** At his residence, Clay had set up a transfer array to travel directly to Apollo''s Lair. He had hidden it carefully so that no one accidentally activates it and directly combust as they emerge from the transfer magic circle. And to further raise the security, only his energy signature is accepted by the transfer array. Right after telling his retainers about the quest they had to undergo, Clay used the array to go to Apollo''s Lair after leaving a letter on the bed telling Giselle that he will be gone for at most a week. In Apollo''s Lair, Clay saw his body sitting comfortably at the throne he made for himself. After admiring himself a little he went to a room different from the experiment room he uses to conduct varied experiments in. He went to the opposite room across it and closed the door behind him as he went it. Before he had fully come inside, silhouette of monsters could be observed right before the door closed. *** In the dungeon that recently opened, having only a year in its belt being, it was relatively still popular for adventurers to come in and out of. The monsters after its initial growing period in addition to the Porkers and Slimes were Goblins, their leaders the Hobgoblins, and then another scary monster that appeared out of nowhere, a Homunculus that is often rumored to be evolved from Slimes. Porkers are boars that charge using their incredibly hardened snouts and kill with their tusks. They average the size of a minivan, standing at a meter. Slimes are typically creatures who prey on other monster corpses or substances that are released by other creatures such as their feces, blood or even sweat. Ultimately, slimes are what keeps a dungeon or their environment clean. Goblins are monsters that stand at the height of an elementary student. Their faces resemble a human but only if they were doused with acid to the face. They had body odor so foul that other creatures usually kill them and leave their bodies to the Slimes which digest them without complaints. Basically, Goblins are never a choice of food for the hunters, only those desperate enough to eat their flesh and suffer their smell would do so. Above the Goblins were the Hobgoblins who rule over them. They evolve from the rest to take leadership over a tribe of other Goblins. This ensures the survival of each Goblin tribe that exists in the wilds. Although Goblins are typically not welcomed in the Forest of Despair as they are too weak, Hobgoblins are also not welcomed. They may be stronger than typical Goblins, but their characteristic fetid smell and unappetizing flesh make them the number one eradication target by other predators inside the Forest of Despair. However, with Claiomh Solais being a newly established Kingdom inside the Forest of Despair, having a dungeon show up in their territory is rather convenient for the adventurers who love exploring regions for treasures and just for adrenaline rush. So, the Goblins inside, although unwanted by bigger predators, could not be touched because people from Claiomh Solais guards the entrance and exit of the dungeon. Isaac had made sure to defend this spot to maintain business opportunities. The overall threat of the Forest of Despair had already gone down to a level where fully armed groups of people can enter if they stick to the highways which Clay made. As those roads were made with Clay''s magic, and his magic energy signature still lingers in them, it prevents intelligent monsters from coming close to it, especially the capital itself. The capital thus, serves as the beacon for Clay to say to the monsters lurking in the forest to \"stay away and there will be peace, invade, and there will be war.\" Currently, the four of them had arrived at the entrance of the dungeon. The dungeon''s monsters had no way of training them further, but Clay insisted that there was a monster that recently appeared that would pose a challenge to the four of them together, so they went without asking any more questions. They did not know then that what awaited them was a bitter struggle for their lives. The monster that waited for them at the end of the road, was something they would have nightmares about for decades. 66 Beginning of a Nightmare Isaac, Caltec, Jon, and Mor made their way towards the end of the dungeon where the possibility of the new monster being located was. They knew how weak the monsters here were and fighting them would only serve as them bullying the weak; it would not add any experience to them. Even as they slowly advanced their training spirit was still ignited. They were wearing criminal bands that increased their weight via gravity through runes. Clay had commanded them to wear this every day when they were not resting in bed. As a result, their bodies grew accustomed to the weight they can bear and every so often Clay would adjust the gravitational effect of each band for them. Basically, each of them had about equal weights currently. As Isaac was an average sized man in height, standing only at 5 foot 11, so his normal weight should be at about 70-85 kilograms. However, with the gravity effect of the criminal bands that Clay had adjusted for them now, multiplied by 20 times the gravity of Alleucanth of about 19.614 m/s2 which brings his weight to about 1.7 tons. And Isaac is shorter than Caltec by 4 inches only. Jon and Mor were about the same height at 5 foot 8, they were short compared to the average, but their height to weigh ratio was an advantage to their current training regime of multiplying their own weight to give a balance in terms of the STR, DEX, INT, MGC stats across the board. Increased weight tempered their STR and DEX, the way they handle their weight increase to efficiently move their own body tempers their INT and the circulation of magic energy in their bodies helps in stabilizing their blood flow which tempers their MGC stats. In a way, turning to the training regimen of Goku gave Clay the ultimate training menu for his retainers to grow with balance as their focus. Specializations would come after they focus on their individual techniques. Looking at Isaac who obviously should focus on his INT and MGC stats to further enhance his control over the spiritual energy that his blessing grants him; that''s where he should specialize and develop techniques to better accommodate that advantage. While Caltec and Jon should focus on their own Fist and Sword techniques. Mor on the other hand, had more of a magic swordsman template, which enables him to fight with both sword and magic: not separately, but simultaneously. \"What do you think the new monster would be?\" Jon asked the party. \"Some monsters that could give us a challenge individually, would be a Cockatrice, a Chimera, a Naga and those at the top of Moribor, which we can''t even get to for now.\" Caltec listed some of the monsters he would physically be given a hard time if he fought it alone, but together, those monsters would be an easy picking. And those monsters he mentioned were all monsters that could inflict status ailments like Petrification, Paralysis, Poison and more. The Cockatrice can petrify, the Chimera has a paralyzing venom with its snake tail, the Naga can confuse with sounds. These monsters were a bad match-up for them individually, so the rest also nodded and understood what Caltec was talking about. \"If we''re only analyzing bases on the monsters that have spawned previously then yea, we won''t have a challenge here, however, what if the monster that had spawned was spot on based on our conjectures, only, it would have a derivation from the original species. I think Lord Clay had mentioned it some time ago, that monsters also had a sub-species that were more aggressive, more powerful and had varied abilities that gave them an edge over others.\" Jon recalled what Clay had told them one day as they were training and relayed it again. \"I agree, what if it''s really a Goblin King or Goblin-type monster but with a different edge from the normal species?\" Mor asked in contrast to their logical conclusion. \"That''s just it. If we expect it, then most probably it will be an unexpected monster, however, if we don''t expect it, then we''ll just be fooling ourselves into not expecting what we did not expect. Which is still just an expectation.\" Isaac gave a mouthful of thought. The three of them shook their heads indicating they did not understand. So did Isaac who said that. *** An hour later. In the dungeon, there''re no artificial lighting that they put up. The thing is, different from other dungeons, this one has its own natural lighting embedded on the floor and ceiling. Although they are not arranged in a neat and linear way, it was still arranged to look like it was not arranged. Isaac had found this peculiar the first 6 months that they had investigated this dungeon. It was as if someone created it for the purpose of something and made it look like it emerged naturally from nowhere so that it can fool others into thinking just that. However, he had a suspicion. He suspected that this dungeon was created by someone''s hand. And at first, he suspected Clay who he knew had the capabilities of putting up something of this level. However, he put away his suspicion of him when he found out that these monsters that spawned inside were naturally occurring and not artificially made. He did not even believe that monsters could be made artificially made, so it was only right that he put way his suspicion. Nowadays he has been investigating the origin of dungeons and his research had led him to thinking about the origin of magic energy. His research snowballed into his discovery of an energy source that he had in himself, spiritual energy. He has not reported this to Clay as he knows that Clay may already know this thing and would only be a waste of his Lord''s time. However, he did not stop his research there. He once asked Clay to teach him about the Olden God''s Language, and Clay told him, \"It''s such a broad topic, Isaac. I''ll just leave you with the characters for using the language of the olden gods. Just be careful imbuing magic to it though, it may cause some troubles.\" Thus, Isaac''s time from then on became split between three things. Managing the United Kingdoms with Giselle, Rune Research and Training. Of course, training still got the bigger chunk of his load because Clay discouraged him to spend too much time on other things instead of making himself get better. Isaac, Caltec, Jon, and Mor already disposed of small fries in the hundreds as they made their way towards the end of the dungeon. However, on the last stretch before the last few hundred meters from the end, the gang found a hole on the floor. They could not see clearly from far away with the limited lighting inside, but they were sure that this hole was not here before ¨C on the last inspection. Which was a week ago. \"Be careful. This is a new development. This might be what Lord Clay had detected and the monster we''re hunting would come from there.\" Caltec warned everyone. He was the vanguard along with Jon, so both easily transitioned into the formation they have practiced together in training immediately. Isaac and Mor also took their position in the formation. Isaac was a magic user more suited to be the rear-guard and Mor was focusing his training on being a magic swordsman, which offers a balance between the front and the back, so he was assigned to be the switcher at the middle of the formation. All they needed now was a scout and long-range pin-point accuracy shooter to complete their party. Although, that is the ideal, their party is still rather formidable as with the strength they possessed, it was useless to divide themselves into a party. Conquering this dungeon was a piece of cake for them individually, now that they formed a party, their fighting power shot up exponentially in proportion to their number. So, if Caltec''s fighting strength was quantified, he would be equal to 1000 elite knights. Multiply that with his magic reinforcement and weight, he should be able to withstand an army of more than 50,000 strong, alone. An average soldier''s fighting strength should be around that of a Wild Wolf. A Wild Wolf is ranked at E; third to the lowest rank in the adventurer guild''s ranking criteria. A Black Ant Colony numbering in the 10,000s is ranked as C as a whole and ranked F individually. Its elites in the colony would rank high at D close to C, but those elite individuals still can''t beat 10,000 of their kind alone and so Caltec''s fighting strength should be at about rank A, closer to Double A''s. As they are in a party, their strength should be at Triple A. A monster that can threaten a Triple A rank team, should be as scary as the monsters above Moribor that''re still not being dealt with by Clay. They don''t know what their Lord is thinking in not cleaning it up yet, but they trust him to be able to handle things that come from above without sweat. Seeing as there were no movements from the hole, they came closer and investigated it, finding what looked like a stairway downwards. This was the first time they saw a stair down the dungeon, and it made them cautious but curious as well. They went down it and moved for about another 20 minutes. Caltec led they way with Jon directly behind him. Each one of them were able to cast simple spells to illuminate the place better so they each casted illumination spells above their head. The spells took form in spheres of light above their head which did not hinder their sight, moving close to the ceiling of the dungeon. \"Do you feel any presence up front?\" Isaac asked as he was at the rear. \"I don''t. Not yet.\" Caltec answered then turned to Jon and asked, \"How about you?\" \"Nothin''.\" He shook his head. \"Would it be good to cast a Search Spell?\" Mor asked them. Out of all of them, Mor had been entrusted by Clay the most \"knowledge\" of spells and practical application of magic in a booklet he wrote for him. He had high hopes for Mor as he was the template that most Earthling \"knowledge\" holder would want to become. It was romance to become a magic swordsman. However, Clay would not be able to become just a magic swordsman and gave up on it; giving the opportunity to Mor instead. And one of those spells he was taught was the Search Spell. It was a spell that spread out a thin blanket of magic power over a vast area surrounding the caster. Like a sonar of some kind. Clay also just took the idea form his \"knowledge.\" With it, Mor would be an effective semi-scout in a team and would be fine on his own as well. That was how Overpowered Magic Swordsmen are. Without waiting for their answer, Mor casted the search spell and not a moment later, received a feedback from it and his face paled progressively. Their target for this hunt was found in that previous search spell and it was supposed to be good news. \"Hey, what''s up with you? Did you find it?\" Jon was confused over Mor''s sudden silence and waved his arm towards him. \"Did you use up a lot of magic energy? You''re getting paler. Hey!\" Caltec was getting nervous from Mor''s reaction. \"S-Shit! Lord Clay was right. This thing''s going to be a challenge even for all of us.\" Mor stuttered and struggled to calm himself after getting the response from his search. \"Well, what is it?\" Isaac asked the right question. To him who did, Mor turned his head and said gravely, \"We were wrong. We thought only those up top the peak of Moribor can give us a challenge, we never considered other places as well. And now, we are about to face something that would probably give us nightmares for a long time¡­\" Mor paused and continued in an abysmally low spirit. \"We''re facing one of the Demon Realm''s scourge that even one of the Demon Realm generals get frustrated about, that General Agamemkeru get''s flustered about this monster even with his strength.\" When Mor mentioned Agamemkeru, the all too well-known general of the Demon Realm who rules over the swamps there, they all got goosebumps on their body, however, further thinking about the creature that can give Agamemkeru frustrations¡­ their faces also paled quicker than Mor''s. Mor then announced the name of the monster they were about to face. It was also a monster of the swamp''s vessel of immense magical power. A creature of well-known varied origins admired and dreaded by all. It was, \"The Hydra!\" Mor exclaimed. 67 The Hydra Many legends have been associated with the origins of the Hydra. Some say it was the offspring of greater beings below the gods that were cursed and became a monster. Some say it was a snake that evolved into a dragon after passing through a thousand years of labor and struggle. Some say that it was a snake that ate itself to be reborn into a dragon. Some even said that it was a Lamia that evolved closer to a dragon. However, Clay knew better than those legends. He knew the origin of this monster through UltiCos investigation and observation analysis. This creature was the result of a little snake which wandered into an ancient Dragon''s nest basking in the dragon''s magical energy for millennia on end and finally evolving into a creature that resembled the dragon in its magical energy capacity and physique. The Dragon that it had leeched off was a Dragon called, Typhon. An Ancient Dragon that had been banished from its own world by the gods there. The Hydra was a hermaphrodite capable of giving birth on its own and so, it gave life to its kind via that process. However, Hydras only gave birth to eggs once every hundred years because of the magic energy consumption it takes to give birth. A fully-grown Hydra had the rank of Triple A however, a special case where the Hydra fully grows into an adult gives it a mutation. This mutation''s effect varies to enhanced strength, defense or even vitality. However, the most troublesome effect was a deviation in its genes where the original make-up of the body changes and it takes on a more Dragon-like characteristic. This was the problem of being of the same energy wavelength as Typhon, because Typhon was an Ancient Dragon of Chaotic origins. His very magic energy contains himself. And in cases where a huge amount of magic energy is gathered, there is a high possibility of a Hydra coming into being with a greater Ancient Dragon gene than anything else. *** Caltec, Jon, Mor and Isaac moved closer and closer to the lair of the Hydra. All throughout the journey towards it, they were praying that Mor could be wrong and he just read his Search Result wrongly. However, despair had a way of playing with hope in people. When they arrived at the lair, they saw that this Hydra was simply sleeping and had not even woken up. It was such a good opportunity to injure it heavily before if could defend itself and kill it. \"H-Hey! It''s still sleeping. Should we make our move already?\" Caltec was excitedly telling the gang. \"N-No! If it wakes up and rampages here, we''ll die for sure sooner than later. Let''s plan our attack first. We don''t even know if it''s the only one, here right?\" Jon pitched in. Mor turned his head towards Jon as if he was hurt and he argued, \"I''m sure it''s the only one here okay?! At least the only one with energy signature as big as it is!\" Hmph. Mor harrumphed and pouted his lips. In answer to his question, crickets started to sound. They all had no idea! There have been records of Hydra being spotted and destroying kingdoms and villages, but there have been no records of them being fought and killed. At least none that lived to tell the tale. Which goes to say how dangerous the creature they are planning to subjugate was. \"Dammit! If Lord Clay was here, this would be piece of cake and we''d only be watching on the sidelines as he battles.\" Jon voiced out in complain or even more, a prayer. However, Isaac doused that prayer of his in saying, \"Who was it that sent us here knowing what was here? It was Lord Clay! He wants to train us or at least to show something for our training. If we kept on depending on him, then what if he went away? Would we be able to handle the world and any opposition without him?\" He said. This speech silenced the gang. Although his speech was made in the most silent voice he could make, the message was clear. They had to show results. \"I know that we all understand. Our Lord cannot be held to this realm alone. If one day, he chooses to unite the Human Realm and even other realms under him, then that should only be a start. The world would come under him and if we can''t even defend his territory then we''ll be useless as retainers. An embarrassment to his name!\" Isaac added. \"So, we plan. We execute and we show results worthy of our Lord!\" It was a good speech. Isaac was a noble after all. Stirring up the masses was a skill. He even led a part of a nation in his youth. However, this speech of him, plunged them further into that nightmare they are about to step into. *** The Hydra had a body the size of a Brontosaurus with claws instead of hooves, snake heads numbering 6, scales protecting its heavy muscles that rival that of the hardest steel, fangs that can punch holes through reinforced concrete multiplied by 6 heads. Overall, facing this monster was very brave and stupid at the same time. Just from the description of how devastating this monster is to those kingdoms it destroyed, to how it cannot be hurt by blade nor magic. This Hydra the gang were facing now was sleeping soundly. As if it has done something like hunting, or mating, or even giving birth. Normally, a boss monster would wait for their prey like good boys, to devour them with relish. However, the Hydra was sleeping. If the gang had any experience in fighting or even just observing the ecology of any Hydra, then they would have known that they only rest after those three things above. Meaning, some unfortunate souls might have come inside the dungeon without them knowing and giving it food, or it had mated, which was unlikely given the time it had appeared and more impossibly if it had given birth with the same reason as mating. So most probably, it ate some food after playing a little with it. However, the gang did not know this and had not thought about the possibility. They could not also be blamed because there were no traces of battle in this place. So, they planned and schemed and advanced slowly towards the most effective range they could deal the most damage from. Silence. Only the inaudible humming of the dungeon can be observed while the gang moved. Their training had allowed them to move precisely and accurately, even silently. A good thing that dungeon floors were as hard as the floors of the Kingdom''s city. Silently they crept closer¡­ on the 30th minute mark of their impasse they finally found their ideal hit-mark and initiated the attack on the sleeping Hydra. Caltec and Jon made a jumping attack towards two of the heads they felt was easier to cut off, while Mor made a stance of unsheathing his sword at a super-fast speed, or as Clay had taught him, an instantaneous slash, Iaido. He targeted not the heads but the most probable part where the heart is located and poured his all into that one slash. Isaac also gathered as much as 50 percent of his magic energy to create a field of ice lance floating directly above the body of the Hydra. All the preparations were complete and the attack on Hydra had begun. Slash! Boom! Splatter! Caltec''s attack pushed the Hydra''s steel-like muscles along its stell-like scales to the limit as his whole weight was brought upon it from above through a fist smash. One of the Hydra''s skull was broken from the weight as Caltec''s attack hit. Even the dungeon floor beneath it was slightly dented from the sheer force as the dungeon shook. Jon''s attack also severed one of the Hydra''s heads from the base and left a visible gouge on the floor as his slash contained with it his weight and momentum. His favorite sword Runic Blade, as he named it, was a sword that Clay gave him when they pledged their allegiance to him and ever since then, have never held another sword different to it. Mor''s attack was even more bloody than the first two. His, literally split the Hydra''s body in two from the center diagonally. Which included most of the other heads that were not targeted by Caltec and Jon. His blade was also a Runic Blade, but with a different name than Jon''s, his sword he named, Executioner. And from the devastating result of his attack, it may deserve that name after all. All three attacks landed in succession with not more than half a second interval. Blood splattered everywhere and even the three of them were splashed with its blood. That was when the problem for them started. Sizzle. The blood of the Hydra had highly corrosive property that melted through flesh the moment it made contact and the way they were showered with its blood; it was only a matter of seconds before they should have perished. A good thing, that they were trained by Clay to always cover themselves with a thin layer of magic energy and even fighting spirit so that no attack would directly come in contact to their flesh. That did not apply to their cloths and weapons though, and so, Caltec''s cestus was destroyed almost immediately while Jon and Mor''s weapons were saved because of the runes that Clay had put in them. Even the dungeon floor started to get corroded. What more, the clothes of the three. So, at this moment, they were bare. \"Oh Oh Oh, my god!\" Jon was jumping around as he felt the heat of his clothes dissolving in real time. \"Damn! That''s one secret attack we can''t ever hope to prepare for!\" Caltec also scratch his head heavily seeing his cestus and clothes disappear. Mor was not as affected but he hurriedly swung his sword to get rid of the blood splashes it had on it. Seeing him do this, Jon also followed suit as if he remembered as well. \"Thanks.\" Jon said to Mor, and he just put a thumbs up towards Jon. \"Did we kill it?\" Isaac asked. Immediately the atmosphere turned colder than even Isaac could make the room with his power. The coldness came not from the Hydra''s dissected body, but from the three others who heard Isaac ask the forbidden question, \"Did we kill it?\" It was one of Clay''s unwritten rules, \"Never set up a flag by asking questions like, ''Did we succeed?'' or you will suffer from the utterance!\" And just now, Isaac just had to ask! Bastard! \"Argh! We''ll kill you Isaac! Why''d you have to ask that stupid question?!\" Jon, Mor, and even the senior Caltec, grudgingly pointed their middle fingers towards Isaac, who now realized his mistake and embarrassedly scratching his head in shame. However, their comic gag, almost instantly were replaced with seriousness that would belie even that lively exchange just now. \"Here comes, round two!\" the gang shouted out loud to boost themselves. 68 The Nightmare Blob Sizzle! Blob Sizzle! Blob Sizzle! Instead of attacking and bombarding the Hydra with attacks to prevent it from regenerating, the four of them had their eyes, fixed on it, widened and even their mouths were agape as they saw the unreal regenerative powers of the Hydra. From the stump of the cut parts of its head, grew double the number of heads. And with Mor''s great Executioner Slash, he decapitated almost all the heads except the two that Caltec and Jon had dealt with. Caltec''s crushed Hydra head did not even take him long enough to suck in enough breath to fully inflate his lungs, to recover to its peak condition, and this time it was wide awake and aware of the attack. It was not even wary, but furious now! As it fully healed itself and multiplied its heads to 10, the Hydra gave out a sounding Roar that may have brought with it a status effect; fear. However, the effect of Fear was minimal to the four of them, thanks to constantly being in fear of someone monstrous enough to not even feel fear for anything other than him. Their master, and Lord, was such a being that just facing his punches makes them fear for their lives. That was something advantageous, but still did not contribute to lessening their predicament. They didn''t know how to fight this Hydra. All their preparation was for monsters that can be killed with skill, technique and overwhelming strength. However, this Hydra was not something to fight with just that, it had to be fought with cunning and a good plan. Isaac released the prepared countermeasure for when all those heavy killing blows were not enough to kill the Hydra, and he was right to prepare, so he immediately released the floating Ice Spears above the Hydra''s regenerating body after waking up from his surprise. They did not know, the surprises only just begun. *** While they discovered the Hydra''s ridiculous regenerative capabilities, their Master, Clay was up in Apollo''s Lair, doing some secretive work. Ryan was with Giselle and so Clay was right now free to do as he pleased. The guys were sent to the Hydra to learn that strength alone was not enough sometimes. If they somehow faced something that nullified damage like the Hydra through constant regeneration and at a very fast pace as well, then they would not panic and become like how they were doing now. \"That guy should be able to handle it well. I''ll come back later monitor progress. Maybe I should leave a leader for these golems here at Apollo''s Lair to have them continue to be productive even without my presence?\" Clay thought hard and mumbled and tried to remember how things went for movies and series of anime''s that incorporated AI and leaving them to their devices. \"On second thought, no. I don''t want to start an AI war or something. SO, no thanks. Gotta go. I still have big plans for my son. I never knew having a child was such an exciting thing! Haha!\" Saying so, he left the room and went towards the throne. He then executed the Body Transfer spell and got back inside his real body. He had to try something to his child with his real body. After that, he directly went to Alleucanth without even using magic power. *** Boom! Clay''s prediction was right. After about 30 minutes of fighting the Hydra to no apparent result, Isaac spoke while dodging an attack like a whip with one of the necks of the Hydra towards him and said, \"We aren''t making progress! We''ll only exhaust ourselves like this. We must try something else or at least retreat for now! I know it goes against our pride to run with our tails between our legs, but if we continue, we''ll just tire ourselves out while the Hydra would continue to be at its peak!\" While Isaac had been giving that speech, he heard Caltec shout, \"What are you still doing there then? Come on! We''re leaving you behind if you dally anymore!\" Isaac was dumbfounded. He found Caltec and the rest already running without shame or even a shred of hesitation. The moment Isaac mentioned retreat, they had already bounced and ran like hell in the direction of the exit! How shamless! \"Bastards! Wait for me!\" Isaac then gave a once over at the Hydra and released a great amount of magic energy, pouring it towards a spell he had thought about some time ago, it was a spell that resembled the cold blowing winds of his home with snow and death being brought together with it. He named his spell, Blizzard. And this Blizzard was shot towards the Hydra as Isaac ran without looking back at all. He knew, this level of attack would not kill the Hydra. As the Blizzard raged about, the Hydra also raged about inside it. At first it did not feel the cold, however, as the Hydra was a cold-blooded serpent-type monster, the cold, was a real issue for it. After being exposed to the Blizzard for more than a minute, it started to stiffen up and eventually lost strength in its body slowing down to a crawl before becoming enclosed in a big block of ice. If only Isaac new that his attack had an effect, they would have returned immediately and restarted their battle. Alas, their nightmare has still just started. *** Inside the City Hall''s Mayor''s office. Isaac had a large conference table inside the Mayor''s Office. He wanted to not waste rooms by separating the conference room and his office. So, he had it designed like this after getting Clay''s approval. It was an oval shaped long table with comfortable chairs numbering 16 including his own. And right now, Caltec, Jon and Mor were sitting at the chairs close to Isaac''s own at the tip of the long table. \"Let''s review. What the hell we did and what worked and what was useless. At least with this, we''ll know how to deal with that monster, hopefully.\" Isaac gravely said, while staring into the center of the table like he hated that part of the table. In fact, Isaac had been looking at the Hydra in his mind and remembering how dreadful it was. \"Well, we know the bastard can heal like a real bastard. We also can''t be recklessly cutting its heads off, since that''ll just make it even harder to face. Piercing attacks work, but it''ll just heal in a second. Blunt Force also works, but results in the same, Slashing, Cutting, Magic, heck, anything we throw at it was effective wasn''t it?\" Caltec enumerated what worked and what it resulted to after and his voice slowly had a strong tone of being frustrated with it. \"The injury to the torso that I dealt to it initially, how long did it take for it to actually regenerate from that?\" Mor asked, which resulted in them halting their thought processes and think back to that exact moment when the Hydra started to regenerate for the first time. They recalled that the Hydra grew heads faster than it healed its split body. Plus, it did not generate another body, instead it connected itself before it began to regenerate. \"That''s it Mor! That''s good thinking!\" Jon was excited and exclaimed. Then continued to say, \"The heads, we know it regenerates and even multiplies if we cut it apart, however, its body lacks the ability to actually reproduce itself, meaning, if we focus our attacks towards its body just like with Mor, then maybe we can annihilate it that way!\" Jon had helped them stay out of danger with his Danger Sense, however, even that did not give them an edge in the fight. Everyone thought about the suggestion however, \"If that was really the case, then to kill the bastard, we''d have to attack it consecutively without pause or interruption and slowly chip its body off, right?\" Asked Isaac. While everyone nodded. He then continued, all while breaking their spirit, \"However, would the 10 heads just allow us to attack its body without hindering us? Remember, we are 4 people, the Hydra, it equals 10 people of the same power as us, how then can we attack without interruption or without pause?\" \"Shit!\" Realizing the flaw in that suggestion, Jon shook his head along Caltec and Mor. Then they heard Isaac speak again, \"Although, we can''t do that currently, that was a good observation Mor. And you were also the one who made that injury to the Hydra as well, so you get a lot of credit for that.\" Carrot and Stick, Isaac knew the game all too well. Caltec and Jon nodded in agreement to what Isaac said and Mor smiled a little in shyness. They continued to evaluate and eliminate suggestions and strategies even until afternoon, then suddenly the door to the conference room was knocked and the voice of his secretary sounded, \"Lord Clay asks for your presence, Sir. He is waiting at the lobby.\" Crack! The sound of furniture being broken suddenly resounded surprising the secretary, Yorna. Yorna was one of the mercenaries'' family that came together with Caltec when he came to serve Clay. She did not join the Elementalists and the Alchemists, instead she was recruited by Isaac to be his secretary after she volunteered herself to the service. At first, she knew nothing, but the way she learned and how fast it was, Isaac was impressed and so he gave her duties that he could entrust to her separately, which lightened his load. Yorna learned to manage budget, arrange schedules, set appointments and even speak about the trades that were available in the kingdom. Since City Hall was the central and most busy place out of the whole Kingdom, she was also as busy as can be. When the Night Prowlers started to train in the kingdom, she also wanted to train with them, she wanted to be trained in how to be a Night Prowler without being one, and Clay approved it. Now she was able to function as information agent as well for Isaac. She was strong enough to also fight C rank adventurers on par. That goes to say, that at this point being surrounded by ridiculously powerful people, she was close to immune to getting startled and surprised, but at this moment she flinched ever so slightly at the sound she heard before feeling an oppressive magic energy release. Click, boom! The door to the conference room, swung open powerfully, threatening to get ripped off, however it held on like a pro. As to be expected from Clay-made products. \"Did I hear you right? You made Lord Clay wait, in the lobby instead of guiding him here?\" Isaac''s voice was grave and his expression murderous. The same could be said to the other three, although Mor''s was a bit more relax, he still exuded enough threat. Yorna was never exposed to this kind of oppressive feeling before and so she was scared out of her wits, she immediately prostrated and banged her head to the floor and asked for forgiveness, \"I-I''m so sorry! I-It was L-L-Lord Clay who asked me to get you instead of coming to you, he said, \"call them\" and I obey!\" After she said that, an even more oppressive feeling blanketed the whole City Hall, however this time, there was no one, not even Yorna who was affected by it except the four of them. Isaac, Caltec, Jon and Mor, all were forcefully brought down by that oppressive force, cancelling their own. They realized; they did something uncouth to Yorna. It was unbecoming of them. And now, they are receiving their Lord Clay''s punishment. At that time, the four of them heard Clay''s cold voice. \"You dare oppress your own people? People that I sent for you. You got death wishes?!\" The oppressive force different from Overpower got stronger and the four who had been brought to the floor on all fours, had their faces pushed to the floor. Tok Tok Tok Then they heard someone walking towards them. The sound of Clay''s heels resounding so clearly that it became the only sound they could hear at this moment. \"Yorna, take the day off for now. I need to reeducate my subordinates it seems.\" Clay gently held Yorna up and sent her home for the day as he passed the four who were on the floor, not forgetting to heal her forehead. Then he faced them while he himself squatted to look at them better. \"What were you thinking? Were you so frustrated with your failed quest, that you took it out on the poor Yorna? Have you lost your minds with just this?\" Clay spoke to them without releasing the oppressive force he was emitting. \"Don''t take things too far, I am not so weak that I need you to be my babysitters. You remember that I don''t like formalities and false show of respect. So, I encourage you to get that kind of mindset out of your heads from now on. You come when I tell you to come, regardless of who I send or where I choose to wait. You get me?\" Clay had seriously been pissed off by this display of his subordinates. It just goes to show how dominant their superiority complex is. \"As punishment, you are banned from returning home, until you can subjugate that Hydra. Take Myles and Jora with you. They''ll help support you. Don''t fail me again.\" Clay said and disappeared immediately bringing with him the oppressive force he brought. As was said, their nightmare had only just begun. 69 Giselle and Ryan Giselle had gone to the kingdom of Acadria as usual to properly monitor the progress they had made in the kingdom. As many a kingdoms citizens mindset was, that no matter who ruled over them, they only cared if they were benefitting from it. So, the transition from King Gracius to Queen Giselle was smoother than it looked especially when Giselle gave birth not a year after her reign. In Acadria Ryan was called Prince Ryan. He was hailed as the crown prince of the United Kingdoms of Claiomh and Acadria. With Acadria focusing its development on agriculture, mining and craftsmanship, the kingdom had slowly been moving towards the specialized kingdom setting that Clay had in mind. Clay had told Giselle in suggestion that Acadria should focus on those three things as Claiomh would focus on military, culture and economics. So that the two kingdoms benefit from each other equally. In the coming years, it had been planned that Acadria and Claiomh Solais would be connected through gates to both sides, Transfer Gates, just like what Clay uses to go to Apollo''s Lair. This would enable even ordinary people to go back and forth the kingdoms without much hassle. Which will also boost the economy and culture of Acadria, while they also bring forth their produce to the people of Claiomh. Giselle was currently playing with Ryan in her room at the palace. ***Giselle*** It has been a year of being married to Lord Clay and giving birth to Ryan has brought me both joy and less pressure in court. Having an heir this early was such a godsent that I can now walk in court without contempt coming from the rest of the councilmen and ministers who still look down on me as the \"Dull Princess\" although father had given me the position of Queen, they had not accepted this reality fully. It will still take a long time for them to be fully responsive. Although, not hostile, they are also not very cooperative. Especially those who hold territories we need for further agricultural development. I need to procure their lands so that we can expand the territory being developed for agriculture. \"It really is hard to rule huh. It''s easy becoming the queen, but ruling is what''s hard.\" Suddenly I hear the voice of my adviser, Gran, \"My Queen, that indeed is true however, no one can even hope to disrespect you blatantly for fear that your husband, the King, make a move on them. Having him as your support just as planned really does make it easier to make the world a better place. Your plans, after the stabilization of Acadria should still be in effect I hope?\" Gran is the only person who knows that after successfully becoming queen, I plan on expanding my rule towards Tongkil and even, Aroshia towards way east, kissing the borders to the Empire. \"Uwaa\" Ryan cried out. He must have woken up without seeing my face and cried. I must go to him. \"Ohh, my precious son. Ryan dear, hush now, mother is here.\" I rock Ryan on my chest as I hum my favorite lullaby that my mother had once upon a time always sung for me as well. \"Gran make sure to take over the territory of that Baron named Weis, to the west of the kingdom. We need more territory by the end of this month.\" My soldiers are separate from Lord Clay''s own. I need to provide them with enough supplies to cover for the plans I have for them. And with Lord Clay''s suggestion of focusing on agriculture, I won''t need to worry about supplies and money for the expeditions. Now, I only need to convince Lord Clay to allow some of my soldiers especially Gran to train with his method. It would not need more than 5 years to prepare for the conquest, I''m sure of it. I carry Ryan around the palace and even bring him while I see my people who have concerns wishing to have an audience. It''s not really something I should do since my subordinates can do this, but publicity works this way, and it helps others to know that their Queen is on their side through the others who have seen me. \"Uwah\" Ryan has already slowly stopped crying. Maybe he got tired. I guess I should probably put him in his crib. So, I took him to his crib in my room and went towards the balcony. Lord Clay must be wanting to see Ryan about now, but I won''t go back home until this day is over. I have to do one other thing today other than my duties as Queen, which is to receive a report about the operation of the organization that I had not named until Lord Clay suggested to name it and even suggested on the name, which was Bronte. Lord Clay said that it was a name that was close to his theme, I did not understand his reference, but it felt fitting, so I named the group Bronte. Bronte is led by me as the figurehead, but Gran usually does the dealings overtly and covertly. My being Queen had to be carefully considered when using my name as the leader of a band of soldiers and merchants amassing weapons and soldiers. The other nobles would never be able to rest easy if they knew that. As a matter of fact, I was rather surprised, shocked even, when Lord Clay asked about how my people have been doing after we got married. With Ryan''s birth, I have become even more cautious of revealing more cards to others, even Lord Clay. I must keep some things to myself if I am to survive in this dog-eat-dog world. And with my siblings currently spread throughout the Empire, I must watch my back for trouble they may brew. Looking at my now sleeping Ryan, oh, I have plans for you my dear. Grow up strong and clever, will you? 70 Imperial Doom The Day of Disaster. Initially, it was the Imperial Rule who always had the right to summon the hero as instructed by the priests of Safir in the Temple of Humanity located at one of the busiest streets of the Imperial Capital Empyria. However, this time, the Hero was summoned at the backwater kingdom of Acadria because of a foolish Imperial minister of the lowest rank sent to Acadria as their representative. That Chancellor was supposed to tell the King of Acadria that he has been selected as the representative to become the summoner in the Imperial Palace''s Summoning Hall as suggested by Duke of Raflesia, who was related to the queen of Acadria by blood. It was supposed to be a honor for the backwater kingdom, yet the Chancellor sent to Acadria took his being sent there as an insult and plotted against the Empire. Originally, the Empire had received news that the hero had been summoned in Acadria and this infuriated the whole Empire. The Emperor though, was not that affected. He sent for word to be delivered to Acadria and its Hero specifically to be invited to the Empire to have an audience with the emperor. Typically, a trip to the Imperial Capital would take about 1 to 2 years by carriage and with a lot of escorts, however, an event that needs that long a march on the road only happens once every 50 years, when the Imperial Summit is held there. However, the command of the Emperor could not be easily dismissed and so, they sent for word through messengers, yes, not one, but many messengers taking different routes. However, even that measure resulted in failure all credited to the politicians of the Empire. Not one minister let go of the messengers that they found and killed them. They though that if the Hero were to be summoned here, then the Emperor would gain even more power instead of dying appropriately for their schemes and political power. A year passed, it was as expected so the Emperor was patient, a second year passed, and the Emperor had slightly begun to worry. A third year currently, and the Emperor had begun to be anxious. After the initial news that the hero had been summoned through the priests, it had already been three years since he sent for the Hero and he had yet to come. As the Empire that held most power in the Human Realm, or even in the entirety of the continent that has yet to be explored to the fullest, they believed that the God of Humanity, Safir had continued to bless them until they can amass forces to finally force the other races out of the continent or annihilate them altogether. However, now that the hero had been delayed so much, the Emperor have become anxious for the plotting and schemes of the ministers under him. There was none that he could trust and even his family and children are plotting against him to dethrone him or even worse, kill him. \"Summon the Ministers!\" The Emperor shouted as he sat in his throne. Over an hour later. In the Throne room of the Palace. \"Imperial Majesty, the Son of God. What troubles you?\" Asked the Minister of the left. \"Your Imperial majesty, we have received your summons, what is it that you wish to accomplish?\" One by one, they started to voice their \"concern.\" These treacherous bunch! Screamed the Emperor in his mind. \"What has become of the Hero? Why has he yet to arrive when it has already been three years since I sent for him?\" The Emperor asked with a calm demeanor, a stark contrast to how he truly felt. Just as you would expect from a veteran politician. The Emperor has already become old enough to be called an Uncle by the children around him, so politics and the like were his constant plaything. \"Imperial Majesty, we also have not heard from the messengers that we have sent at that time. They may have been delayed or worst case, killed on the way to or back. What we do know is that they have not come back for these three years.\" A minister said to answer him. It was one of the ministers that had the messengers killed. A good politician so to say, able to lie to the face of the Emperor without any problems at all in conscience. \"What was the point in sending a squad of them if they all failed the same?! Send word to the hero again. This time, send it via the wyvern riders!\" The emperor commanded. I should have done it this way from the start. Thought the Emperor. \"By your will!\" Everyone agreed and did not try to argue about it. In fact, they could not argue about it. If they did so now, they risked getting suspicion on them and ruin their plans. So, they allowed the Wyvern Riders to take the summons towards Acadria. At most it would take 3 months flying. Crash! Just as they were all about to head out of the audience room, the crashing sound of buildings and a slight earthquake erupted suddenly. Roar! Then a roar followed the crash. A terrifying roar that would paralyze every citizen in this imperial Capital. And soon, panic blanketed the whole Capital of Empyria. Those who saw the Nagataurus for the first time still were able to hold a tiny bit of sanity as the appearance of a monster in the middle of the capital was a first for them and so the shock was also at the initial stage. However, when the Nagataurus started its Rage, buildings and stores around it were crushed as if made of sand. A light swing of its arms and tail could pulverize human fortresses. Those who saw it for the first time were still better off, however, those from the Imperial Palace were not so peachy. The Empire had been in existence for a long time and the records of their ancestors about wars and encounters with monsters had all been recorded in their libraries. One of the ministers who served to preserve knowledge saw the Nagataurus and his eyes began to bulge, and his legs gave way. \"Old Librarian, what happened to you, is your sickness getting to you now of all times?\" A minister that he was close with asked half-jokingly and half worriedly. However, the answer he was going to get also gave him a ton of fright and loss of complexion. \"O-Old Mage, will you remember if I told you¡­ a Na-Na-Na-Nagataurus'' appearance?\" Said Old Librarian. And that was enough for the Old Mage to remember their discussion on the extinct monsters of old that had ceased to exist after the cleansing war many centuries back. \"Oh¡­ no!\" The Old Mage also remembered clearly and sure enough, his complexion got worse by the second and even his legs started to shake as well. As if he was doing a dance move. \"M-M-Men! Report to his I-I-Imperial Majesty immediately! Tell him, a Na-Na-Nagataurus has appeared!\" Ordered the Old Mage who still had better complexion and courage compared to Old Librarian that knew all too well what a single Nagataurus'' threat was. *** The Nagataurus stood at more than 50 meters in height when it stood up, so it was Gigantic. However, when including its tail to the length of its body, then that doubles in size. A Nagataurus'' tail is longer than its main body and so its strength at the tip of its tail was even more deadly than its arms combined. And now, it was using that same tail to smash buildings apart and kill hundreds of people in the process. Where it landed was a distance away from the Imperial Palace but the way it was moving, it got closer and closer to the Palace. All the plotting ministers and even the Emperor had bated breaths. Because of the Old Mage''s emergency report, the Emperor also learned of what has appeared and what it can do. He wanted to order a sortie, however, he realized, there were no warriors as strong as the Nagataurus in the Capital. Although, there were S Rank Adventurers who stationed themselves in this Imperial Capital, it was so that they could retire in piece, so the adventurers of the S and Triple A rank here, were retirees or those who wished to enjoy their life after all the hard work they have done for themselves. That is not to say that they are weak, it means that these people were strong but was evaluated against the Nagataurus, they still could not hold a candle. \"Send for the rank S and Triple A rank adventurers and have them stall the monster so that we can proceed with evacuation of the citizens! They take priority!\" The Emperor gave out orders. Although it looked like it was out of pure intentions, the Emperor still included calculated risks and other calculations in his move. First, the citizens were the one who made him Emperor, he understood this more than anyone else, maybe too well that he was able to give orders like that without difficulty. Second, having the ministers to evacuate with the citizens would put him in a better light among the ministers after the disaster. However, all this were still gambling that he had to cash out on when this disaster is over. Question is, when would the disaster end? After the whole Imperial Capital of Empyria falls to ruin or when all the citizens are dead? *** The moment Clay disappeared from the hallway where he had just sentenced his subordinates a hellish nightmare, he reappeared in the skies above the Imperial Capital. He had noticed that FG-23 had been flying quite slower than he had designed it to and found that it had something in tow while it went to spread the seeds of the dungeons he had wanted to sprout in this world, artificially. \"FG-23 is without emotion and only lives to follow my will. Any other consequence for its actions is all pinned on me. Sigh. I have to clean this up since it was my creation that gave birth to this disaster.\" Clay muttered under his breath. However, when he was about to subjugate the Nagataurus, he found that there were some people who held their own against the Nagataurus. Although they moved as a team to minimize damage and stall the Nagataurus while the citizens were being led to evacuate somewhere, they still were able to effectively contain it. In interest, Clay started to watch them fight. He thought he might learn from them even more than his subordinates'' fights. The reason Clay wanted his subordinates to grow through fighting is because he also wanted to learn their techniques and the way they cope with situations. Not so that he could guide them better but so that he could learn how to better utilize his strength. Having no one to fight and no one that could make him go all out in a fight was the downside of being powerful after all. Look at Saitama, he fights while holding back all the time, look at Superman, he had to control his strength so that puny humans would not die when he fought them, and even when fighting other galactic beings, he still held back even to the point of death. Clay was also undergoing the same dilemma. He wanted to fight but could not because he had to hold himself back and to do that, he had to focus on minimizing his strength output to the barest minimum. That was no fun at all. He wanted to fight and enjoy his strength with his subordinate''s growth as well, thus, he made his body double. And now, the time to test whether this body was durable enough to withstand a full powered fight. As time went by, the adventurers who stalled for time each suffered major injuries and were grasping at straws on the verge of death. It was at that time that Clay''s body descended at a rate faster than a bullets'' after releasing the magic he was using to fly. Boom! Dust fly all over the place as Clay''s body landed on the site in a superhero landing pose. The injured adventurers were surprised and wanted to warn him not to come any closer. However, he shut them up by throwing pills into their mouths faster than they could blink. Their wounds were healed immediately and were surprised. However, ignoring their amazing health regeneration, the Nagataurus swept its tail towards them in a circle to finish the job. It was then that Clay stepped up. Boom! Crack! A loud explosion of sound reverberated in the vicinity as Clay''s arm was compressed in defense against his side. Colliding with it is the Nagataurus'' tail which also produced a cracking sound after collision. As if it was broken. Roar! The Nagataurus roare out in fury and pain. It was confused that its tail was broken as if hitting a pole that was immovable and indestructible with a soft child''s hand, breaking it in the process. The moment the tail had swept towards the adventurers, Clay activated the runes inscribed on his bones to make himself heavier at more than 200 tons while his defense was also unbreakable because his skeletal frame was made from the same material as FG-23 reinforced with magic at the same time, which made it stronger. The Nagataurus was strong and its body was a real weapon for those who were weak enough to die by its body''s raging. However, to Clay, its steel-like muscles and scales were undeniably weak. If this were his real body, he would not even need to defend against it and just stand there after increasing his weight. \"All of you settle down and get away from here for the time being. Let me clean this up.\" Clay addressed the S and Triple A rank adventurers. After seeing Clay''s display, even if they wanted to help or tell him off, they just could not. They understood that not one of them would be able to take on a hit of that swing and still be alive afterwards. However, Clay not only survived, he was even unfazed and uninjured. As if a tall mountain that stands tall without putting anything in its eyes. It would not be the mountain that detoured, but the people who wants to pass the mountain. \"Be careful!\" Said the middle-aged S rank Adventurer who had taken his retirement at the Imperial Capital. Clay heard but did not react. He had his focus on the Nagataurus that was now staring daggers at him. \"Come!\" Clay said while Neo-ing the Nagataurus. \"Raa!\" The battlecry of the Nagataurus as it charged towards Clay. It had wanted to constrict Clay and kill him, but it found that it could not control the end of its tail that was broken and so gave up on that idea. Rumbling noises resounded as the buildings were put aside in its charge like a ship splitting water. \"Let''s see, my Pugilist skill is already at Master level, so I don''t need to rely on weapons to attack, and my own body is a weapon with its sturdiness, I guess I''ll just fight it like this.\" Clay put a stance on as a Pugilist. Different from how he trained with his subordinates, he properly looked at the Nagataurus as an opponent. If it gets rekt easily that would be too anticlimactic. With its charge, the Nagataurus raised both its arms and made a hammer with it to smash Clay who was an ant compared to its size. Contrary to how it looked, the Nagataurus found Clay to be a threat to itself and thus used its whole body to attack him, as opposed to merely sweeping with its tail in all direction as an act of disdain for those around it. Clay looked at its smashing figure and seriously considered the moves available to him. He could counter, or block and even dodge such a slow attack, but this time, he chose to block the strike to make room for those he told to get away to be able to do so. Whoosh! The smash came while splitting the air and making it whistle. Clay was not in his original body and so his senses were not as sharp as when he had his real body on. However, he could still move relatively well, and his reflex was still at superhuman levels. The source of his current power was magic. He was supplementing his weakness with magic power circulating inside his body. Boom! Crack! Cracks bloomed on the floor of the pavement that were already in tatters. The ground was gouged, and the cracks spread wider. Clay was at the center of a mini crater that resulted from him blocking a heavy strike from the Nagataurus. Dust rose and made Clay''s image blurred but his figure was still barely noticeable. \"Wow. This guy''s strike is heavy.\" He mumbled. He spread his senses to know if the rest of the adventurers had already gone. Confirming that they are far away already, going towards the evacuation direction, he started to exert some strength to pull the hammer-fist of the Nagataurus towards him pulling its entire body and punching it in the face. \"[Turtle Destruction Wave Revision ¨C Corkscrew]\" Clay uttered the name of the technique. It was a technique from one of his favorite boxing manga''s that involves a first step. Incorporating the iconic Turtle Destruction Wave and a boxing technique to his Pugilist Arts, it was the birth of an attack that brings forth destruction and punishment in waves. The concept behind it was that the energy accumulation from the Turtle Destruction Wave enables greater energy multiplication through compression, while the Pugilist Art of using the muscles of every inch of the body to deliver blows and the boxing technique of the same name brings penetrative damage in waves in the form of oscillations from releasing the compressed energy into the body of the target. The face of the Nagataurus was as hard as it could be for its age and race, the scales and muscles protecting it were fibrous and durable. However, in the face of Clay''s attack, half of its face was in tatters and was mangled beyond recognition. If this were a normal monster, it would have died when its head was destroyed however, Nagataurus was a race of vigorous monsters that have vitality that rival that of the Tauren Beastfolk and the regenerative ability rivaling that of the Dragonkin. Making it a monster in a league of its own. Its healing and regenerative abilities would make the Hydra''s head multiplication and regeneration pale in comparison to its own. In but a few seconds of being destroyed, visibly, its brain and everything inside its head regenerated and was enclosed in its regenerated skull before being covered by its muscle and scales. \"That didn''t do it huh. I guess I need to put in more effort to this fight. That was a full-forced-mana-induced-technique and it just regenerated out of it. I know I can do that as well but man, maybe fighting me later would be as annoying as fighting this guy.\" Clay said as he talked to himself, swinging his outstretched hand used for the attack just now. Roar! The Nagataurus roared in anger and charged at Clay in rage. Even with fear in its mind, the humiliation of being beaten by a puny ant in its eyes made it lose its shred of intelligence. It had been too long since it had met anything else that could match it in its life from being away from any real threat except for the greater predators of that lonely continent. For Clay, it was a great practice dummy. The Nagataurus became a simple dummy that he could dish out techniques to as practice. As he could not do that with his subordinates who''ll die from having their heads destroyed. Still, Clay could not allow the destruction of this large city to grow out of proportion because of his golem''s carelessness; this was on him and was his responsibility. Any lives lost here should be his responsibility. The Nagataurus lunged at Clay with ungodly speed using its tail as a spring to propel it forward. The gust of wind that resulted in that fell some of the buildings'' debris surrounding its initial position. Clay did not have any difficulty in following its movements and easily punched out to match its outstretched arms in a punch towards Clay as well. Boom! Both fists collided and a booming resounded as the Nagataurus'' arms all the way to its shoulder was blown off. It stood no chance against Clay in a clash of strength. Seeing this reality, the Nagataurus switched to using magic. And magic was something its race had high proficiency in. Large magic circles appeared in the air as it gathered magic energy from the surroundings into its spell. The elemental affinity of the spell showed that it was a water spell. Clay looked at it with a glance and already knew what was going to be used. Realizing the damage to the surroundings if he allowed that, Clay acted swiftly and nullified the magic using Null Magic, [Magic Canceller]. With the sound of glass being broken, the magic circles in the air shattered and dispersed while all the magic energy that it gathered caused a backlash on it and greatly damaged it. This time, its injuries did not heal as fast as earlier, and Clay realized that its healing ability was dependent on its magic energy being abundant. That was the limit of its healing abilities. Unlike Clay''s which enables him to regenerate even without those energies. It was powered by his indestructible soul. \"Let''s finish this shall we?\" Stepping up his game Clay gathered magic to himself from the surroundings and molded it through compression making it the size of a 45 mm bullet resting just above his index finger ready to be fired at will. However, the mechanism Clay thought up for this spell was a surprise to those who were shot at. Without waiting for the Nagataurus to fully recover, Clay shot the bullet towards the Nagataurus while posing in a rather familiar 90''s anime''s protagonist''s signature move involving spirits. The scope though, was unlike it. It was comparable to Agamemkeru''s Breath of Nihility thus, Clay named it Nihility Bullet. As the bullet flew at a speed imperceptible to the ordinary man, its tail grew bigger every inch it flew forward until it reached the Nagataurus'' body. As it hit, the bullet disappeared and not even a dent was left on its body, however, the tail of the bullet, the wind-draft-like tail brought with it a force that cannot be blocked nor dodged for its scope. Like a passing gust of wind, it went past the Nagataurus and would have threatened to destroy the rest of the Imperial Capital where it was directed towards, however, Clay stopped it in its tracks after it annihilated the Nagataurus. 71 Clay and the Emperor Clay had just cleaned up his mess and decided to visit the emperor of the human realm. He was currently sitting at a rather luxurious seat in front of kneeling people in front of him. One of the people kneeling in front of him was dressed in garbs that could not be mistaken as that of a person who rules. Even his air was that of a ruler. The rest behind him were subservient old men who did not even feel the slightest bit as sincere as the man garbed in the air of a ruler. Obviously, the man garbed preciously was the emperor. Clay had shown up in front of them after annihilating the Nagataurus and checking the situation right after, however, the moment he showed up, the emperor for some reason recognized Clay as the Hero with just a glance. This made Clay curious and checked from his own analysis how the emperor was able to know immediately and to his surprise, the Emperor had the skill Observe. The same skill that Safir had given him before reincarnating into Alleucanth. \"Hmm¡­ an Emperor has to have some skills like this huh?\" Clay thought as he walked closer to the emperor to look at him. \"You¡­ are the emperor. Good on you to prioritize the citizens instead of yourself. I commend you for that. Why don''t you work for me from now on?\" Clay made an offer like that as a joke, however, the Emperor''s answer surprised him to no end that even his mouth could not help but be agape. \"Truly?! If you so desire, I shall commit myself to your service my Lord!\" Said the Emperor without any hesitation and reluctance. As if he had already planned to offer his services to the hero as soon as he saw him. Now, he had that opportunity and the Hero himself had offered him the chance. However, only the Emperor was in complete and utter joy from this. The rest of the old ministers did not even show a hint of a reaction other than clenching their fists in either joy, for getting rid of the emperor, or frustration, because they can''t benefit much without the Emperor blessed by the god of humanity, Safir. \"What the hell are you thinking about agreeing to it immediately like that?! Shouldn''t you feel insulted instead?!\" Clay was berating the Emperor in his mind. However, thinking about it, if the Emperor really did work for him, then the entire human realm basically would now be united under him. Emperor of the Human Realm was a title he wanted to have a taste of after all, it was romance. \"What can you offer in service of me, O Emperor?\" Clay wanted to test the waters and asked. It was at this time that the Emperor left his throne and slowly bent his body to a kowtow and kneeled in front of Clay. He even commanded the old men to bow down before the new Emperor as easy as that. \"The secondary reason is that, with the Hero being summoned, fulfilling what the ancient texts command us Emperors to do; to abdicate the throne in favor of the Hero that was summoned for the good of all humanity in this world. That is why the name Augustus was passed on to each emperor in every generation. It is written that any Hero would know of this name and its fame with at least a 50-50 chance. Since it is famous that the Empire wasn''t built in a day.\" \"Hmm¡­ Augustus is it? That name is indeed famous both in the original history and even in remakes and copyright infringements. Which means that the Hero who founded this empire was also from the same world I came from.\" Interesting. Said Clay in his mind after saying that. \"Oh well, you''ve given me your reason, but what you have yet to answer the question.\" \"My Lord! I can be your representative in this vast empire that will be handed to you through the ancient pacts and texts. Managing this empire will be better done with people you can trust with it and I am one, who can be trusted with it. With your power as my backing, these old fools will dare not plot against your rule.\" Claudius explained. However, who was Clay? Of course, he answers, \"Good! I could use your help with managing these affairs. The Imperial Capital will be moved to Claiomh Solais and you all will answer to my subordinate named Isaac who works together with my wife, the Queen of Acadria, Giselle. Anything they find untoward to the progress of the human realm into the future, they will be the ones to decide what to do with you. Anything else that cannot be decided by them, they must pass it to me. So, in effect, anything that should not be decided by you, should go through them and to me as well.\" \"You will have free reign over the decisions that pertain to the survival of your people, but anything that concerns the Realm, then it must pass through me. Now, if you agree to this, I will have you be bounded to a contract. Those of you who do not agree, say your piece or forever hold your tongue¡­ or just make yourself scarce. I don''t care.\" With Clay saying all that, he specifically conjured the contract for master-servant, which is different from the contract that his subordinates had signed. He had offered it to Claudius and Claudius accepted it without hesitation while the rest of the old men did not move. It was a show of their doubts and fears however, Clay did not need these people. He just needed one puppet above all ordinary people. The emperor fit the bill. Having signed the contract, a blinding light appeared from the contract and swallowed both Clay and Claudius making a bond between them. Clay felt the difference between having the subordination contract than the master-servant contract. The master-servant contract made him feel as if his strength was directly being siphoned towards the servant empowering him by folds according to Clay''s current''s body''s strength. Unlike the subordination contract which still gives the contracted the freedom of choice and defiance, the master-servant one eliminates all traces of disloyalty and disobedience from the contracted. The only downside to the contractor, is that his strength will be shared to his servant, this disadvantage will turn to advantage to the contracted instead. \"You shall rule below Isaac and you will follow his directives. However, you are free to suggest better steps in ruling. From this moment on, you will move to Claiomh Solais. You can bring your people with you or leave them to the care of these old men. Do what is best in your mind. And to the old men kneeling there, I give you a chance to save yourselves from your greed, or the next time you will see me will be your death. I leave this realm in your care.\" Saying so, Clay disappeared from the spot and reappeared in the skies above Claiohm Solais. Bringing the news of this unfortunate, yet fortunate fate that was brought upon by one of his experiments. 72 Clay and Ryan In Alleucanth there are classifications to monsters. In the Human Realm usually, there are what are categorized as Magic Beasts which are monsters who thrive on consuming magic energy from the atmosphere and on the blood of other Magic Beasts. In the Demon Realm there are what are categorized as Miasmic Abomination which are monsters that are born from the miasma rich Demon Realm. They are monsters that grow stronger the more miasma they are injected with from the atmosphere or even from other monsters. There are also the Spiritual Entities who are rarely if at all found in Alleucanth except for the Dragons that are rumored to have been the first inhabitants of this world. Apart from the Spiritual Entities, are the Divine Steeds. Although they are called divine steeds, they are all not horses. Some are Divine Tigers, Serpents and even Turtles and Birds. However, they are still monsters that are titled differently because of their environment and ecology. Clay had left the Human Realm after fortunately being able to unite the Human Realm in one rule. Which is his rule. Although it would take so much time for that to stabilize, he did not want to stay and watch that happen slowly. His subordinates know the secret to eternal youth already and would not be a problem for them to stay and supervise the whole realm on their own with the strength they have already acquired and are still potentially able to acquire. Even as Clay left, they were still facing off with the Hydra which gave them nightmares each night. Even with the help of Jora and Myles they still could not triumph now. Clay understood that what they needed was inspiration and novel ideas, but what could teach them better than experience, right? So, he left them to face defeat time and again until they ingrain the lesson to their hearts from that time on. Clay had brought Ryan, his son, to the Demon Realm. It was dangerous for any other people, but for Clay and Ryan, father-son pair who hold immeasurable power at the tip of their fingers, it was a walk in the park. Ryan was forcefully taken by Clay. He wanted Ryan to see the situation for the neighboring Realms. Which was an excuse to bring his son on an adventure. Ryan was yet 2 years old however, after Clay''s analysis of him, he found out that Ryan was already able to understand human speech with no problem, just that communicating back was the problem. But with Clay, it was not a problem that could hinder him. Clay noticed that Ryan had casted a magic on himself secretly and made it look like there was nothing through camouflaging it. It was a spell to understand speech as well as the camouflage spell. It came as no surprise to Clay who knew that Ryan had in his person the skill [Magic Master - Archive] even without the magic energy capacity cast it simultaneously, Ryan could still cast it using the atmosphere''s magic energy and Clay understood this principle more than anyone else. \"Son, what do you think about the demons of this world? Are they demons that are spiritual beings or are they demons that are labeled such by the gods themselves as a race?\" Clay sent a telepathic communication to Ryan. Receiving the communication suddenly, Ryan, even as barely two years old, flinched and had a look of surprise and disbelief written all over his face, even if it was only for a second. Even that second could be considered a lifetime with Clay''s perception. He caught on to that and formulated his next question depending on Ryan''s response to his next sentence. \"I know you can understand me. It''s better to speak to each other this way, so that you can answer without the restriction of your yet developed throat muscles. So, speak my son.\" Said Clay telepathically. \"¡­\" Clay waited for an answer from Ryan for a whole two minutes of walking before he could hear the voice of his \"son\" Ryan. \"A-Are you able to hear me?\" Without surprise, Clay smiled, however his face turned stern as if he found it wrong that his son could communicate already. Which was what was on Ryan''s mind racing the moment that Clay''s facial expression turned stern. However, \"Are you able to hear me, father? That is how you should address me. Father, son, father.\" Clay corrected Ryan as if that was the most natural thing in the world. \"O-Of course, Father! I''m sorry for my rudeness.\" Ryan responded with relief in his voice for some reason. \"Don''t worry, I''m not worried that you are not my son, I''m more worried about where you came from.\" Clay told Ryan of his circumstance hoping to gain the trust of his \"son.\" The current Clay had been wearing his real body this time for this journey since he did not want to risk his son getting hurt or worse killed while they went on a journey. So, his abilities were not restricted at all. His analysis was at the top of the game and his other acquired abilities were being used to the fullest. Even if Ryan wanted to hide something from him, he''d know about it. However, information needed to be mined. This was a principle that cannot be bent or broken. Information cannot just fall on anyone''s lap without toiling for it. And Clay, he knew this, so he asked. \"F-Father¡­ I come from a world called Evernight. As the name suggests, there''s no Sun in the skies only the stars and the three moons that can only reflect the stars give dim lighting to the world all year round. It was a world full of monsters and only a handful of humans were left alive in that world, fighting for survival against their odds. I fear that without me, they would all be brought to extinction by the monsters that ruled Evernight.\" \"The Demons that you mentioned earlier, the spiritual beings, are they present in your own home world?\" Continued Ryan as he asked the question. \"I think so. I haven''t encountered any of them myself, but there are texts that mention them, so I guess they are real. Anyhow, the fact that you come from another world means that Alleucanth can be escaped from and returned to by some means, which involves the soul.\" Clay had begun analyzing while he listened to Ryan and came up with this theory. \"Son, you said, there are monsters that rule the world of Evernight, what are those monsters?\" \"T-They are monsters called undead. They are ruled by Grand Liches who are immortals. They were the ones who destroyed the Sun of Evernight to favor their own species. It was a diabolical scheme and they succeeded.\" Ryan explained. \"Undead? Oh well, they are truly what we call scourge, but they can be dealt with easily with magic are they not? You are able to perform magic do you not?\" Clay asked 20 questions and addressed the bit about the Sun. \"And about the Sun in Evernight, I don''t think it was destroyed or that it disappeared, cause if it did disappear, then your world would cease to exist even with magic to support it. Sure, some powerful magic users may survive, but the rest of the population would die as soon as its light was snuffed out. So no, your Sun may have been hidden by the Liches to make themselves stronger and enable them to exist outside the night instead of only at night.\" Ryan was shocked by the realization that Clay had brought to him. If this was true, then their world still had a chance at redemption! \"What is your evidence in saying this F-Father?!\" \"Oh son, worlds without an advanced scientific knowledge really do suffer. You see, the Sun is the source of basically all life in any planet. That''s the basics, and magic and other energy sources are secondary only. Meaning, even if magic was the means for other things to come into existence, it still would need the Sun''s blessings to continue to live. Unless it is a purely magic being. If you understand what I am getting to with just this, then you should understand what I''m saying.\" Clay stopped talking and let Ryan analyze what he just shed a light to. After a good 10 minutes, Ryan sighed and said again with his baby voice, and his tone had a hint of resolve and even conviction in it. Clay sensed what his \"son\" was feeling and wanted to support him, however, he warned. \"You may know this, but in your current state, you are in no shape to travel back to Evernight to fight for your species'' survival. Plus, your skills in Space-Time magic are sealed currently. You will have to wait for a while¡­\" Speaking up to here, Clay paused and gave Ryan some time to digest everything he just said, and then he threw the carrot, \"¡­ unless, you teach me Space-Time magic and I''ll be helping you in putting things in Evernight into Order. What say you?\" Ryan was speechless! Not because he realized what Clay had been scheming along, but by the fact that he would offer to help a stranger and his world without asking for any compensation. In Evernight, if he ever asked for this kind of help, then it would only be towards his most trusted disciples, not strangers. \"Why would you help me like this father? I am still a stranger am I not? You cannot simply trust whatever I say as the truth, can you?\" Ryan denied Clay''s resolve to help him, and to that Clay only chuckled and then asked, \"What have you been calling me since earlier?\" Ryan looked down to stare at his feet that were covered with the sheets. In fact, Ryan was still being carried by Clay even as they spoke. Ryan was after all still a baby with the soul of a powerful magic user. A stranger as Ryan said. \"Father?\" Ryan reluctantly uttered. \"Yes! My Son! You call me Father and yet you hesitate to ask for my assistance? What kind of Father would I be if I denied your request of me? It shall be done my Son, if we will it, it shall be done. You only need to know that your father is, without boasting, currently indestructible.\" HAHAHA! Clay started to laugh out loud in Ryan''s mind. Making the child uncontrollably cry and wail. However, Clay used a calming spell to make him feel better. \"So, what say you my Son? Are we to visit Evernight and deal with the Liches? I also want to study the magic of your world after all.\" HAHAHA! Clay started to laugh with his throat this time, albeit more suppressed than before. After all, looking at his own stats made him feel indestructible. Name: Clay Class: Hero ?Transcendent? Sub-Class: None ?Alchemy Master? Title: Hero ?Alchemy Master? Stats: [STR - ??? ?Unique?] | [INT - ??? ?Unique?] | [MGC - ??? ?Unique?] | [DEX - ??? ?Unique?] Skills: ?Alchemy Master?| ?Hyper-Regeneration?| ?Kryptonian Gene? | [Ultimate Comprehension] Blessing: ?Guided by the Guide to Souls?| [Safir''s Champion] Status: Normal ?Optimal? 73 Evernigh Clay had been planning to go to the Demon Realm to have an adventure with his son Ryan, whom he discovered was not a baby at all. Although, physically he was a baby, but beneath it all, was the soul of a man who defended his world from evil. However, even knowing this, Clay remained stoic in treating the lad as his son and even offered to help his former world out of the crisis it faced. \"Son transfer your knowledge about Space-Time Magic to me via Thought Transfer. It was the same method that your Mother, Giselle, did to transfer a skill to me when we first met. So, it should work this time as well.\" Clay taught Ryan the way transferring skills worked in this world. And was easily understood by Ryan. Immediately, Ryan transferred his knowledge over Space-Time Magic and the rather familiar chime Clay always heard when he received a skill resounded. *Ping* [Space-Time Magic ¨C Master Acquired] And the skill was integrated immediately to his trusty UltiCo, the skill that governed his unconscious mental and psychological faculties plus skills. Immediately, Clay certainly knew how to work magic that were under this skill. \"Son, I''ve just learned the spell to Teleport, this is awesome!\" Clay excitedly reported to Ryan, who awkwardly had to watch his father hop around while doing something that could not be called dancing by any judgment. Then, Ryan''s face stiffened up after realizing what he just heard from his father Clay. \"T-Teleport? Then that means you already know the other spells like Borrowed Time, and even Chrono-vision? But that''s impossible! Learning the spells takes a lifetime to master and application is far from being possible unless you risk on experimenting on yourself or others. Even I had to sacrifice my right arm and left leg after seemingly succeeding the first time I used it.\" Ryan had disbelief in the tone of his voice as he expressed his surprise. \"Well son, don''t feel bad. I''ll give you a skill to help you keep track of your own skills and status, did you have that in your previous life?\" Clay offered to give Ryan a skill to make him feel better and cheer up. Obviously, what he''s offering is Observe. Although it was a god-given skill, it was still possible to grant it to others given that even Safir could not interfere with Clay''s own status and skills when they met that one time. \"N-No, I did not. That too big of an advantage over other people isn''t it? Are you willing to grant me that, even knowing that I may use it against you in the future?\" Ryan asked seriously¡­ to which he receive a laugh as an answer and a fact. \"You see son, my status is hidden from others who have the skill as well. And we should keep it that way, unless your skill grows higher than mine. So, work hard on it. Besides, you also granted me Space-Time Magic which is awesome. So, tell me, how do we Teleport from here to your world, Evernight?\" Clay excitedly urged Ryan to spill the beans and tell him the method to go to his world. \"Using Teleport is rather taxing on the caster, and so, we have to prepare for it at least or else we risk your body getting torn apart from the lack of resistance when undergoing the Teleport, plus the mana it takes to operate the spell is enormous¨C \" \"Let me stop you there, son, don''t worry about my body and even my \"mana\" capacity. I''ll do just fine. Look at your status and see a skill called [Energy Reactor] which is currently still locked. That skill is inherited from me, so that undoubtedly makes you my son, my flesh and blood. And what that does is simply give me an unlimited amount of what you call mana, limited only to the vessel I have, which, without boasting, is pretty much abyssal. So, now is the time for instructions. Come on!\" Clay interrupted Ryan and explained some of his own basic skills to him. \"What?! Unlimited amount of mana? Me as well?!\" Ryan was stumped. Who would have known that his reincarnation using a revised version of a necromantic spell called Soul Transfer, would grant him this amazing ability for free! \"Yes, yes. It''s still locked since you''re still a toddler. So, just hang on tight and grow up to be a great magic user in all Alleucanth and maybe even various worlds that we may visit in the future. And let''s be off to Evernight!\" Without any further ado, Ryan gave Clay the instructions on how to Teleport to Evernight. He shared one of his memories of a place in Evernight called Death Valley as a point of landing. Excitedly, Clay casted Teleport using almost a third of his magic energy capacity and brought themselves to Evernight through a blinding explosion of light that lit up the borders of the Demon Realm and the Human Realm noticeable from all direction. Then Clay and Ryan disappeared from there spot. *** With the promise of a gloomy atmosphere, dark and dreary, Clay opened his eyes to a whole new world, literally. Clay immediately spread out his perception and to his surprise, he did not even need a minute to fully encompass the world of Evernight. It was a planet the size of the Earth''s moon and gravity was weak. In Clay''s bosom was Ryan who was sleeping tightly. Checking on him promptly, Clay found that he just passed out from the shock of Space-Time Travel. He let him sleep soundly by enclosing him on a shell of pure magic energy that is lined with Olden God''s Language Runes of protection. \"Hmmm¡­ so this is Evernight. The sun is not present, but I feel like my skin is tingling from absorbing its energy ever so slightly. That just proves that my conjecture was correct. The Sun is being concealed by the machinations of the evil rulers of this world, the Liches!\" Clay had already located them even before finishing his little victory speech for having his conjecture being proven true. Moving in and killing those liches would be a piece of cake for Clay in his original body, but he wanted to explore this little piece of desolate world that was ruined because of the human''s weakness. So, he started to journey towards the closest and most populated sanctuary of Evernight. *** The whole place was dark, and the moon could not even light up the way. However, Clay had excellent vision thanks to Superman''s Genes. He saw the not so dead trees that populated the area outside the Death Valley. The gloomy atmosphere only multiplies the horror effect of this place. Plus, the wandering zombies and skeletons in groups gives the haunted house booths back on earth a run for their money. There was no background music, but Clay could swear that he is hearing those suspenseful background effects of horror anime and movies like Blood +, or even Jigoku Shoujo. Watching too much anime and movies like them gives that kind of effect. Clay could also taste the rotten blood mixed in the air of this place, which tastes like spicy horseradish. Bleugh! \"Damn! This world really is desolate.\" Not long after walking for a while, taking in the scenery and getting tired of it, Clay arrived at the sanctuary entrance which was quite-well hidden. The entrance to this sanctuary was guarded by two wolf-type golems, as Clay identified it. However, before even noticing the two guardians, you''d have to first find the small crack inside the cliff of a mountain-face, covered in moss and ivy. The fact that vegetation can grow here is a testament to Clay''s conjecture being correct. Really, world''s without science, suffer the most. Clay muttered. At Clay''s arrival, the inside of the sanctuary was already alert and vigilant. They doubted if this visitor knew they were here or just coincidentally wander to this area. They hoped it was the latter. However, things really don''t go as hoped for in the end and so Clay, sucked in breath and shouted out loud, saying, \"My name is Clay and I am here to help! Open up please!\" An imaginary Du-don! Resounded in each of the resident''s minds as they berated this fool who shouted at the entrance of their sanctuary attracting who knows what and how many of those damnable abominations! Suddenly, the earth shook, and the rubble and dust started to rise from the ground. Clay knew that he just attracted thousands of undead to his location. A combination of skeletons, zombies, ghouls, beasts and ghosts came towards Clay''s direction intent on devouring this fool. They were bound to be disappointed though, with Clay as the food-target, the hungry will never be fed, and the thirsty will die from frustration instead. \"Well, better to show my stuff first before they''d believe that I came to help. Since I can''t really fight while holding Ryan who''s sleeping soundly. Ah, yes, a Light attribute magic should deal with these monsters huh?\" Clay freed his right hand and formed a snapping motion. Ready to snap his fingers to activate the spell. When the monsters came to at least 50 meters from him, he snapped his fingers and a blinding light was released originating from it. That light had the combination of the UV spectrum and gamma. Getting hit by that even accidentally would be fatal to any human being. Of course, Clay had it under control and only directed it towards the undead. Even Ryan who was protected by the shell of pure magic energy with soundproofing, would have died from this unless Clay had been careless. The instant that Clay snapped his fingers and the light exploded, all the undead stopped moving and everything turned silent. Slowly, they all turned to ashes and was blown away by the frigid air of Evenight. \"Oh, that worked huh?\" Clay mumbled. 74 To Ryans Surprise ***Ryan*** It had a musty smell inside what my people called a \"sanctuary.\" It was in fact just a cave big enough to hide 300 people of the resistance or at least that''s what we called ourselves; people who were left in this world, aside from the undead. I woke up with Father, Clay, sternly looking at the \"people\" inside. They who should have resembled people just before I left this world, now look so emaciated that they could be mistaken as skeletons of the undead army. Their skin was tearing from the lack of food and their eyes were sunken so deep that really, I would also mistake them as real skeletons. I did not know that the situation was already this dire. The smell of people who have never known to clean their own bodies for fear that a single second of letting down their guards would kill them. Living in a world like this is a hell. \"Son, these people are in dire need of help. I can heal them and put their wounds in order, but food, and nutrients, I can''t make that out of nothing, at least not yet. And I have already scanned the whole world for signs of wildlife, to no avail. Food source is deadly scarce, and I fear they may have resorted to cannibalism to survive this long. If you wish to save this world, we will have to get rid of the source of this blight once and for all.\" Father''s voice echoed in my mind, stating all the things that I feared most. Because a look at the history of humanity, when the going gets tough, the tough eat the weak. \"I do not want to impose on you father; however, I don''t want them to easily gain salvation. I know it might sound cruel, but if they gain their salvation in an instant, then that will not make them feel as if they need to work hard on protecting their acquired freedom and salvation. They need to struggle to achieve their most cherished wish. If we could help them to achieve their wish, then I''m sure, that would be the start of their rise into taking care of their world for generations to come. I hope you understand.\" I explained the risk of helping too much to father and hoped he would understand but as expected of father, he got my intention loud and clear and made me in charge of dealing with this world by helping just a little. At least a little visibly, but just being present, father is a force to be reckoned with. \"Don''t worry. I''ll follow your lead.\" He answered. How reassuring. \"Mister! Where did you come from? You appeared in front of our sanctuary''s door like a ghost and you expect us to believe that you are here to help us? I''m sorry to doubt you, but we''ve seen our fair share of betrayals and cheating already.\" The most emaciated person spoke to Father, with doubt and vigilance in his voice. \"I have come from a faraway place to find the last remaining bastion for humanity in this god forsaken planet. I come, to help you liberate this world from the undead scourge and raise your people to be good stewards of the coming age of peace.\" \"I am Clay. Lord of Alleucanth¡­\" \"But son, I''m not protector of humanity. I don''t like titles like these because they are too stiff!\" Argued father. However, we need this kind of assuring words for these afraid and hungry people. So, no, father, you are a protector of people. \"¡­protector of humanity. With me are as your leader, we will purge the undead from this Evernight!\" \"What I need from you is simply your cooperation. For without you, helping yourselves, my help would become useless and a fool''s errand\" \"I extend my hands in equipping you with the weapons you will need for defeating the Grand Liches! Are you with me?!\" Father passionately gave the speech that I told him to give. Although, I never intended for that to be so full of passion and enthusiasm. Father is unexpectedly, a dramatist. \"Yea!\" impassioned declarations were felt from the almost voiceless screams the \"people\" gave as a response to father''s speech. Father and I could see that their responses were also calculated in favor to not alerting the undead above ground that are hunting for any lifeform. Their fear of them, did not blind them enough to forget that they are the last dredges of humanity in this god-forsaken planet. They had to survive. And father''s speech gave them the reassurance that they''d at least be able to fight the good fight before dying from starvation and becoming undead themselves. \"Alright son, they are on board. Should we teach them to make good weapons? Or teach them how to fight the undead?\" Father asked. If this were a normal coup, then the time needed for all those measures he mentioned would have been great, however, these people have not much time left in this world, unless we get them to their optimal state first. \"Father, I think, we should feed them first. Are you still able to Teleport us back to Alleucanth with your remaining mana?\" I worry that father has already expended his mana pool and we are stranded here until such time that we are able to gather the necessary mana to go back home. That is why, I can''t have father use more of his mana in this world where we might not be able to recharge if at all. After all, this is another world. The same rules may not apply within Alleucanth what applies here and vice versa. Just like how mana here is called magic energy there. It''s like the magic systems of Alleucanth are still just blooming and even the naming sense of people have yet to develop. \"Oh, don''t worry son. I have enough to keep going every second.\" Said father, but I must take what he says with a grain of salt. I know how fathers would want to look strong in front of their children after all. \"Then, please Teleport us back to Alleucanth to gather food to bring here and the necessary medicinal components to make restorative medicine as well. I know that you have an alchemy branch in Claiomh as mother always talks about it, maybe we can take some from there?\" \"Oh, if that''s all, then you don''t need to worry. I think I still have some monster meat inside my Dimensional Storage so we can just give that to them. I can also cook it with my Craftsman Category Skills¡­ oh, and the medicinal materials and ingredients are good. I have my own collection of Herbs here in my Dimensional Storage as well. So, no need to come back home.\" Father laid down all his cards to me as if they were superficial to them. But having a personal Dimension for storage is something that''s highly sought after by mages of modern Evernight. Bless their souls, they are already extinct. I was the last modern mage of Evernight before I bit the dust as well. \"Really? Then please tell them that they should all be on guard and keep their vigilance as we prepare.\" I asked father to relay my instructions to the people, especially to Herman. And as expected, they agreed to it without hesitation. Then father started his menial labor on cooking up a storm of good food that even I, as a baby wanted to taste it. It was as if the gods were dining with us after father had cooked. However, just as we were enjoying the scent of the good food, the ground and the walls of the cave started to shake as if an earthquake had come. \"Father, is it the undead?\" I asked worriedly to my utmost reliable father. \"Nah, you can relax. It''ll stop in a second.\" Father answered nonchalantly again. Really making me feel assured. Although, I know that he only acts that way because he wasn''t to look cool and composed. I wonder what father really was thinking now. And true enough, the earthquake stopped, and things returned to being lively for the feast that father prepared for all the people here. Father also prepared the medicine for them. I hope that through this, at least their health would get better and will motivate them some more to reclaim what''s ours in this world of Evernight. To my surprise, having a doting father is such a blessing. Although, he tends to show off in front of me. 75 The Liberation Army ***Ryan*** \"You there! Hold your javelin tightly as if you''re holding your dear life! That''s it! Bend your knees as if the earth is your best friend! Do it or I will put your face on the earth! Hey! Hey! Hey!\" Father is currently training the resistance of Evernight after a whole three months of recovery. Father revealed that he had been the cause of the earthquake three months ago because he remodeled the cave without even putting me down on the ground. I''m starting to think that the things he tells me are true testaments to his strength, but I am also inclined to doubt it, as having that kind of power would put father in a place where not even the greatest mages in history would be able to step their foot on. \"It''s as if he has Creation Magic at his disposal¡­\" I muttered in my mind and it must have slipped to father''s consciousness because he answered, \"That''s a good idea, son.\" I worried about it and wanted to ask but I refrain from it as I saw that father had closed his eyes. He must have been tired. He should be tired from three months of straight work without any breaks and any relief from me. I can''t exactly instruct these people with a baby mouth, now can I. \"Hah!\" The cave was, just as father said, remodeled. It was made wider and the ceiling was higher. The cave entrance was no where to be found on its original spot. Instead, it was removed altogether. Making a statement that no one is allowed outside unless we''re fully prepared. I love father''s enthusiasm with this. The training ground we currently are is wide enough to allow 300 people to practice without a hitch. The cave was also expanded and divided into 5 areas including this essential Training Area. The first division was to be a Diner Hall, second was to be a Spring for Bathing, third was the Bunker and the fourth was the Learning Center. The learning center was where knowledge and magic were taught by father to them. Of course, I''m teaching them my magic, with father''s assistance. I don''t want fathers magics to be known to them here in this world where we will be leaving when the time comes. Father''s magics are unique to him, I suppose. Any body learning it must be part of his family or important people to him, not strangers. The bunker was where all of us slept when time for rest is given. Of course, I have obligatory rights to the bunker whenever, however, father just holds me to his chest and never lets me go at all, since we got here. I wonder if its his overprotectiveness, but I don''t hate it. In fact, I am assured. Strange feelings to have from an old man in a baby''s body. The rest are self-explanatory. Getting back on the work we''ve done for three months. Signs of improvement have manifested in the \"people,\" my people. They''ve grown accustomed to hard training and the drill-sergeant type of training that father does with them. I have observed the \"real\" training method that father has adapted for his subordinates, and oh boy, it''s like heaven and earth when compared. This current training is probably what his subordinates would call heaven as opposed to their own training regimen. \"F-Father¡­\" I called out to him using this connection we have called he called telepathy. I could never have imagined that communication like this existed. He says that it was a skill that he thought of based on his previous world''s psychic abilities, which I also do not understand. \"Son, you''re awake. Did my shouting wake you up? Apologies. I know you would prefer your mother''s milk over magic energy, or mana as your meals every single day, but I always shape it like normal food, right? HAHA!\" or so he laughs. Father is rather chill about a lot of things like he''s just in it for the thrill of the ride. But his sincerity does show when it comes to me or his trusted aides and even mother. \"No father, I had a good rest. Although, a bit uncontrollable for now. I''m sorry for leaving my people to you while I sleep at my leisure. Please take a rest when you do need to as well.\" \"How do we proceed with their training father? They''ve been training for months and it might be a good time now to send them out and teach them how to use their training in live combat?\" \"Yes son, I also thought that it''s about time. So, tomorrow we will be sending them all out and coach them in fighting the undead. Although, they should be equipped with undead killing weapons. I figure, we should also train them in killing the undead without such weapons. Meaning, finding their weakness and exploiting them. It should be easier for the skeletons, right? I mean, just crush their bones, not just break them but crush them to fine powder with a Maul or any blunt instruments and they crumble and don''t rearrange themselves again.\" Oddly, I already heard father say that he had already scanned the whole planet and found where the Liches are and what-not, but I still find it unbelievable that he''d already known the weakness of these undead like the back of his hand when teaching the others. I mean, their training is specialized in hitting their weakness after all. And he even enumerated the targets that they''ll be facing just after going outside. How efficient! \"However, father, if we let everyone of them, all 300 to go out and train them, we''ll have our hands full with just watching a few of them not to mention all 300 of them!\" I admit, father is amazing, but I still can''t leave the lives of my people all to chance. I trust that father knows what he''s doing, but the risks are too high. \"Don''t worry son, I got them all covered. Once they are fatally wounded, I''ll heal them and even if they do die. I''ll do something about it. You should know, I have your magic with me as, well right?\" I tell you; my magic energy recovers fully in just one second. I think I heard father say something else, but it was with a tiny voice in his mind, so maybe he did not want me to hear properly. \"B-But father!\" \"Don''t worry son. Rely on me for this. And once you''re all grown up and ready to make your own decisions, I''ll let you decide then okay? For now, trust me and rely on me.\" He says, but my worries only grow bigger like this. *** The day of live combat training. The entrance to the cave was removed, however, father slowly extended his two fingers, index and middle, and pointed them at one of the walls. Then slowly bent them inwards. If one were as gifted as me in seeing how the world looked through Chrono-vision which includes the ability to observe mana and how they flow, then one would also be able to gaze at the marvelous work that father has done. The flow of mana inside his body was as still as stale water, undisturbed by anything. However, the atmosphere''s mana was stirring like crazy, being devoured by the spell that he had invoked without words nor incantations. It was as if he was shaping the earth to obey his will from the outside, but on the inside, it was father who was moving the earth element essence and forming tunnel out of them leading to the outside. Usually, we''d have noticed the earth''s movement by now, however, not a single vibration could be felt as if everything happening was natural. As if nature itself had accepted that whatever was happening through father''s will was something natural for them to follow, no resistance whatsoever! The moment the door towards the outside had been formed and conjured, father gave the orders. \"You have been training for the day when you can stick your slimy fingers into the skulls and guts of those undead! Now is the time to show the results of your training! Never worry for your lives. Advance like there''s no tomorrow and show us the fruits of your training for these 3 months! Whoever can kill more than a hundred undead, will be rewarded with anti-undead weapons and armor. Now go, do your best little lads!\" All 300 of them went crazy while still being in a single file. Like good little soldiers on the march. \"Son watch carefully how a war is won, by the people. Just as you have planned. With their incoming results, I know that saving your world, will only be a matter of time.\" Father said reassured of the results. \"Father, what if it won''t work?\" \"Then we step in. It''s that simple. Besides, you may not know, but a single snap of my fingers and all of these undead would slowly disintegrate shortly after betting their lives snuffed out.\" Father flexed his right arm''s biceps to show off. Ugh. Marching¡­. In front of us are the people that yearned for liberation their whole lives. Now, they themselves are the Liberation Army. 76 Little Victories, Accumulated ***Ryan*** \"Argh!\" Growl \"Die you pearly-white-smooth-porcelain-like bones!\" Kekekek The scene I''m witnessing with my untrained eyes is chaotic. However, it resembled our fights when I was still just like them. I had to watch my people die from the back as well, as we mages were in charge of not only supporting the melee fighters but also to dish out magic spells that can melt the undead skeletons and zombies apart from the back. And really, I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about the little army that we trained, okay, father trained for the past 3 months, however, seeing the result of their mere 3 months of training without formation in mind, then they have truly, inconceivably improved like heaven and earth apart! Although they are still shouting things that motivate them here and there, and some idiotic cries as well, they have shown what an undead killing machine looks like when it is trained. And they are destroying the undead even without the anti-undead equipment that father had promised them. Herman, the Lord of Erkshire, this land we are fighting on now, was leading a small squad of 16 surrounding a couple of skeletons numbering over fifty. One would think they''re chewing more than they can swallow but apparently, they are handling themselves quite well. They are pairing amongst themselves and attacking and defending their position one after another. Herman himself have already killed more than 20 skeletons more than the rest of the army. He has done so by commanding his pair to defend while he strikes and then take his turn to defend while his pair attacked alternately. This has allowed not only them but their fellow squad members to utilize the same tactic and win slowly but surely. After all, their first lesson was about how important their lives were. And father made sure to instill in them the fear of god when doing so. The 50 skeletons they surrounded could not overwhelm them and slowly dwindled to the single digits after fighting for almost half an hour. Some injuries were unavoidable however, nothing fatal just yet. \"Argh!\" And just when I thought that no one had yet been injured, they appear! How unfortunate! \"Father! That man, had been pierced by that skeleton''s rusty blade!\" I yell at father, forgetting that this man had already given his word that no one would perish while he was here. \"Leave it to me son.\" Father barely even moved. He just raised his right hand, that was free of holding me, snap his finger and the man with fatal injury to his torso had been healed and just like the undead, started to fight vigorously again as if nothing happened. What the hell?! \"F-Father¡­ how did that happen? Was that your doing??\" I had to ask like a little child curious of the things I could not understand. \"Thank you, father!\" \"There''s no need for thanks son. We are family.\" That sound a bit cheesy but seeing father''s serious expression tells me that he is trying his darndest to maintain that stoic expression he got going since the fight started. After all, we are facing an army of thousands while we are but 300. He even made the battlefield to our advantage. It was as if he was giving the soldiers their best chance to survive while still struggle with their maximum possible effort. He shaped a valley shaped like a funnel then positioned the army at the tip of the funnel while the entrance was made as wide and big as possible while the pipe of the funnel became narrower the closer to the tip. This gave the solders a way to conserve energy and fight without much risk. At least for a while. Until, the Liberation Army was pushed out of that rather favorable position set up by father and into the open field instead. That was were most of the chaos happened. And where the first fatal injury occurred. Who father healed was a soldier that brought with him a cudgel. It was balanced for a blunt weapon and was easy to handle. In fact, father specifically told them to choose this weapon instead of making themselves look cooler. His name is Curgel. He was the leader of the militia that Lord Herman hired before the invasion of the undead spread too far this side of Evernight. He swung that cudgel left and right until nothing was left surrounding him. It was a great feat, worthy of notice, but father had not even put that in his eyes. He even smirked. As if knowing that he''d be able to do just what he did beforehand. He was smirking with that kind of emotion inside him. It is weird to feel what my father is feeling, but it reassures me that nothing untoward happens to my people, the last of them, with father this confident about it. The battle finished after almost 4 hours of boring exchange, yes, boring. That was what father said about that epic battle between the Liberation Army and the Undead Army. I could not understand his standards. The skeletons that had observed that their numbers were dwindling faster than they could rearrange themselves, fled as soon as they noticed while those who had lower intelligence stayed and fought to the bitter end, for themselves. Our Liberation Army remained intact with father''s timely snapping of fingers. This victory will be recorded in history as the epic battle of Erkshire. The very first victory of the resistance after so many years of despair. Father let them celebrate for the moment, however, when they got back inside, another 3 months of training awaited them. Oddly enough, that first battle did not even involve any zombies at all. That was kind of strange as they would mix most of the times but that time, they did not. Oh, well, a victory is a victory. Like this, we moved from one cave to another by moving underground and slowly accumulated victory after victory eventually reaching a place where undead ranging from skeletons, to zombies to even ghouls have been observed since a long time ago. This might be a hard-fought battle if we select this target, but father knows what he''s doing. \"Father, this nest is full of Ghouls that are far stronger than zombies. If we insist on attacking that place, then we''ll need more than just luck and good training but also a miracle.\" \"Son, what you don''t understand is that these men we''ve trained together are now no longer beginners. They have learned what they need, to learn for the little skirmish we will be having tonight. Trust them. Plus, I made their equipment, they should still live even if it''s a fatal hit. We''ve been winning many times and have not lost yet. Trust your men, trust that they will deliver this world, yours and their world from all the crap that the undead has excreted since. 77 A High Ranking Undead ***Ryan*** We have taken the fight out of Erkshire to the neighboring territory of the former Mandel House, Marjory. Marjory was an average territory dealing in a specialty wine they called Marjory. It was a great territory to come to for those who wants to truly enjoy the beverage, unlike when you bought it from one of the merchants or at major cities that sell it. The charm of drinking Marjory in Marjory in a full moon is romantic to wine enthusiasts and average appreciative drinkers as well. A pity that they were sacked by the undead faster than any other territories. The reason being that they had close to no garrisoned army and even the Lord had no more than a handful of personal guards, focusing only on training winemakers and artisans. That said, this territory was had rich soil and grew all kinds of berries and even wheat. All for the secret of producing Marjory. If this were under normal circumstances, we''d really have wanted to take back this territory so that we could produce our own food however, as the sun is not present, and even if it is still out there as father told me, we have no way of actually making it appear again and grow crops to the best of its abilities. So, we can only train these men and seek out the Grand Liches to kill them and hope for the best that the Sun will return its splendor when they are gone. Marjory was sacked mostly by a mixed group of skeletons, zombies and ghouls. All low level undead, however, before it was taken, there seem to have been a sighting of a high ranking undead that looked like a ghoul but bigger and stronger, faster and more vicious. And father and I have talked about the possible presence of that Prime Ghoul or so I''d like to call but father disagreed and said, he''d encountered ghouls like this many times already in another life when he was called a Witcher. I did not know that father had been reincarnated as well, but he says those ghouls are called Alghoul in his time as a Witcher. I don''t even understand why they called themselves Witcher, is it because they were only men and women in that profession are called Witches? Anyhow, father told me its name and it felt better to call it Alghoul than Prime Ghoul, so we named it that. \"Father, are the men ready to face such a monster? If they fall one by one, then this resistance, this cause of ours will end in vain. I need to be assured that they will at least come back alive in retreat rather than win the battle but lose the soldiers.\" I voiced my concern to father and as usual, he simply reassures me in his own way by saying, \"Don''t worry son, I won''t let them fall and die. They will fall and they will be hurt, yet they shall not die. Not while I''m here. Not until we''ve fulfilled our commitment and achieved our goals.\" Father looked cool as he looked at the distance as if he could see through the veil of night in the distance and see the outcome of the battle already. Father''s pep talk was horrible, but at least it invigorated the people to do their best to survive, I guess. \"Son, you have to get ready. You are the most important person out of everyone here and so, you must do your best to fulfill your role. Okay?\" Father said. And by that, he probably means I need to sleep now since my baby-body can''t handle stressful situations. It had gotten better but better still isn''t enough. I need to grow up, fast. \"Yes father. I shall leave the people in your capable hands.\" I said, as my uncontrollable urge to sleep set in. ***Clay*** Well then, Ryan''s sleeping and these men will die by the Alghouls hands if left alone. Although their armors will protect them from one fatal hit, after that, they''re certainly done for if they don''t retreat. If they fall, then my time here may be extended more than necessary. I need to get to the goal as soon as possible, as I don''t know how time flows here from Alleucanth''s. It may as well be years there already since we disappeared for all I know. Ryan is a noble spirit, but well, even though he is a reincarnation of someone from this world, he is still my son. Basically, someone had highjacked my son''s body and put his soul in there. But, Ryan, no matter whose soul is inside is my son. I can''t simply discard him. Especially since UltiCo''s analysis of my body had become more intensive and extensive. The moment I ordered it to merge some skills into one unified whole skill as a joke, it did and even modified it to fit my needs and goals. When Ryan suggested about me having the Creation Magic, it dawned on me that it was a great idea and jested to UltiCo about it and viola, Creation Magic was developed based from the Elemental Affinities minus the Light, Dark, Space and Null affinities. Although, Space Magic seemed to have disappeared and was merged with Space-Time Magic as UltiCo deemed it as a duplicate skill somewhat. In fact, UltiCo started to analyze my skills and completely developed or enhanced others that could help me achieve my goal. And a certain possibility exists here in Evernight that I may obtain a skill I would need to further my plans. Necromancy. A magic that exists to defile life and is considered evil. However, what is evil really? Because society deemed them evil for \"hurting\" others? That''s the nature of power I have understood over the years of recognizing mine. At first, I did it only to protect myself however, I started to think, wouldn''t it be better to just gather all the power to me and have me as the container? Necromancy is in fact a magic developed to tamper the Soul or manipulate it to some extent. And that''s just what I need for my plans. I need it to grow my Soul and stuff all these skills inside it to make it completely mine, separate from any deity or controlling powers. In fact, my first goal is to have UltiCo, become engraved to my soul. And it''s not like UltiCo has not developed since I acquired it. In fact, when my stats grew over the hundred million already, even Safir''s eyes may not be able to perceive this quantity in me and only see question marks as well. However, even with UltiCo''s comprehensive abilities, I still have not found a way to ascend into godhood. That''s why I need to gather more skills and abilities in order to one day, reach a state where I can truly ascend as a being no longer tethered to the mortal realms. A lofty dream it may be, but a dream I must fulfill. Not only for my sake but for those who I hold dear. Especially my son, my only son. Going back, I can''t just discard Ryan because UltiCo found out that Ryan was a lucky occurrence. He was improbable to be conceived in the first place, and yet my blood and my flesh dwell in him and he even inherited some of my already acquired abilities. There''s not doubt of him being my flesh and blood. However, as UltiCo''s analysis have yet majorly failed me, I am inclined to believe that I will not be able to have any children again, unless I have children with beings that can harbor my power and energy inside their wombs. That is why, Ryan was a miracle in every sense of the word. I can''t lose him. He''s my legacy. Mulling over it will not further my plans, I need to move. However, being in haste makes waste. So, I must be prudent in using my power to influence this world''s course. Although I am helping, it should be through their blood and sweat that they take back their world. \"I will make an exit on the fields of Marjory so that you can face the undead in open field. You''ll only be facing ghouls and the high-ranking ghoul called Alghoul. There''s only one of it and 300 of you, however, you are still outnumbered. Use your training to the best of your abilities! None of you shall die if you put your lives on the line for Evernight! You have seen what I can do and am capable of, trust that I will put my efforts in keeping you alive! Go!\" The men wore their serious but tensed expression and charge forwards towards the exit. I''ve already lured the ghouls out through the corpses of some dead monsters from Alleucanth that served as food for these people. For six months, they''d eaten this meat. I don''t know if its because of their training, the meat or even the mana they absorbed from killing the undead, but these people sure have grown sturdier. They should be fine. The moment the last soldier came out of the exit, I destroyed the exit and collapsed the tunnel to prevent some stray ghoul to venture inside and kill the women and children that are staying inside the cave. The fighting started and steel and flesh collided. The smell of rotten flesh permeated the air as they were cut off from the ghouls'' bodies. The men were in formation. They adopted the spartan phalanx formation that I taught them. Although it''s not the most powerful formation offensively, however, in a defensive battle like this, it''s the best there is. I made these men a sword each and javelins to match while their shield were tower shields that should have weighed more than 60 kilograms, but through the help of some runes, it weighed less than the sword itself. It helped in maintaining the phalanx and well, maintaining their current status, living. Through the battles that they have fought with the undead previously and the victories it resulted in, their fighting style had already been established and only needed some reminding. Just like actual soldiers that learn on the battlefield how war happens exactly. They are currently being surrounded by hundreds if not thousands, of ghouls and from a commoner''s perspective, they should look to be being overwhelmed by the horde. However, contrary to that, these men are holding their ground against these monsters. Their stabs are accurate and true, the ghouls stopped moving whenever their heads were pieced through by the javelins. Although they are less ideal for phalanxes, javelins were the most appropriate weapon for them to train in, since mastering the spear would take years. The swords though, they simply had to learn 5 basic strokes of downward diagonal slash away from the right instep and its opposite; horizontal slashes to and from the left and right; and one overhead-all-weight-in slash. And since they can apply these moves to blunt weapons as well, it was good enough. Besides, the tower shield I granted them can be used as blunt instruments already, so they needed no other \"crusher\" so to speak. After about an hour of tirelessly moving about to prevent the piling of undead corpses, as they defended themselves, and mostly killing the ghouls, the Prime Ghoul as Ryan called them, and admittedly I actually like this name, but, but¡­ Witchers call them Alghoul, so no need to find it another name. I''m in another world anyway, it should be okay. I feel bad for Ryan, but meh. As I was saying, the Alghoul finally showed itself and man oh man. The men were scared shitless because of its sheer size. It was bigger than a SUV, and I know could pack quite a punch as well. \"Men! Do not falter! Maintain your formation and grit your teeth! Let it come to you and stab it to your hearts content! If even one of you falters, you all will die!\" I had to encourage them or in this case, discourage them from faltering and dying. Because, truly, one hit from that undead would kill them. I must get busy as well. This coming fight, it''s not theirs alone. If only they were at least on the level of the Night Prowlers, then at least they''d be able to divide and conquer this monster. 78 Alghoul ***Ryan*** Roar I was woken up by a roar. My baby impulse commands that I cry and so I cried. Waa Waa Father was worried about me, but I''m more worried about the battle ahead for the men. However, like this, I can''t speak to father properly. My mind is being taken over by impulse. \"Hush now son. You''re safe.\" Father started to cradle me and bob up and down on the spot to calm me. This is embarrassing. For a mentally grown old man to be put to serenity by a man younger than me. However, he is my father, so it alleviates the embarrassment albeit still embarrassing. I can''t mentally send father cohesive words like this, so I''ll have to wait for my body to physically calm down. It sucks to be an infant with memories of being totally in control of your own body. \"Hmm. You can''t talk in this state, can you? We''ll just watch how they''ll emerge victorious over this monster.\" Then father shouted at them with words of encouragement, however, there was a movement of mana in the air. \"Face this monster and emerge victorious! Show these undead that you are the true rulers of this world!\" After that was the miserable battle of humanity versus the monster father called Alghoul. *** The Alghoul was furious that its army was reduced to only a few stragglers and would not even follow its orders anymore out of fear. The fear they had towards the Alghoul was replaced by a new fear, a fear that they had never experienced before, the fear of dying. As a matter of fact, ordinary means of killing the undead doesn''t stick. The only way to kill them was to reduce the miasmic energy their bodies were made from and scatter it in the atmosphere. This ensures that the creature is reduced to its origin until a new creature is born again from a different gathering of miasma. The way Clay killed thousands of them in an instant was reducing the miasma to nothing and cleansing the area of effect with his radiant and toxic light. However, the men that they both were leading did not have the capability to cleanse an undead and reduce it to its origins or even turn it into nothing. What they did have though were equipment that Clay personally made for them. Javelins that inject Light attributed mana into the undead target, swords that cut miasma directly and armor that defends the wearer from miasma affecting their body, which only serves as protection against becoming undead if they died. However, a rune was engraved in the inner part of these armors which does its job quiet secretly. Roar! It was only because of Clay that they were seeing victories upon victories in their quest to free this world of the undead. So, no one questions Clay''s orders. Herman, the previous Lord of Erkshire and his squad did not split up but positioned themselves apart from each other, still in a formation. Clay suggested to them before this battle that they should be the leading attack force in facing the Alghoul so that the others would find courage through them. Herman shouted a battle cry as a response to the Alghoul''s roar and everyone pounced on it. The battle had finally started. Herman and his squad were the last to move so that they could land a real damaging hit on the Alghoul, however, the first ones who launched their attacks were blown away by the Alghoul''s sweeps. The injury they got were not light and at first glance they were goners, but after a few seconds of being motionless, they slowly get up and immediately run up to the Alghoul like nothing had happened. This surprised Ryan the most. It was as if he was looking at a new breed of undead that his father had created. In fact, they were not undead. The secret lies on their armor. Their armor''s rune activates immediately when the wearer is lethally or even mortally wounded. And its job is not to heal their wearer. It was to transfer all damage that''s done to them to Clay who was standing with Ryan in his arms this whole time, smiling and making sure Ryan did not cry anymore. The people did not know of this effect, because aside from the damage transfer, it numbs their mind of the any previous trauma they may receive from the pain and hurt. Of course, this was just an impromptu rune that Clay created, so it was not that thought up. However, for an impromptu rune, it sure does a great job in this situation. It has the downside of still making the wearer experience the pain from their bodies being ripped apart, but the damage itself is not reflected onto their bodies. Clay''s body at this moment had many white scratches on his skin. As the Alghoul''s havoc did not really do any damage on him. On the other hand, the Alghoul had many wounds on its body as slashes and holes were given it by the men. Although it was healing itself, the wounds were not closing as it should have normally. As time passed, almost an hour of this mortal combat, the Alghoul started to fear as well. Clay noticed this and roared, \"The Alghoul is afraid! You have damaged it beyond its comprehension! Do not relent! Attack altogether and finish the job!\" \"Hurrah!\" Shouts of exultation and battle cries mixed in the answer that he heard from them and the battle intensified until the Alghoul no longer had a choice but to flee. It used its superior muscle abilities to jump up and run towards another direction. The men wanted to follow, however, they had no way to do so, so they panted and looked towards Clay. \"Let it go! It will lead us to a bigger nest.\" After Clay announced the battle''s end, every soldier shouted in joy and celebrated themselves. Clay on the other hand, made Ryan sleep and tracked the Alghoul towards its \"bigger nest\" and found that there was a cave formation where it entered. There, Clay could see the rest of the Alghoul that a single being controlled. Clay found a Ghoul, but it looked humanoid. It had eyes, ears, and nose. It even stood up to order the rest of the Alghouls to part and make way for the fleeing Alghoul. Then it started to roar and growl and grunt as if speaking to it. Clay did not pick up any language skill, so it must have spoken to it via a sort of telepathy. Of course, Clay did not move from his spot. Clay was in actual, still on that battlefield just now with closed eyes. What he sent to follow the fleeing Alghoul was his perception. A sort of Divine Sense derived from his ability to observe all things in the world and how powerful his senses are. This leader-like fiend slammed its foot onto the cave floor in anger and frustration that the whole cave seemed to almost give way. Then ordered by extending its arm forward and pointing towards the direction where the fleeing Alghoul came from. \"I see. It wants to go and counterattack.\" Clay was relaxed. It wasn''t a threat to him or his current people, so he withdrew his senses and mumbled, \"That''s probably a Rotfiend. If not, then I''ll just name it that. A higher-level ghoul, a Rotfiend. Nice, witcher.\" 79 Progression After the battle, the men who fought brought their tired bodies underground where they would be resting and then training again. This has been the direction that Clay took them each time they fought and won. They would rest and they would train. However, Clay only opens the door and closes it after they enter then proceeds to \"scout\" the surroundings. In fact, Clay would be setting up the next challenge for these men. Just as he was doing right now. Even though he did not move from his spot, he had been concentrating on finding the \"bigger nest\" that he mentioned to them. And when he does find it, he cleans the nest up a bit until he achieves the \"right\" number of opponents for these people to progress and get stronger. Experience, after all, was the greatest teacher. Snap! With a snap of Clay''s finger, countless Alghouls in the army of the Leader that he began calling Rotfiend, disintegrated and returned to their origin, which was miasma. The sudden disintegration surprised the Alghouls that were lucky enough to not have been selected by the spell as targets. Clay had learned to integrate the elemental affinities to his Overpower skill and even project it, miles away from himself. This was the mechanic he was using in killing these undead remotely. The Rotfiend was not surprised, instead it was furious. Furious that its troops were being massacred without him knowing. Not that it had a mind of its own, to really think of the better for his troops. After Clay set them up, as they are unable to produce any other Alghouls without corpses to create them, they shall remain in these numbers until the men had enough training to battle them. The Rotfiend had already been analyzed and Clay only needs to convey and train the men in the methods of facing them. The Alghouls though, would be a problem. The Phalanx cannot hold them off unlike the ordinary Ghouls. Clay needed a damage dealer out of all the men that he trained, a magic user. These magic users would be able to execute the Alghouls from inside a tight square formation while being protected by the rest of the men. That''s the direction Clay should direct these people to from now on, he thought. Open! Clay opened his eyes and immediately, his consciousness snapped back to his immediate surroundings. However, before he even took a step towards the underground shelter, he sensed a powerful magic user that got close to the Rotfiend he had marked. Sensing this, Clay adjusted himself and stood like a pole before sending his consciousness towards the Rotfiend''s nest again. This time, there was a skull-faced, robed individual who was emitting miasma on a grander scale than the Rotfiend. In fact, the disparity between them could be described as heaven and earth. The Rotfiend could emit a silent fart, while the skull-face naturally sets off explosions of miasma at each breath. \"No, that would only make me do more than just help them a little, it would make it easy for them to liberate this world. Just as Ryan said, they must own it, suffer, struggle and maybe even die for it. He is right.\" Just as Clay finished his musing, the Lich suddenly looked towards the direction that Clay had positioned his consciousness as he watched over them. However, the Lich looked away immediately after seemingly looking like he just felt something and ignored it altogether after. Then it proceeded to scolding the Rotfiend with an unknown language to Clay. This time, it spoke and immediately, Clay''s head sounded a notification after such a long time. *Ping* [Abyssal Language ¨C Master (Evernight) Acquired] Immediately, UltiCo swallowed the skill and integrated it into itself. The Lich''s scolding could now be understood. And Clay knew that the Lich was just acting like it was scolding the Rotfiend. \"We have received your report.\" As it flailed its hand, up and down as if it were going to hit the Rotfiend. \"You have to be careful; we sense that some outside help has been given to the ants called humans. We are being watched right now. Look as if you are depressed from my scolding. I shall return here later to give you an enhancement to finish off our opposition. Now, jump back and hit the walls as hard as you can as I push you with my staff. Make it look believable!\" Clay could not believe his ears. This Lich was so powerful and intelligent that it schemed right in front of him. \"What the hell! This Lich looks like a push-over, but it is in fact a schemer. If I had not acquired the language, then I''d have believed it was scolding the Rotfiend right now!\" Clay immediately Withdrew his consciousness from that nest as the Rotfiend propelled itself towards the walls with such a force. Clay had learned quite a few things in this. He learned that if this little Lich had noticed his consciousness, then that probably means that when he spread his consciousness to encompass the whole of Evernight, then the Grand Liches would also be able to notice this. Second, the Language of the Liches was possibly what the whole undead forces use to relay orders and rule. While the language of the humans was the same as the ones used by Ryan when speaking to me via telepathy. Of course, I''d have already learned that language when we started exchanging words. UltiCo sometimes mutes notifications for something trivial it seems. He also learned of the fact that the Lich that just visited the Rotfiend nest had in its person something Clay had been wanting to have, a Necromancy Grimoire. \"With this, my progress towards the goal for this trip will move a step closer to the end. I need it!\" Woosh! With the sound of air being disturbed from his movement, Clay disappeared from the underground entrance and immediately was above the skies of Evernight. Tracking the lone Lich that had visited the nest. Without even masking his own power, he released his magic energy and made it function as sonar to detect the Lich. After a minute of fine tuning, he had found the Lich and instantly moved towards its location. The Lich, sensing its opponent''s energy closing in on it, stopped moving in the shadows and awaited his fate. It was not that it was resigning but as an intelligent being, it knew how to talk to fellow intelligent beings. As Clay arrived descending from the skies still holding onto Ryan who was sleeping, he looked at the Lich unemotionally. Saying, \"Wisdom has given you the right guidance. Why run, when you cannot, am I right?\" Clay made his eyes glow golden like the radiance of the Sun as he faced the Lich. \"Oh, great One, what honor it is for my lowly self to be graced by your presence.\" With flattery, the Lich spoke in response. Clay smirked at the Lich''s response and said, \"Your flattery will achieve you nothing. I have come for but one purpose. Hand over that Grimoire.\" Clay pointed at the Grimoire that the Lich had in its person at his bosom. However, the Lich was surprised that Clay knew that he had with him a Grimoire and even knew where he hid it. \"H-How! T-This Grimoire cannot be used by beings that have not been touched by the darkness! It will only bring you destruction!\" The Lich expressed. However, his acting was easily seen through by UltiCo''s analysis ability. Clay could clearly see its current status: Scheming. \"Yes, yes. You need not worry about me. You should just continue your evil ways and hand me the Grimoire. I''ll simply look at it. Don''t act all good and warn me about the dangers, it only makes me think more of how you are scheming.\" Clay extended his right hand that was free from holding Ryan and urged the Lich to give it. After a few seconds of what seemed like hesitation, the Lich handed the Grimoire to Clay with trembling hands as if parting with this Grimoire was such a heartache for it. Receiving the Grimoire, Clay proceeded on opening it nonchalantly while the Lich was watching with bated breath, even though it didn''t have a nose or a throat. An eerie feeling permeated the atmosphere as Clay had in his hand the Grimoire, and as soon as the first page was opened, the howling of countless soul-remnants cried out and assaulted Clay. That same instant, the Lich cackled in laughter as it joyously celebrated the death of this powerful but ignorant being. \"That''s what you get for being arrogant you prick! You think a Lich''s Grimoire can easily be coveted by others? We always protect our spells and our methods! Your life is mine and I will use your body for countless experiments to come! How wonderful. As for your baby, well, I''ll just turn it into a pet until I can use its body as experiment material. How generous of me! Kakaka!\" After it shouted and gleefully exposed his real intentions, the Lich leisurely strode towards Clay who was still standing there as if his soul was sucked out of his body. The Lich extended its bony arms and hand towards Clay''s head to drag him with him, his arms stretched ever closer to his head¡­ 2 feet, 1 foot, half a foot, 5 inches, 3, 2¨C Grab! The Lich''s hand was grabbed by the same hand that held the now banished Grimoire. The Lich reacted immediately and cut its own hand, arm and all to get away from Clay. It then heard Clay say, \"I''ve read your Grimoire, it seems your methods are somewhat introductory; however, it will have to do for now. I must thank you for your cooperation. Choose a reward: A swift death, enslavement, or return to the origin?\" As Clay gave the Lich its choices, he also swiped his hands as if a windshield wiper to swat the noisy soul-remnants that were crying salvation and assaulting his mind. As if they were merely a bother to him. The moment that Clay opened the Grimoire and the soul-remnants assaulted him, he instantly erected a barrier that enclosed Ryan from any attacks no matter magic, physical and even spiritual. Clay himself was a walking fortress, so his defenses were superb not to mention that this was merely smokes and mirrors to the current him. \"H-H-H-How did you s-s-survive that! Impossible!\" The Lich protested in grief. \"Nothing is Impossible, Lich. Not with magic. Now, choose, or I will choose for you.\" Clay made his eyes glow even more hot and golden as if the Sun was rising in this place. That sight frightened the soul out of the Lich, and it began to run backwards towards the darkness, to escape and to find help. \"And here I thought you were at least an intelligent undead, it seems I was mistaken. Why run, when you cannot, am I right?\" *Ping* [A Telepathic thought-wave has been intercepted] [Playing recording: \"H-H-Help! Grand Lich Marduke! There''s a human powerful enough to threaten us! Help me! Send help!\" Recording end] UltiCo''s assistance capabilities have improved to a scary level! Even sending notifications for Clay. \"I guess, you leave me with no choice, but to choose for you. And I choose, return to origin.\" With that, Clay shot a palm-wave at light speed which hit the running Lich in an instant, there were no escapes from this one. That palm-wave was powered by Clay''s magic and his Light affinity plus UV. A combination of magic and physics! Instantly, the Lich started to immolate on the spot and faded in the dark a second after. Nothing was left, not even ashes. Death would have left him some ashes and a chance at revival, however, return to origin was just that, return to the flow of miasma, where it came from. \"I should probably get back, there''s still training to give for my pawns.\" Clay made a jumping motion just like Superman and lifted himself away from the ground through it. Instantly, he was in above Evernight''s atmosphere and was absorbing some of the Sun''s energy, albeit miniscule, then slowly descended towards the underground sanctuary''s entrance. 80 Grand Liches It took Clay, Ryan and his people another 2 years to finally grow strong enough to face the Grand Liches. The first year, they had been marching towards the Grand Liches'' towers and fighting countless undead along the way. They even faced lesser vampyrs, vamps and even the noble Vampires which led their own forces against their growing numbers. From 300, they slowly decreased in number as casualties could not be avoided even with Clay''s runes. Especially when the runes are destroyed when attacked unfortunately. A dent in the runes would disable its effect, a scratch or even a tiny cut on the lines of the rune renders it useless. They found out about it the hard way and they became even more careful and united. They mourned for their dead and they pushed forward even more eagerly. While pushing towards the Grand Liches, they encountered other sanctuaries that housed limited numbers of people which they invited to join them fervently and successfully increased their numbers through it. Clay trained them as he had trained the first people he trained; however, the newcomers were trained by the veterans. Especially Herman''s squad. They became the leaders of the people. Ryan oddly did not grow as a child; it seems that their bodies stopped growing after they Teleported here. Maybe a side-effect of the spell, Clay did not worry too much about it and assured Ryan that he''d grow to be a good baby when they get back to their world. Alleucanth. The men have started to truly grow as a nation and as a people through the countless battles that they have experienced and the leadership of Herman, once Lord of Erkshire, became that reminiscent of a king. With their constant battling and growth, the undead forces no longer became a threat to them and instead they grew strong enough to oppose the Grand Liches. With the Grand Liches as their goal, they pushed even harder to train and to grow strong enough to stand at the battle that decides the fate of Evernight. At the halls of their underground sanctuary which were expanded to accommodate thousands of people including women and children, in the mouth before the gates of the underground sanctuary, stood 800 or so soldiers, both veterans and rookies. At an elevated platform stood Clay about to give a speech. "That was a splendid speech father! Truly admirable!" Ryan sent a telepathic communication to Clay. "It is what they needed. And well, you should have noticed that I used magic to boost their morale. So, I cheated there." Chuckling, Clay responded. "No father, it was still splendid. It may not be pure pep talk; however, the effects of your magic shall bring them victory in tonight''s battle. This shall be their final and decisive battle." "You are right son; this will be their decisive moment. If they don''t move accordingly, they will all die, and we will not be able to help them any further." It was a harsh declaration, however, Ryan understood. They already spent so much time here on Evernight. If they stayed more time here, then they may as well just live here, however, they could not. They had family and friends that awaited their return in Alleucanth, especially Clay. "I understand father. If they fail to grasp their freedom from the rule of the Grand Liches, then they will only die, slowly but surely. Only time will tell. However, if they succeed, then they will be the hope of humanity and the world!" Ryan beamed as he imagined this world given sunlight by the Sun and the living creatures to be basked in the glorious sunlight. How wonderful for them. Just as they both finished their telepathy; Herman gave the signal to Clay that they were all ready to march forward. The gates to the underground sanctuary was controlled by Clay exclusively. The soldiers did not have enough ability to open it up even with their numbers. The magic users that Clay had trained all have grown more powerful however, Clay had taught them to Chant and shout the name of the spell that they wanted to cast. Thus, preserving his technique for those that were truly worthy of it like his subordinates. The troop consisted of soldiers, magic users and logistics at the back. The logistics handled the resupplying of the javelins that were thrown and couldn''t be retrieved in the heat of battle as well as refreshments to those that needed to retreat from fatigue. The magic users were protected by the soldiers who had no aptitude for it. And they were the main damage dealers in this formation. The moment Clay opened the gates, he roared, "Kill them ALL~!" And then the marching of 800 people resounded clearly as even the earth trembled as they uniformly marched towards their final battle! *** Before the fighting started. Marduke, the one that the Lich that Clay killed three years prior had called for help was sitting at a round table with all 6 of the Grand Liches of Evernight, including himself. The Grand Liches ruled Evernight with the army of the Undead they each commanded. Each had a specialty, Marduke''s being the magic-oriented undead of every species. The one sitting next to him to his right was Elkanor, a Vampire Ancestor who ruled the vampire-kind. To Marduke''s left was Althel, progenitor of the Arch Fiend species. Directly across Marduke was Elyenthel, leader of the Specters. To Elyenthel''s right was Ackers, Grand Arch Deathknight, leader of the army of dead military men, serving as their commander in chief. And to Elyenthel left was the leader of the undead staples, zombies, ghouls and even skeletons; Boni. "Marduke, it was you who has called for this gathering. Speak now, what it is you intend?" Spoke the one who had the greatest military force and power among them, Ackers. "Still as bossy as ever, Ackers. Still, we need to put into consideration whatever has been happening in Evernight in the last four years. Our forces and territory have already begun to shrink down to the barest of minimums because of the army of humans that suddenly gained courage and the means to fight us. "If we were to ignore it even now, then we will all succumb to the same fate as our fallen. Many of my subordinates have perished without any warnings since, and my territory is the first that shrunk to its current state. "The trend of attacks suggests that they are coming straight for this tower to face us, without a care about territory at all. And this guess should be right, and when this is proven right, I ask that we all work together to defend our tower. "After all, this tower boosts our powers to incredible heights while it stands. What say you?" Marduke suggested to his peers. His fellow Grand Liches. The name Grand Liches was derived from the legendary Lich King that once ruled over all dark and evil forces, not just the undead. Since not one of them could claim to be equal to the Lich King, then they named themselves below the Lich King and called themselves Liches despite not even being Liches. "What you propose just shows how weak you are Marduke! How could you allow your territory to shrink as it is just from a few human''s uprising? Have we all not contributed to the forces that defend your territory already? My soldiers, Elkanor''s vampires and even lesser ones, Althel''s fiends, Elyenthel''s specters and of course Boni''s multitudinous cohort. How can you even ask for further cooperation?" Ackers was on Marduke''s case most of the time and it was understandable why he''d question Marduke''s competence, however, "Ackers! Do you think I have not done anything to prevent them from advancing? I am asking you to cooperate because I, alone am not enough to deal with it. If I were, then why would I even ask for your cooperation? I also have my pride to uphold!" Marduke was furious at Ackers for speaking only with his muscle brain. "I don''t totally agree with Ackers, but Marduke, he has a point. If you thought about the dangers and the risks of letting this uprising continue, you should have already done everything in your power and resources to eradicate this problem. Why did you wait until now to ask for a cooperation?" Asked Elkanor with his elegant way of speaking. "That''s just it. I have sent wave after wave of forces to eradicate them, however each time, they are instead wiped out and worse, brought back to the origin. Trying to raise them again would take such a great amount of resources and that, I cannot afford even at this moment. So, imagine my predicament!" "Let''s say that you are telling the truth, you did your best and were still bested, what''s the probability of all of us combining forces and facing them in winning?" Asked Elyenthel with furrowed brows and a serious face. "That¡­ I cannot say. I have been trying my damnedest to find the source of their strength or at least their sponsor and had some minor success. I have been able to detect a large amount of mana signature in their midst whenever they are fighting and one of my scouts found a person holding a baby in his arms nonchalantly looking over each battle. "Thus, it has come to my attention that this human possibly is the reason why and how the resistance has been getting their equipment and strength. Their short spears and swords that can wound the undead, inhibiting our natural regenerative abilities thus killing them, has been a thorn in my side for years now!" Revealing this information was crucial to Marduke''s survival. And another piece of information he has found out was that the amount of miasma that has been accumulated in the areas that the resistance had originally had already thinned out to the point of it being non-existent which disables any undead that enters the space. Just like fish can''t breathe outside of water, the undead cannot function well in miasma deprived locations. Reserving this knowledge for himself can give him an edge against these sly old foxes. With Marduke''s urgency, the rest voted with Acker naturally harshly reprimanding Marduke while turning his hand away in rejection to the cooperation. The rest agreed and would send a massive force from each of their own forces from different regions of the world to deal with the growing resistance. "With this, we expect that you would do well in eradicating this rat that''s been infesting our world, Marduke. Do not let us down!" Said Althel as he showed his fiendish smile with bloody maw showing his fang-filled mouth. 81 Quest for Advancemen While the battle unfolded beneath the hill he was standing on, on the plain field where the battle''s intensity was highest. Clay stood like an overwatch. Lording over the army and the undead. Clay had made Ryan fall asleep secretly as he also planned to make his move tonight. In the years that Clay had helped the Liberation Army in winning battles and training them, Clay''s thirst for power had also brought him to the brink. Not to the brink of death but to the brink of insanity. His thirst for power, just like every goddamn power-hungry individual in history always fell to the temptation and corruption of power. It was written that, "power corrupts, even the purest of hearts." And today, Clay''s condition can only be described as such. He did not care about the battle unfolding below him as he immediately disappeared and let the course of the battle flow as it should be. Although the army of 800 could handle themselves expertly after countless battles and victories, they still had to rely on Clay''s runes in their armor to stand back up whenever they are knocked down. With Clay''s supervision, they would have been able to avoid unnecessary casualties, without him, they''d sooner die than grow. Clay used space magic to lock onto the location of Marduke, the Grand Lich that currently occupied the tower. This tower was pivotal to the scheme of the Grand Liches to make the Sun disappear. Although, it was such a pivotal and strategically important location, the security in this place was minimal. According to the Grand Liches, the less important the structure looked, the less it would be targeted, and the more heavily fortified the place was, it would be prone to attacks instead. It was a classic reverse psychology on a planetary scale. However, Clay cared neither for their reverse psychology nor their goals and plans. What Clay came for was Marduke''s Grimoire. The only record of his magic experiments and life-time work. Arriving at a dark place where even the candlelight was dim, and the color of the fire was green and eerie, Clay appeared silently. In front of him was a throne occupied by a Grand Lich, a Lich that looked quite ghastly. It was Marduke. In his surprise, Marduke jumped up closer and made his back straight as he leaned against the throne''s backrest. He then immediately shot spell after spell towards this intruder. His surprise did not hinder him from executing the most lethal and most sinister magic spells he had accumulated in his lifetime. "Dark Hex!" "Shattered Soul!" "Venom''s Tongue!" "Carrion Degeneration!" Each of Marduke''s spells had an effect that could kill even the sturdiest monsters and beasts, much less humans. However, as Marduke finished all the spells and hurled them towards Clay, he had an incredibly nervous feeling that even those spells were useless in the face of this intruder. The dim candlelight grew vigorous as Marduke mouthed the spells in a language that even he did not fully understand. Different from the Abyssal language, this was more sinister in origin. Clay heard this language and immediately mastered it and UltiCo integrated it into his repertoire. "The fetters that bind the souls of the dead, come forth and devour the feast I have set! Soul Eater!" Marduke basically chanted this cringey line and only spoke the name of the spell translated in Abyssal Language called Soul Eater. As the name implies, it summons the soul of the dead in a large area and directs them to devour the target, even to the soul-level, leaving nothing behind. Without the magic stone that Marduke used, he wouldn''t have been able to invoke such a spell. The waves of magic that erupted from the invocation of this spell had world-wide repercussions. The effect on Evernight would be evident as the soul of each person that died to the undead slowly rose from the depths. However, only those within the vicinity of the tower could be controlled by the spell. The rest of the world had souls wandering the world of the living because of this spell. And whatever living people they encounter they will devour. Even the undead. However, Clay did not notice this, as a part of his goal was right in front of him. The grimoire of Marduke. The screams of his army were more intense, and grief stricken, however he brushed this off as the intensity of battle. Even now, he was getting scratches all over his body from the Damage Transfer. Clay watched Marduke as he was panic-spawning spells. Each spell he took was analyzed by UltiCo and became part of him and even opened different skills in him. However, skills and spells were not Clay''s goal, it was different. Finally, Clay spoke as the spell Soul Eater slowly materialized in front of him. "Marduke. Grand Lich. You need not know my name; however, I need to look at your Grimoire." Without further ado, Clay extended his right arm towards Marduke''s direction and telekinetically grasped his Grimoire, even probing the sub-spaces connected to Marduke to see if he had an interdimensional storage like he did. Finding nothing of the sort, he grabbed the Grimoire and shut Marduke up using telekinesis. Binding him and disabling him thoroughly. Clay read the Grimoire thoroughly and made UltiCo memorize its contents and further analyze its content and then immediately threw the Grimoire into his Dimensional Storage. Inside, there were more than 30 Grimoires all belonging to the Liches that Clay had killed while moving forwards to this place. Without moving from his spot, as he knew that his men could take hours and hours of battle against the undead, he did not immediately go back. He stayed and studied the Grimoire further. Just standing there and studying made Clay even more mysterious in the eyes of Marduke who could neither speak nor move. "Your studies interest me, especially in the aspect of souls. Aside from you, and Elyenthel''s Grimoires I think I should pay a visit to Elkanor as well just to be safe. Afterall, they may have delved into "Soul Study" as well¡­ just like you." Clay spoke unemotionally. As if he was talking to an ant that needed no respect nor a shred of emotion. With Ryan in his left arm tucked in, Clay held the Grimoire in his right hand and flipped pages using his mind. "It interests me that you think the soul can be used to further enhance strength. I like this idea. Would you like to work with me to further this study? Of course, you would have to serve as my experimental material. Right?" Clay proposed such, which made Marduke, a Grand Lich to feel ice cold fear and anxiousness. "My quest for advancement is proceeding nicely thanks to you and your colleagues. I must thank you of course. However, since I grow tired of waiting for the army to finish their Liberation efforts, I''ll just have to pay Elyenthel and Elkanor a visit right now. Marduke, you stay here and be a good boy, will you?" Without even a blinking, Marduke saw Clay disappear right in front of him as if nothing. He felt the fluctuation of mana, but he could not detect the initial movement within the body to perform a spell. As if this man used magic by will, even worse, if magic was under his will. No magician, undead or not can oppose him. The thought scared Marduke to the bone and this fear gripped him by the throat. *** In another region where the specters ruled the night. Spirits and ghosts were roaming and floating around a castle-like structure in the middle of a quiet forest. This was Elyenthel''s Lair. Just after their gathering at the Tower where Marduke protected magic array that inhibited the Sun''s shine on Evernight, Elyenthel came back and continued his experiments as well, regarding spirits. He specialized in researching spirits as opposed to what Marduke did which involved souls. Spirits were ethereal beings that constitute a living being in Evernight. Spirits that are more powerful like that in Alleucanth are non-existent here. The spirits that are separated from the vessel and the soul become wandering spirits on Evernight. In time, they become specters that are corrupted by the miasma in the atmosphere. This was where Elyenthel''s specialty comes in. he dominates the specters using his own created techniques in necromancy. While he was conducting his experiment on the underground dungeons of the castle while a host of specters are trapped in a magic array, Clay arrived behind him. The specters were quiet as Clay arrived as if they did not notice him or that they just couldn''t peep at all. Clay skipped the introductions and proceeded to binding Elyenthel and gagging him. He had after all, the element of surprise. Gasp! With a single gasp as his response, Elyenthel also succumbed to the same fate as Marduke in the hands of Clay. He took Elyenthel''s years upon years of research in his Grimoire and read it, studied it and memorized it. He did not even initialize a discussion with Elyenthel and just left without releasing him. Of course, Clay''s binding remained. It was a harrowing experience for the powerless necromancer. *** In another location, in another region unknown to most and even the rest of the Grand Liches, was Elkanor. She was bathing in the blood of humans that she had cultivated through some magical means. These humans only bled for her sake. For pleasure and food, although in this world, vampires like her did not need food to survive, it was still pleasurable. Elkanor was the only Vampire Ancestor that she knew of. She did not even know if there were others like her, but she enjoyed her status as one of the Grand Liches that ruled Evernight. For with authority and status came freedom. She was free from vampire purges and even the despicable misogyny in the ancient past. Soundlessly, Clay appeared at the poolside as Elkanor was having her bath. Seeing Elkanor''s body was no longer a thing for Clay. Although she was a voluptuous beauty, that pleasure was after all momentary and fleeting. Elkanor hadn''t noticed Clay''s appearance at all and the moment Clay lifted his right arm towards her, that was when she reacted. Her senses towards the movement of magic was sensitive to a fault and had saved her many times over in the past. Now, she was confident that she would turn the tables on this intruder if she avoided the first strike. However, her expectations did not pan out. Clay grabbed her telekinetically and lifted her off the water and into the open air. Revealing her full figure. Clay was tempted to whistle but fought that urge and then spoke to her this time. "You are Elkanor, Vampire Ancestor. We need to talk." Said Clay. His tone containing no space to argue or even refuse. He immediately walked towards the throne room where Elkanor usually stayed in. the Vampires that were serving her and were under her influence all reacted aggressively towards the intruder and attacked Clay. In retaliation, Clay only glared at them and they began to disintegrate as if they were beamed by the sun itself. In fact, Clay simply utilized his innate ability to harness the Sun''s energy to project it through his eyes which manifests in the ability called "heat vision." "G-Get back! Do not antagonize him! Retreat and do not come inside unless you are called!" Elkanor ordered even while she struggled to open her mouth as Clay''s grip on her whole body was tight. Of course, she was able to speak only because Clay needed to speak to her. She was after all, knowledgeable in a certain aspect of necromancy. She may be able to help him answer some questions. Arriving at the throne and sitting there. Clay put Elkanor in front of him while she lay sitting on the red carpet while naked. Clay snapped his finger and instantly a new set of all black tights wrapped Elkanor''s body to cover her up. "I will ask only a single time. Hand me your Grimoire and tell me your research direction. If it pertains souls, it would be of help. If not, then don''t even talk about it. However, the Grimoire still comes out." Clay did not leave any room for negotiations as he ordered Elkanor. Fearing for her life, Elkanor, gestured and what seemed to be a mist of blood appeared above her palm and as it disappeared, what replaced it was a book, obviously the Grimoire. "Here is my Grimoire. How do I address this Lord?" Elkanor hoped to at least know who this intruder was; however, Clay ignored her query and took the Grimoire perused it and threw it inside his storage. "Your research seems to go in the direction of cloning and harvesting blood to strengthen your own people. I have miscalculated. So, if not you, then who among the Grand Liches deals with souls? The brute, Ackers?" Clay mused aloud and was heard clearly by Elkanor. "Souls? Then you are correct. Ackers does employ the best soul art necromancy among all of us. After all, he needs the souls of countless soldiers to be under his control to command and create more death knights and undead soldiers." Said Elkanor as she expressed her hope in saving her own skin. "Hmm... I should pay this Ackers a visit before my son wakes up." Clay stood up from his seat and took a step forward to leave, however, as he was standing up, the door to the audience hall opened up and the voice of a panicked vampire servant resounded inside saying, "Mistress! Souls have cropped up from every known crypt and graveyard, even on the side of the roads where people have died countless times. That''s not the worst part! They are devouring anything that moves within their range. It''s chaos out there!" Hearing this report, Clay knew that Marduke''s spell was not as simple as he thought. He checked the whole world for movement and the effect of the spell Marduke casted. A few seconds later, his face started to have a surprised expression, followed by guilt and then grief. He saw the soldiers that he so hardly trained were sprawled on the floor with their souls devoured by the Soul Eaters that Marduke set upon the world. He was grieved. Clay was too confident in his runes that he let slip the fact that spiritual attack or even soul attack could still kill his men. The bodies sprawled on the ground along the undead did not have injuries physically, only their souls were devoured. An empty husk, literally. His guilt slowly turned Clay''s complexion paler until it was almost as white as sheet. His aura slowly changed, and his mind closed itself off. He put the never-grounded Ryan on the throne as his grating voice was left behind which only Elkanor could hear, "Not a hair shall be ruffled on my son. Your lives depend on it." Clay disappeared from the throne room right after Elkanor heard his warning. 82 The Price for Arrogance and Carelessness Clay was floating in the skies of Evernight as he tried to contain his fury. He had the urge to kill Marduke for the spell he unleashed but realized that it was his fault for even allowing the Lich to cast the spell. His arrogance in thinking that nothing the Lich threw at him would work on him backfired and ended in disaster for his people. At first, Clay hadn''t considered the men of Evernight as his people. They were merely pawns that needed to work hard to release themselves from the torment of the Grand Liches'' rule. However, after a few years of working on them and with them, he slowly changed his way of thinking. He cherished these people as his own army. He did not train them like he did his retainers, however, the amount of battles that these men faced for the past years could be said to have exceeded even the battle experience of Caltec and the rest. Every day, they had to fight with their lives on the line only relying on the equipment and the minimal training that Clay had given them. Clay grunted. Thinking about the men he lost this time grieved him terribly. And the guilt that came with it almost consumed him with anger. However, Clay also knew that he would not be able to bring them back unless he knew how to recall souls or if he could even reproduce their souls from being devoured. So, he knew what he had to do. He had to visit one last Grand Lich and extract information out of him. Ackers. He was the one who delved into souls that retained their memories and even their experiences in life, albeit enslaved to Ackers. He had to know the secret to his necromancy to fully utilize it in accordance to his will as well. "I have to stay cool. I don''t need to kill him." Clay decided to pay Ackers a visit and instantly, he disappeared from the skies of Evernight and into the dark lair of Ackers. Ackers place looked exactly like what a barracks would look like. He stayed at a separate place to rest, however, most of the time, he would be staying at the training field where he would train his soldiers day in and day out. These soldiers needed no sleep nor food and drink, and their stamina was inexhaustible. This enabled Ackers to train these undead soldiers all-year-round without worrying about fatigue and overtaxing the body. As Ackers was resting in his tent, Clay silently appeared behind him. Ackers was quite sensitive to the living, especially to those who possessed strong souls. So, although Clay appeared silently, he noticed Clay and even prepared himself to defend himself if Clay attacked. He was waiting for it and acting as if he had not noticed, however, Clay did not attack nor did he move. It was Ackers himself who broke the stalemate and greeted the "guest." Even until he asked the question, Clay stayed silent. A few seconds later, Clay''s head snapped up as he stared at Ackers face armor. Ackers'' eyes were pale blue, as he was a Deathknight. Originally, his body was only as tall as Clay, however, when he absorbed more souls and leveled up into the Grand Arch Deathknight that he was currently, his body grew and even his eyes changed color and glow. "I need your Grimoire. Hand it over." Clay was obviously fighting the urge to just end this ant in front of him and taking the Grimoire for himself, however, he learned that there are things he could learn from having a conversation with others, case in point, Elkanor. Ackers heard this command-like tone and immediately, the air around him changed. He was mad. He never took too kindly upon humiliation and especially against those that seek to order him around. Ackers was on the verge of assaulting Clay despite his caution earlier. "Don''t make me kill you, ant. I merely seek your Grimoire and nothing else. Make a move and I''ll take more than what I came for." Clay released a hint of his magic energy outside and instantly, the air that felt refreshing a second ago, now felt as heavy as iron weighing down on Ackers and even those outside the tents. Clay had no time to waste with arguing with Ackers who obviously did not have a tinge of brilliance in terms of his brain power. So, Clay scanned the whole barracks and found a soldier who was holding on to a conspicuous book bigger than half of his body. Clay extended his telekinetic grasp to grab the soldier and brought him forcibly inside the tent they were in. Arriving inside, Clay immediately snatched the book from the soldier and found that the Grimoire he was looking for was this very book. Clay was curious as to how this powerful thing can be handed to a mere soldier and Clay investigated his curiosity. "You, who is the real person in charge here?" Clay asked Ackers. He was doubtful that this brute was able to handle the finesse that was needed to work the Grimoire. "I¡­ I AM!" Ackers shouted while struggling to stand straight. "I don''t believe you." Clay grabbed Ackers by the air and bound him in place as Clay started to crush him slowly. Then he turned to the soldier and asked the same question, "How about you, who is the real person in charge here?" Subjected to Clay''s glare, even if he was not subjected to the weight of Clay''s magic energy release because of being grabbed directly by Clay in the air, the little undead soldier almost released his own soul to escape the impending threat to his life. If only he was able to. "I... I¡­ I¡­ I don''t know! I''m o-o-only tasked to b-b-bring the book around after General Ackers comes out of the forbidden chamber!" The little soldier was scared out of its wits. The disadvantage of having a soldier that had a soul was that it knew how to fear and even breakdown as well. "Forbidden Chamber? Hmm¡­ Take me there. You, stay!" As if commanding a dog, Clay humiliated Ackers even more and took the soldier as he led the way to the forbidden chamber, which even Clay could not sense where. "You''re certain you''re not lying to me?" Clay was doubtful. And this attitude frightened the shit out of the little soldier. As if he forgot that he was an undead, immortal. "I-I-I''m not lying to you sir!" stuttered the little soldier. Clay had already read the Grimoire and put it inside his storage. When they arrived at the door to the chamber, Clay could not help but feel threatened by what''s inside the chamber. It was as if he was facing something that was beyond him even in terms of his incalculable stats already. Even UltiCo was blaring with alarms in his head. [Danger!] [Danger!] [Danger!] However, Clay had never felt this feeling of danger and threat ever since he came to Alleucanth and grew stronger, so he was more curious than scared, one can even call it carelessness. However, no man, grew from just standing still. So, Clay steeled his heart and opened the Chamber''s door and closed the door behind him. Leaving the little soldier outside. The moment Clay stepped closer to the center of the room, the entire chamber lit up and the threatening feeling he had while outside the chamber multiplied exponentially as his neck was filled with cold sweat and his instincts told him to run. When finally, he decided to retreat, it was too late. "A mortal? Coming to the Forbidden Chamber¡­ Hur hur hur." Said the being that appeared in an eruption of deep green flame from the ground along with it. As if a trapdoor that slowly elevated the being into Clay''s presence. 83 Lesser Deity "You know it''s called the Forbidden Chamber for a reason, don''t you? What, curiosity got the better of you? You also know that curiosity killed the cat, don''t you?" The being that emerged from the ground while erupting deep green flames spoke to Clay, directly to his mind. "W-What are you?" Clay was more cautious than before, and he woke up from the curious feeling he had earlier. Now, he only had one thing on his mind, retreat and never come back. However, as if he hadn''t heard Clay''s question. The being moved. His movement was natural as if every physical phenomenon bowed down to him. Fearing that if they moved, it would offend this being. He moved closer to Clay and examined him. As he went closer to Clay, Clay had a good look at what this being looked like. It was basically a Lich; however, it was filled with deep green flame inside that each of its movement felt eerie and frightening. Its eye sockets had nothing but a brighter shade of green as eyeballs. If one were to compare him to anything, then Ghostrider would have come close, if he quit wearing biker leather and switched to a ghastly deep green flame. It also wore a torn robe at its seams and edges as if torn from ages of not changing from it. However, its garment did not diminish its ruling aura. Clay felt that just breathing required his permission in his presence. A good thing that Clay at least had enough strength to resist this urge to ask for permission. "Hmmm¡­ How curious. You seem to already be beyond the threshold of ascending, yet you still haven''t ascended. What''s preventing you from ascending, hmmm?" The being spoke again and made Clay even more curious. "Ascension?" Clay was curious as well, so he asked. "Yes, ascension. Although, it took me almost 3 millenniums to finally ascend, I still achieved it. You look young, but you must be older than just 25 years old right? Let me guess, you''ve been accumulating strength until even 6 millenniums to make sure you ascend properly? You''re one of those cautious ones huh?" Clay was even more intrigued by this being''s topic. Clay wanted to test the waters and asked cautiously, "So you''re a god?" Burst! The flames that floated around the being Clay suspected as a god erupted again as the deep green turned brighter from the eruption. The god looked at Clay musingly as if it pierced through the veil of knowledge. It then said, "I see. I know why you''re here. You want to seek my help in ascension do you not?" It paused and stopped floating around as it moved its face closer to Clay before floating back and continuing, "You catch my drift, don''t you? So, my proposal is, after I help you ascend, you will help me mend my soul to its full capacity. This way, we both win. What say you?" The lesser deity proposed. Clay who was oblivious about anything that the lesser deity was talking about could only keep quiet for a minute before asking, "What do you need to mend your soul?" It was a crucial question and the follow up was even more important. Especially the catch. Deals like this always end up in tragedy for the agreeing party. "Well, in this world, I helped these little children to cover the sun so they can bloom, and I could help them ascend so they can help me later. However, since you are here already, and I wouldn''t have to wait for them to be fully ripe for ascension. I''ll have you help me instead and instead of needing the souls of the inhabitants of this world, I''ll only need the 6 little kids. "If you help me recover later, then I''ll help you ascend to godhood. However, we must make a contract about it for your and my sake. What say you?" The lesser deity proposed again. This time, Clay at least understood why there are 6 Grand Liches and even the reason for the Sun to be hidden away. It was the work of a lesser deity. Even Clay could not do something like this with his power. He could make an illusion but hiding the Sun through a god''s power is a different story. But wait, I saw the Sun outside the atmosphere, then does that mean this god''s method was also just illusion? He couldn''t help but ask, "How did you hide the Sun?" Gasp! Hearing the interesting question, the lesser deity turned to Clay once again and answered him with enthusiasm. "That was my first act of miracle in this world. Hur Hur Hur! I first covered the entire world with hazy fog and then an illusion of having the Sun disappear. You know how much divinity it costs to cover this world with an illusion? A planetary-scale illusion. That takes a lot of energy and effort! It''s a miracle! Hur Hur Hur!" In its excitement, the lesser deity spilled his first act of miracle in this world. "Can I ask you a question?" Clay was also curious about the way this deity looked. It felt that it was too ghastly so maybe it was a god of death or something. However, contrary to Clay''s imagination, "Oh, this? I was a Lich King a long time ago, and when I ascended, I took on the most comfortable appearance I could get so, I look like this now. You''ll understand these things when you also experience it later." Clay wanted to ask a few more questions however, the lesser deity had noticed that Clay was stalling his answer, so he warned him. "I warn you. I may speak casually like this, however, as a mortal, you''re still in no position to be a threat to me. A snap of my fingers will snuff the life out of you even if you are on the verge of ascension. So, better give me your answer now, or I''ll just kill you and wait for my little cuties to mature. What''s another few millennium of wait? To a god, time is irrelevant." It said. As Clay did not want to die just yet, he accepted the Lich god''s proposal and made a contract with him. Reading the contract carefully before binding themselves upon it. The moment both parties agreed, Clay felt the oppressing feeling disappear and was replaced with natural feeling. "Now then. We''ve established the contract, now we should hurry up and help you ascend. The sooner you ascend, the sooner I''ll recover!" After saying so, the lesser deity snapped his bony hands and a book larger than the previous Grimoire that Clay took from the little soldier appeared floating in front of the Lich god. "The thing about ascension is that; first, you have to discard your body and eliminate all physical binds to enlarge your soul and take it all in ¨C your skills, stats and even your abilities; secondly, you have to recreate your body using your soul strength, derived from the excess energy that you inject your soul with; thirdly, your spirit and your body must become one ¨C meaning, you will have a spiritual body and a physical body to alternate between, but not separately. Your spiritual body cannot exist in parallel to your physical body and vice versa; fourthly, you should never tell anyone your name, not even other gods. If you know a god''s name, then just uttering that name would give you enough power to blow up half a continent. If another god knows your name, that other god can even use it to enslave you. Be careful." "You may ask, why I''m helping you so much, however, you don''t have to worry. I am not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I do this because I will benefit as well. What if you rank higher than me when you ascend, that will give me a backer at least in the realm of the gods. That''s why, you have to succeed and help me recover!" Clay could hear the Hur Hur Hur laughter of the Lich god. "Now, let us proceed!" The Lich god started chanting in a ritualistic manner as he started to circle around Clay uttering a language even Clay could not understand through the help of UltiCo. This was beyond UltiCo''s capabilities. Clay was rendered unable to move after the Lich god started the ritual. Clay felt an energy signature that''s even more powerful than any energy he encountered. Slowly, a searing pain crept up into Clay''s being as his body started disintegrating in real time. The pain and the struggle to stay awake made Clay resentful for his resilience. Clay remembered the same kind of pain that he chose to bury a long time ago. At the time when Imhoteph gave him his abilities. Remembering that pain and suffering, Clay grit his teeth as his anger skyrocketed. It was anger and frustration for being subjected to this kind of pain again. A pain he chose to not ever remember! Not even the Lich god could predict that Clay would also lash out like this as even he was now able to feel Clay''s full power being released outwards to combat the pain that he was suffering. "This power¡­ just how powerful was this mortal to actually resist the sway of divinity. I''m using almost all my divinity just to help him ascend and he''s making it harder for me to proceed. Dammit!" The Lich god was complaining but he could not stop the ritual now, he could only finish it. An hour¡­ 3 hours, half a day, a day half a week and then months passed by as the Lich god continued to refine Clay into ascension. Clay''s body disintegrated at rate that was slower than melting ice on a sunny day and so the Lich god had to continue doing this for six months already. He was exhausted as well, but he could not stop. The spirit of Clay also started to disintegrate and get sucked into his soul-vessel. Once this process was over, it would be up to Clay to ascend and become a lesser deity as well, or even a lesser god directly. "Definitely not going to be a godling. That''d be too much work and too little result." The Lich god muttered. Another 6 months later, a year had passed since Clay underwent ascension and the final process finally started as Clay''s spirit was sucked into his soul. The Forbidden Chamber grew quiet and not even a single fluctuation of power could be felt. Even Clay was nowhere to be found, only a glowing golden flame was left. The Lich god also disappeared from the place, probably sucked into the ground. It was quiet, real quiet. 84 Ascension In a pure white world, Clay floated unconscious as if hung on a tree. This was the world of Clay''s consciousness accessed through his soul. This world could only be opened once the soul vessel was broken and expanded in a process that either destroyed the soul or upgraded the soul. The former would be the possession of demonic beings of the soul and the latter would be what Clay had undergone just now, ascension. However, ascension typically happens only for those individuals that were at the peak of their race. Although the mortals dubbed this as ascension to deity, or godhood, in fact it was not. It was simply an upgrade so to say. Meaning, an upgrade of the race or the species to a higher equivalent that could increase its rate of survival when pitted with other higher species outside of their scope. This occurs only once in a million years for small planets like Evernight and maybe a few times in a world as big as Alleucanth. However, Clay was undergoing this same existential evolution through the help of the Lich god. Even the Lich god was in fact not a god but an advanced species of the Lich species. An upgrade essentially does as what the Lich god had explained to Clay, minus the godhood part. Although the abilities of the ascended are enhanced to a crazy level compared to "mortals" who have not undergone evolution, they don''t achieve godhood through that. They merely take on the most appropriate upgrade based on the stats, skills and abilities plus the strength of the soul that one possesses. In the Lich god''s case, his stats were probably only on the one million range, while Clay''s were on the billions or even ten billion range. Which was a far cry from millions. However, even taking this information to consideration, an evolved species'' 100 stat points are to an unevolved individual a chasm that cannot be climbed by mere stats, even by the hundred billion. Clay was floating in this space as his body was being reconstructed yet again, to accommodate his new and improved, evolved self. In Clay''s case, the evolution path that he has would 100% be related to heat and energy based on his skills and even his soul''s innate abilities. The stats did help a lot in expanding the soul vessel and accommodating the skills that one had accumulated in life before evolution. For example, Clay''s ten billion stats across the board would expand his soul vessel at least 100 times than his initial capacity. His abilities will be enhanced to a new horizon and will probably gain new skills as a bonus in evolution. The golden flame of Clay''s soul was also floating inside the Forbidden Chamber, waiting for his revival. As Clay floated on the pure white world, he was awoken by the sound of the numerous annoying notifications sounds that rang in his head. As if a smartphone that was deprived of online connectivity for a while, receiving a thousand notifications from facebook''s messenger. That annoying sound could wake anyone with a start, even the strongest of individuals, including Clay. "Ugh. Shut it off!" Clay grumbled without opening his eyes. When he did open his eyes, he saw the world he was inside and gaped. Am I back in Safir''s world? Clay thought. "Hello?" He called out. "Hello~?" He called again after a few seconds interval, this time longer. He heard no replies. Having no idea what''s happening, Clay instinctively asked UltiCo for an answer. "UltiCo, what''s happening?" He asked audibly. [Host is undergoing "Ascension" process. Please standby] !!! What?! Clay thought with a frightened expression. Who was that?! [Sound function has been enabled after cancellation of command: "Shut it off!" from host] "UltiCo, is that you?" Clay asked cautiously. [Skill cannot provide an answer to host''s inquiry. Reason: Skill is Nameless] Clay was dumbfounded. He could not put his finger around the fact that UltiCo became able to speak and even articulate well enough. And it even told him that it was "Nameless" now. "Did you also evolve?" Clay wondered. It must have overwritten what I named the Skill earlier when it evolved. Clay did not hear it answer his question, so he asked again in a different way, "What skill are you?" As expected, the skill answered promptly and said, [Ultimate Comprehension ¨C Akashic Querynew] it answered concisely leaving no room for questioning. However, naturally Clay was curious. "What can you do besides talk? I mean what abilities are under you?" It was as if he was talking to some AI that handled queries from some Database and retrieving it for Clay to peruse. [Ultimate Comprehension ¨C Akashic Query composes of skills Language ¨C Energy ¨C Crafts ¨C Mastery ¨C Archive ¨C Survival and Magic Under Language are Human ¨C Olden Gods ¨C Abyssal ¨C Relictsnew Under Energy are Energy Absorption which lists energies that can be absorbed by the Host: Fission, Fusion, Spirit, Magic, Miasmanew, and Soulnew ¨C Energy Reactor which lists the energies that the Host''s body can produce: Fission, Fusion, and Magic ¨C Energy Projection ¨C Energy Conservation ¨C Energy Transfer Under Crafts are Enchantment ¨C Enhancement ¨C Blacksmithing ¨C Tailoring ¨C Weaving ¨C Dyeing ¨C Rune Engraving ¨C Herbalism and Medicine Under Mastery are Pugilist ¨C Swordsmanship ¨C Spearmanship and Unarmed Defense Under Archive are Magic Archive ¨C Galactic Intelligencenew ¨C Language Archive ¨C Runic Archive and Analytic Archive Under Survival are Passive Detection (Divine Sense) ¨C Regeneration EX ¨C Parallel Thinkingnew ¨C Soul Expansionnew and Soul Regenerationnew Under Magic are Creation Magic ¨C Space-Time Magic ¨C Null Magic ¨C Dark Magic ¨C Light Magic ¨C Necromancynew ¨C Soul Magicnew ¨C Death Magicnew and Blood Magicnew End of report] In front of Clay appeared a new interface of holographic window which listed everything that the Ultimate Comprehension ¨C Akashic Query skill mentioned. "So, you''re an improved version of UltiCo? So, can I still just call you UltiCo?" Clay was curious and excited to have a personal guiding system with him through UltiCo. [Warning: Naming skills at this stage runs the risk of the skill evolving] [Warning: Names at this stage bring enormous risks to Host''s stats] [Warning: Naming skill will reset INT stat to initial 10 points. Proceed: Y/N?] Clay was alarmed with the window in front of him flashing red and blue in alternate as the notification bell sounded three times. It must be quite a dangerous thing to name things at this stage, according to the skill. Maybe I should postpone naming UltiCo again¡­ Clay thought as he cleared his head. Clay decided to not go through it for now and it may have been only his imagination, however, Ultimate Comprehension ¨C Akashic Query seemed and felt like it was sulking a little. However, that was only Clay''s imagination. Having an Intelligent skill was a plus, however, a skill gaining emotion is ridiculous. This was not that time when I reincarnated as a slime! "Bring up my Status." Clay commanded and it was done instantly. Name: Clay Class: Ascended Hero ?Transcendent? Sub-Class: None ?Alchemy Master? Title: Hero | ?Lesser God (Sun God) ? | ?Alchemy Master? Stats: [STR - 1000?Unique?] | [INT - 1000 ?Unique?] | [MGC - 1000 ?Unique?] | [DEX - 1000 ?Unique?] Skills: ?Alchemy Master?| ?Hyper-Regeneration?| ?Solar Augmentative Genenew(improved)? | ?Ultimate Comprehension ¨C Akashic Querynew? | ?Physical Voidnew? | ?Will of Magicnew? | ?Touch of Strengthnew? | ?Spiritual Bodynew? | ?Physical Vesselnew? Blessing: ?Guided by the Guide to Souls?| [Safir''s Champion (Connection Lost)] | Ascended Evolutionnew Status: Reconstructing Physical Vessel ?Optimal? Looking at his own stats, Clay frowned and was surprised at the new skills and even the improved skills. The gains that he got from this evolution were substantial indeed. However, the stat points he had accumulated have been depleted and returned to only the one thousand mark. He was a bit disappointed, however, he was able to recover this number of stats by just leaving his body on the Sun in Alleucanth anyway, so I need not worry. Clay thought. Finally, when he was about ready to fully reconstruct his body, Clay remembered his son Ryan who he left with the Vampire Ancestor Elkanor. 85 Ryans Troubles Ryan was left by Clay for a year with the Vampire Ancestor Elkanor. Elkanor was reluctant to even touch the baby at first after Clay''s order she received but when a day had passed and Clay had yet to come back, the baby woke up and started crying, disturbing every soul inside the Throne room. Elkanor was at a loss for what to do. On one hand, she should be able to feed this baby proper nutrients to help it grow, however, she was the leader of undead and harboring a human mortal child was not something that she is expected to do. When she was under such a heavy dilemma, she botched it and just blamed everything on Clay, the person who threatened her with overwhelming strength and magic without her being able to resist at all. If that man returned and his baby was dead from starvation, then she could only imagine the consequences. So instead of getting rid of the child, she reared him throughout the one year that Clay had gone. ***Ryan*** Father was gone when I woke up from my usual sleep. I thought that he just went somewhere for the time being and left me somewhere safe, however I was scared shitless when I found out that an undead had me under custody. The problem was, I am currently unable to use magic or any other arts as a baby to protect myself. Although father''s barrier is still erect, I don''t know how long this thing will last. Waa Waa And I started crying the moment I felt anxious for my own safety. My crying seemed to have disturbed the quiet atmosphere in this room I was in while a lady was holding me in her arms. I knew she was undead the moment her eyes opened and looked at the crying me. This was Elkanor. She was already well known throughout Evernight when I was alive in another life here. She was a Vampire Ancestor. Most of her underlings were sired by her as well. Different from other undead, the Vampires were of noble descent. Elkanor only turned those former nobles from the high society to be part of her coven. Waa Waa I continued to cry and Elkanor''s face continued to change expressions. One moment she''d try to smile and as if she realized that her fangs may scare me, she retracts her smile. I''m confused as to why she''s doing this. Usually, it''d be better for her to kill a baby than to take care of it, that way she could still taste fresh blood. However, she''s acting weirdly. First, she is trying to appease me and calm me down, which is helping by the way, minus the fright I have of being held by her. Second, is evident in the way that I am still alive. I get it, maybe father made a deal to spare her to take care of me for the time being, but father really doesn''t know how hard to rear a child does he? How will this undead feed me from now on? My worries started from there even until a year passed by. *** A kind of energy burst out from the ball of flame and enveloped the ritual circle made by the Lich god. It still contained the energy that the ball of flame generated even without him. Suddenly, the ball of flame flickered and slowly lost the flames that enveloped itself to form a smooth golden ball that glowed brightly, like a pearl. This was Clay''s soul vessel. And the next moment, it was enveloped by what seemed to be a forming ribcage that enclosed it along with the flesh that went with it. Slowly, this bone and flesh grew until limbs and even a head was completed. However, its growth did not stop there. It went from 6 ft, to 12 ft and all the way to 20 ft. It was hulking and soon, the face was taking shape revealing Clay''s face. However, his growth still had not stopped. Instead, his body started to melt¡­ or at least that''s what it would have looked like when he started to catch fire. A golden flame enveloped his body without burning him, in fact, he seemed to have turned into an incorporeal being. Only having the shape but not the substance. The golden flame lit up the whole room and heated it up. All this time, Clay had his eyes closed and when his transformation ended, his eyes snapped open to reveal flaming eyeballs that glowed brighter than gold close to being red. "Finally. It is done." Clay spoke, however, what came out from his mouth were not words that humans in this or even Alleucanth could understand. This was the Relicts Language. A language that was used by ancient beings that ascended to their evolved forms, albeit still mortal, it enabled them to distinguish themselves from other lesser mortals. "My son!" Clay looked towards the direction of Elkanor''s castle and saw that Ryan was okay. Even his barrier persisted. He was not worried that Ryan was going to be hurt by any attempt on his life, however, food was still needed for his growing child and he had neglected that for a year. He was able to know how much time passed with the help of the new and improved UltiCo who refused to be called UltiCo. Clay switched from his Spiritual Body to his physical one and manipulated it to make it more normal. Back to his original height. Before leaving, Clay left a message to the Lich god that he''ll be back. Clay only needed to will it to have his skills activated for him. And his senses jumped miles to reach Ryan. Clay moved instantaneously and arrived inside the same throne room where Clay had left Ryan a year ago, to Elkanor. The room was dark, as expected. However, there was a portion of the room where light was present and was illuminating a crib. This crib housed Ryan, Clay''s son he left for a year. He had already ascertained that he was alive and well. Which meant that Elkanor took care of him while he was away. That was gratifying. With a better mood, Clay felt less guilt stricken for leaving his son. Scooping him out of the crib, Clay brought Ryan to his bosom and a smile appeared on his face. "It''s good that you''re alright son." Without waking him up, Clay summoned Elkanor telepathically. "Come." With just one word, the chill that it gave Elkanor made her feel that her life would perish if there were any hints of resistance in her. Not longer than 1 minute, Elkanor had already appeared in front of Clay as he sat on her throne, holding a position that she remembers all too well like it was yesterday. Clay held the baby Ryan in his arms while he sat there leisurely looking down on everyone in his sight. However, this time, Clay did not deliberately think of himself as superior, it was natural for him to emit an air that would make anyone in his presence know that the one in front of them was superior in any way. "Let''s talk." 86 Back to Alleucanth "Let''s talk." Said Clay to Elkanor who had kneeled even before she could stop herself. It was as if on instinct that she did so. Clay was not bothered by it anymore and just let her be. It was not right by Clay to kneel to him or even pay him too much respect or show of respect. "Elkanor. I am leaving this world and you have helped me take care of my son for a year. Seeing as he is unharmed, I shall grant you one reward, within my capabilities of course. Tell me what reward you want, and I will give it to you." Clay said generously since his mood was quite good. "Lord! Spare my life and that is all I shall wish for. That is reward enough!" Elkanor dared not even request anything other than her life. It was good if she just got rid of this mysterious being and be left alone. That way, she could pursue whatever she wanted through her power in this world without anyone stopping her. "Wisdom and folly sometimes go hand in hand. However, I shall not criticize you. Your life is spared; however, I shall give you an opportunity for you to take advantage of when the time comes. Bring this to the Forbidden Chamber a year later and tell the being that rules there to take you in as his personal apprentice. Show him this letter. Do not go to the Forbidden Chamber within less a year from now. That is all. We shall make ourselves scarce." Without even saying goodbye, Clay activated the Teleport skill of the Space-Time Magic branch and disappeared into thin air. *** Alleucanth, 4 years before Clay ascended into a higher being. The Dungeon that was discovered on one of the faces of the Impassable Mountain Range. Caltec, Isaac, Jon and Mor where together with Jora and Myles who were the Alchemy and Elementalist apprentices of Clay. They were sent with the 4 of them to be their support in fighting the Hydra that Clay had given them as punishment for mistreating one of their own people, Yorna. They were left with taking care of the Hydra. This headache that caused them nightmares. Even Jora and Myles were now going to be ridden with nightmares of this expedition from now on. At the entrance of the dungeon they stood with pale faces and the fear of their Lord engraved in their hearts. Jora and Myles had been better off since they were only ordered to be supporting characters to these personal retainers of the Lord. "You''re lucky you weren''t there." Said Jon to Jora and Myles. "What was it that you did that made Lord Clay so mad to punish you like this?" Jora asked. He was the best alchemist apprentice which was appointed as the chief apprentice for alchemy by Clay himself. It was a sort of honor for him as well as pressure but more of honor really, since the prestige he had was almost comparable to the 4 retainers that Clay personally chose. Groan! "Alright guys, stop messing around and just tell us your plan of action? We need to get back as soon as possible to complete some projects and handle the other students. The 4 of you are being punished whilst us two were put here in this party to be your watch dogs. So, don''t forget that our report to Lord Clay would determine whether you live or die. Right?" Myles smiled at them brightly. Oddly, none of them found that smile beautiful, instead it was dreadful in another sense. "Fine! We''ll proceed with the previous set up, but we must account for the healing ability of this bastard! The Hydra can regenerate its body for as many times as it could and that''s its main strength. If that healing ability wasn''t there, then we''d be able to beat it without sweat." "So, from what I''m hearing from you. You''ve no idea how to take it down once and for all. And if we charge right through, we''d just be horribly outmatched so basically, we don''t have a plan of action, is that it?" Groan Another groan coming from the 4 of them. It seems that Myles was right. Jora was nodding in acknowledgement of Myles insight. And added, "Since, you can''t really cause it harm that''d last, how about doing it like this¡­" Myles and Jora gave them ideas and doing their roles in supporting the 4 in facing the Hydra. After their little meeting at the mouth of the dungeon, they started their expedition into the depths of the dungeon to the Hydra''s Lair. The Hydra already had a few heads that grew out of their first encounter. This only made this upcoming battle more of a headache. It took them a few hours of travel to get into the Hydra''s Lair as usual. When they arrived, the Hydra was yet again, sleeping. As if mocking them in saying that even if it slept and they succeeded in a surprise attack again, it''d make no difference at all. Jora gave everyone poison immunity pills to support them in facing the Hydra''s poison. Although this pill was not as potent as the ones that Clay could produce, it was the best that Jora and his fellow apprentices could produce at their level over the years. "This pill will help us in facing the Hydra without worrying about its poison for its duration. Remember, this pill''s effect only lasts a day. After taking this, you won''t be able to take another pill of its kind for 2 days after. We can force it with your bodies'' constitution, however, once is the limit I''m giving you. "Even with your constitution, pill poison would still kill you. The residue that it leaves inside your body will get harder to absorb and taking pills in the future will only give you minimal effect instead of its full effect." Jora explained thoroughly. Since Clay also warned him about this side-effect to Pill forging as opposed to potion making. If it were potion, the effects would be less, but it won''t leave residues inside the body. However, this time, they needed duration more than security. So, Jora opted for the pills. "I can help you with large spells on the side, but my spells take time to cast as opposed to the smaller scale spells. So, we must coordinate our attacks. Fire just might give this little lizard a fright." Myles was optimistic, since Clay had appointed him as one of the supports, there must have been a reason why this was so. In fact, Clay made him come with them to recreate the Herculean Myth of Hercules besting the Hydra using fire. Of course, in this world of magic, less bounded by the rules of physics and logic¡­ anything goes, so he just put so and so together to help. "Of course. However, since it''s sleeping anyway, why don''t we try your spell first to wake it up?" Mor asked and suggested. However, his idea was shot down immediately by Isaac. "That Hydra is sensitive to magic energy for sure. If it detects the large amounts of magic energy being collected despite itself, then I''m sure it, waking up is the least of our worries." Sternly said Isaac. "Since it''s like this, let''s just go with Isaac''s Blizzard first and then follow up with finisher attacks to chain a combo before it fully wakes up and then finish the combo with Myles'' attack. That way, it''d be a new kind of combination attack from us as opposed to repeating our blunder earlier?" Caltec was more optimistic now that Jora and Myles were with them. Although they were still a bit depressed for being scolded by their Lord Clay, it had to be set aside in this time danger. "I guess we''ll go with that. The Hydra''s regenerative ability is a pain in the butt, so let''s get this over with quickly!" The Hydra lay on its belly as it slept while most of the extra heads head inside the hole it dug for itself or was originally designed like that, as burrowing a hole in this dungeon is easier said than done. Caltec approached it from the east side while Jon and Mor approached from the north and then Isaac from the west. Jora and Myles stayed close to the entrance. Myles ready to channel his spell after the battle starts. With all 6 of them in position, Caltec nodded to signal the start of their strategy. With that signal, Isaac breathed deeply to release a large amount of magic energy in an instant. Even Myles could not do this now and may have to take a lot of time before even putting his feet in the starting levels. Isaac''s ability to do this was from his years of experience in the need to release his energy to survive. Myles was not jealous, he was impressed and challenged. As the first chief apprentice of the Elementalist personally designated by Lord Clay, he had to live up to that level of expectation, real or imaginary it may be for him. Impressive, Myles thought. Isaac''s outburst made the Hydra react however, it was too late when it did as Isaac had already released Blizzard as an attack and enveloped its nest entirely. Jora and Myles were unaffected as they were at the mouth of the nest but Caltec, Jon and Mor were also unhindered by the cold. It would have been a disgrace as Clay''s direct subordinates to be frozen to death without any means to protect themselves from it. The three of them covered their bodies with a thin layer of magic energy to serve as skin-like barriers. It protects against the temperature, but gasses still pass through normally, so poison was still something that could harm them in the long run. "Go!" Isaac yelled. That was the signal to start pounding on the Hydra. With this blizzard, even they could not see clearly, however, the Hydra''s body was enormous, it took no effort to locate it. Caltec attacked first with his strongest technique finisher; Turtle Destruction Wave ¨C Uppercut! Caltec went into the side of the Hydra''s body and unleashed his finisher on it hitting it and even lifting the Hydra out of the ground for more than 10 feet before it started to drop down, pulled by the gravity of Alleucanth. Roar! The Hydra''s roar resounded, and its hidden heads were also lifted out of the hole and started to swing themselves in defense and counterattack against Caltec. Jon and Mor started their assault as well at almost the same time as Caltec did. Jon brandished his sword and imbued his raw magic energy into it, shaping it into the sharpest blade he could imagine and slashed at the Hydra''s right front leg. Jon''s attack hit it and his attack even reached all the way to the torso while both front legs were severed in the attack. Mor on the other hand, gathered mana into his little stick and instantly made a large cleaver blade with his raw magic energy. It was a technique he derived from the Turtle Destruction Wave he called Wave Slash! It was a two-part attack that used the weightless of the gigantic sword to instantly slash the target in any initial direction. After a successful slash hits, using the momentum of the swing, positioning the blade''s tip or in reality the wand stick''s tip in the enemy''s direction, shoot out the blade, detaching it from the wand looking like the original Turtle Destruction Wave with a blade tip. Mor''s attack also hit and it cut the Hydra''s torso almost in half with that one slash. One would wonder how it could even cut that deep without weight, but meh, magic. With the initial hit succeeding, the second part also activated and shot out a destructive wave towards the center of its torso. Skewering the Hydra and punching a hole on its main body. All this happened almost instantaneously. The second round of attack was about to start with Isaac mounting his alternate finisher, however, the 10 heads of the Hydra gave out roars. Roar! These roars carried with it the resentment that the Hydra felt for these persistent costumers. It used its poison breath on them and almost covered the whole nest with it, a good thing that they came prepared and could ignore the poison''s effects. At least, most of them. The paralyzing effect of the poison breath could not be completely defended against by the pill that Jora gave them. Jora saw this and was distressed as the 4 of them started to slow down and stiffen up. However, those he worried for did not even care about this, instead, they called for Myles and yelled, "Do it now Myles!" Their yells woke up Myles and the magic he was holding on as he channeled enough magic energy into it flickered. He was hesitating just now to throw this large ball of destruction towards his own companions to greatly damage the Hydra. "Don''t hesitate! We''ll heal instantly with the Pills that Lord Clay gave us all. Just hit the bastard with all you have!" Everyone shouted and yelled different things that conveyed the same message. Just fucking do it! Instead of Myles hesitating, he was instead distressed at the masochistic tendency that his companions were showing him. Is this the effect of training with Lord Clay physically? Myles further thought. However, he put aside those foolish thoughts and delivered his fiery attack to the Hydra. This spell was a linear fire spell like laser, but was more than just laser, in another world, this was called a Plasma wave. This one shot of Plasma has the possible energy to melt through the walls of this dungeon. Seeing this, Isaac, Caltec, Jon and Mor were scared shitless. They thought his attack would be wide area damage attack spell, instead it was a pin-point accurate spell that focuses on one point. If they were hit directly with this, they''d die and disintegrate. If it were a wide area attack instead, the damage would be dispersed and divided through the area which would dampen the damage they receive from it. All of them had the same thought as Myles shot his magic, Fuck you Myles! Roar! The magic spell hit and gouged a hole half as big as the mouth of the nest into the Hydra''s main body. The hole that Mor made with his finisher was right beside it and he felt lacking the moment he started to compare sizes. This is emasculating. Mor said in grief. His hate meter towards Myles went up by one point just with this. In fact, the 4 of them put one point of hate on Myles as the magic hit. At the same time, they breathed a sigh of relief as they saw the effect of the spell for both the Blizzard spell that Isaac initially casted and the Hydra. The effect on the blizzard spell was that its heat was nullified, while the Hydra was punched through. Even a tiny portion of the wall behind it was melted through, although just a few inches of it. "Is everyone okay?" Myles asked loudly to ascertain their safety after unleashing his spell. Right beside him, Jora was shaking his head and thinking, "this guy''s going to get it later if we get to finish this task." And he was probably right. "Health Check!" Just like a veteran party, the party of six started to check themselves after ending the battle like that. Or so they thought. However, no one voiced out this question for fear of jinxing it again. Asking if "they did it" again would probably get them all in serious trouble again! Even Jora and Myles were prevented from asking such a question as they all recovered from paralysis via Jora''s potions. They regrouped and started to check the Hydra''s body for loot. However, Jon, the most adept when it comes to dismantling stood on his spot like a nail hammered to the ground as his eyes flickered and his mouth started to open agape. "Get back! Get back!" Jon shouted furiously and ran the hell out of dodge the moment he gave that warning. Seeing his sorry state, the rest of them could not even dare to joke as they had never seen Jon so flustered before, and that face he was making only meant one thing. ROAR! The Hydra was still alive. And them taking their time to recover, only gave it the time it needed to regenerate and heal itself. In fact, half of its torso''s damage were already done closing. This level of regeneration really gave them headaches. Currently, even Jora and Myles were in despair. "No need to despair. At least we won''t die if we retreat now. We''ll have another time to ourselves and plan another attack." Isaac said and nodded to Caltec. Caltec noticed this and nodded as he said, "Let''s pack up. We''ll have to give this approach another few tries and another variation. At least, we''ll have time to occupy ourselves with strategies to take this bastard on. However, the longer we take, the longer this dungeon will be out of commission. It''ll only slightly effect Claiomh''s profits so at this juncture we can still afford it. We must take advantage of this." So, they packed up and went their way. This time however, Isaac told them he''d cast another Blizzard to slow the bastard down. "Let me observe the bastard freeze up before we leave. My resentment for it''s getting higher each time we fail and it''s giving me so much frustrations." Everyone understood where Isaac came from so, they all agreed to stay and observe. The Hydra was already healing up visibly and at the rate it was going, it''ll only take 15 to 20 minutes to fully recover¡­ that was, before Isaac unleashed a Blizzard. One Blizzard spell''s duration was 2 minutes no matter how much magic energy is put into it. The only aspect that magic energy enhances is the violent wind that it carries. Depending on the amount of magic energy further consumed, the violence of the whirlwind can go from a simple tornado to a massive typhoon-like rush. Isaac only expended a bit more of his magic energy in proportion to his magic energy that''s left. They waited for two minutes until the Blizzard cleared¡­ Gasp! "Hmm?" Everyone gasped except Isaac. He was curious instead. "How come its regeneration stopped?" Isaac mumbled. "Look!" Jon who had felt that the current Hydra did not emit any danger at all at this moment rushed towards it and found something interesting, before alerting his companions. Everyone cautiously came closer to him and looked at what he was pointing at. From a distance, it wasn''t so noticeable, however up close, it was as clear as day. "The bastard''s blood is frozen, and it stopped moving. Although, its vigorous blood still can fix itself, it has been dampened by the frost that formed on its blood. If we leave this guy as it is, then he''d recover if the frost is melted by room temperature. If we try to break it apart now, we may be able to finish this bastard once and for all!" Jon was excitedly proclaiming. The rest were also jubilant, all except Myles. Myles had already started to think of the reason why he was appointed to support them, when in fact, they already had the perfect party to defeat this monster. Was his presence here unnecessary? Jora noticed Myles state and he stepped back to pat Myles shoulders. He then whispered, "Don''t think too hard on this. I''m sure Lord Clay had his reasons for this. We can ask him when he returns. Put it at the back of your mind for now." With celebration in their midst, Caltec proposed, "Let''s break this bastard apart first and then burn it piece by piece. While Isaac will continue to blast it with his Ice Wave to freeze it. Myles, you will see to burning each piece of the bastard to smithereens once we separate it in one go. Jora, give Isaac your finest Magic Energy Recovery pots. Jon and Mor, help me to take the bastard apart. We can''t work on it separately for fear that any active blood that spills would regenerate into another piece of this bastard! Let''s go!" With instructions in place, they worked their way from the tail, slowly but surely. The one who worked the hardest in this expedition was probably Isaac. He was the one who kept the bastard Hydra frozen for 3 days straight until they could take apart the Hydra''s whole body. They only took breaks when Blizzard was casted over the nest to freeze it while Isaac took a two-minute breather to eat. Drinking potions was his way of alleviating thirst after all. Killing the Hydra was more a chore than an adventure. They couldn''t take any of its materials as any drop of its blood could potentially become another head or slowly become a new Hydra, which they could not risk. Jon was the most despondent when it came to have no loot from the enormous treasure that is the Hydra''s body and even blood. Just like this, the party of 6 finally was able to defeat the Hydra after a half a week of hunting it. 87 Return of the Emperor In an unknown piece of land where miasma was abundant, Clay and Ryan appeared in a flash of bright light which dissipated in an instant as they appeared. Clay was holding Ryan in his arms just as usual, however, the moment that Clay took a breath of the air in Alleucanth, something unexpected happened. Clay could feel that something was trying to restrain him but was unable to do so. It may have been a law of physics in this world or another type of force, however it could not bind Clay at all and instead moved on to Ryan instead. In alarm, Clay exerted some of his authority to protect Ryan, however, it was to no avail. He understood that this force could not bind him, however, he also could not interfere with it. Which meant that he was no where near the level where he could restrain this unknown force. Having no power to do anything, Clay could only look in worry as Ryan was brought into the air, floating while the force had him completely wrapped. Slowly, Ryan started to wake up and the moment he did, he started to feel unimaginable pain. His bones felt like it was being crushed and grinded, stretched and remade. His insides were burning as if he was being cooked in an oven. Right after that, he felt as if he was being stir fried along with his bones. Countless cracking noises resounded on that spot in that unknown piece of land. This lasted four days and nights and Ryan were clearly in pain, however Clay could not do anything else than watch over his son as this force was doing something to him. On the first day, he was so worried that he even hurt himself from holding himself back from throwing a fit of anger against the surroundings. However, on the second day, he noticed a change in Ryan''s body. It grew a few inches taller and his limbs grew less plump. Ryan was also screaming less and less from each painful sensation that he was experiencing. Finally, at the final and fourth day, Clay held Ryan in his arms. Yes, his arms. Ryan had grown to the size of a typical toddler. He was unconscious but his vitals were normal, merely asleep. This gave relief to Clay as he sat down, however, as he was in the motion of sitting down towards the ground, the earth itself moved and caught his butt and shaped itself into a nice-looking chair complete with engravings. Snap Clay snapped his left hand''s fingers and instantly, there appeared a golem that looked familiar to Clay. This was one of the household golems that he created to keep the Apollo''s Lair clean and livable even when he wasn''t there. "Dammit! What was that force?!" Clay was not feeling as good as he looked. He was unaffected by that force, however, the moment they breathed as they got back, it came and put Ryan in so much pain to transform him according to some sick rule. "I have to figure this out, or else I won''t be able to sleep properly. For my son''s sake." "Analyze all my skills and develop skills aimed at creating creatures through magic energy, spirits and miasma. If possible, create an energy reactor for miasma as well. In addition, I''ve been sensing the people of Claiomh since we got here and been hearing their thoughts regarding me and their requests. Sort this out and put it in a more manageable format." Clay was talking to himself, however, his Ultimate skill put itself to work and did what was ordered. "I can''t move from here until I know fully what has happened to me since my ascension. Too many variables can lead to me walking blind. I''ll have to revisit Evernight to meet with the Lich god again soon. I''ll have to delay that for a while to understand myself more." Saying that in a whisper, Clay closed his eyes and meditated. This way, he was able to visit the space in his consciousness where he could interact with his Ultimate Skill: Ultimate Comprehension ¨C Akashic Query. *Ping* [Host has acquired Method of Ascension] [Method of Ascension fully integrated] [Development of Skill: Energy Reactor ¨C Miasma is in progress] [Energy Reactor ¨C Miasma lacks component (Negative Emotions)] [Requests permission to tap into the Host''s Rage and Killing Intent to fuel Energy Reactor ¨C Miasma] [Permission Granted. Proceeding] [Energy Reactor ¨C Miasma developing.] [Energy Absorption - Miasma merging with Dark Magic success. Integrating. Success] [Energy Reactor ¨C Miasma developed. Integrating. Success] [Enhancing Creation Magic. Adding Coreless Body Production derived from Earth Magic ¨C Golem Creation] [Coreless Body Production skill developed. Integrating. Success] [Creation Magic, Coreless Body Production and Necromancy merging process in progress] [Artificial Lifeform Creation skill developed. Integrating. Success] [Artificial Lifeform Creation lists the following basis for creation: Artificial Magic Creature, Artificial Spirit, Artificial Miasmic Creature, Artificial Solar Based Creature] [Analyzing Contact with Unknown Force] [Unknown Force shows traces of known energy ¨C Divinity] [Host has yet to develop or control Energy ¨C Divinity] [Host has developed the Stat: FAITH. Integrating. Success] [Energy Absorption ¨C Faith has been created. Integrating. Success] [Analyzing Energy ¨C Divinity in progress] [Energy Absorption ¨C Divinity can be developed from Soul, Faith and Light Affinity Magic Energy. Proceed Y/N?] Clay abruptly opened his eyes from the shock he got. He was startled so much that he had retreated on his chair as if getting up. "Divinity? Damn. If I''m successful in developing that, could it be that I can proceed to truly being a god? I wonder if I''ll have to undergo another ascension ritual to ascend into being one. In which case, I don''t have that means. No use thinking about it then. Proceed." Clay sat properly again and closed his eyes to meditate. Inside his consciousness, he saw the line of words that his Ultimate Skill was processing again. [Energy Absorption ¨C Divinity created. Integrating. Success] [Analyzing Energy ¨C Demonic in progress] [Energy Absorption ¨C Demonic can be developed from Soul, Miasma and Dark Affinity Magic Energy. Proceed Y/N?] [Permission Granted. Proceeding] [Energy Absorption ¨C Demonic created. Integrating. Success] [Host''s Physical body can be enhanced. Proceed Y/N?] [Permission Granted. Proceeding] [Body Enhancement Failed. Retry.] [Body Enhancement Failed. Possible cause: Lacking Stats in STR, INT, MGC, DEX] [Analyzing¡­] Clay left his consciousness and opened his eyes again. He checked his stats and saw that FAITH was increasing steadily. While he also saw that Divinity and Demonic energies were staying put at 0. It was no wonder, Clay could not produce his own divinity and demonic energy after all. At least not yet. Clay had not noticed, but the process of his skills and stats integrating and developing took him a long time. By the time he noticed, it was already morning of the next day. Ryan was yet unconscious and so he hunted some game to prepare a feast for when he did wake up. Looking at him, Clay unconsciously saw his son''s stats and he was again surprised. Ryan''s initial stat points did not change but the skills he had initially were all unlocked already. His Energy Reactor, Creation Magic and even Space-Time magic were all unlocked. In addition to that, his Language skill had been added listing Human Language and Abyssal Language in it. Clay knew that his son would be powerful as well just from looking at his skill set. Although the was lacking in physical strength, that could be remedied, especially since Clay specialized in Physical enhancement. "Son wake up soon. We must get back home and see if anything''s changed since we left." Clay said in murmur with longing in his eyes. "I have failed your people my son. This guilt that I carry must not be for naught. I shall go back to Evernight when the time is ripe, to rectify my mistake there. I cannot forgive myself for this. I shall bring this guilt with me for the rest of eternity." Clay eyes started to water after thinking about the soldiers he cultivated in Evernight and how his arrogance and negligence had led to their demise on the battlefield. He even left the culprit alive. Failure after failure haunted Clay. They stayed in that unknown patch of land for a few more days before they left for Claiomh Solais, their home. *** Evernight. The skies were lit up by the fires that burned for who knows how long in the battlefield. The smell of blood and other fluids had mixed up in the air and was permeating the atmosphere. Thousands of bodies were sprawled on the ground leaking so much blood that it literally was sea of blood. The limbs of countless soldiers and the heads of countless undead scattered I the battlefield can give one a heart attack if one wasn''t used to such a sight. A man stood at the edges of the battlefield wearing a robe and a pointy hat fit for mages that were not that numerous in Evernight. He was a what the people called a sage who could never hurt a fly, as even mosquitoes can feast upon his blood without him squashing them to death. This man was a firm believer of what they called the circle of life. One was subject to a greater cycle in life which flows on with or without human interference. However, his non-interference gave way for the monsters called undead to propagate even more rapidly in the lands of Evernight. He was their hope, and he had abandoned his people for his pointless principles. That was, until his colleagues came to him asking for help explicitly. They conveyed to him that this disaster can be stopped if only he would move. His magic after all can reverse the very flow of time. However, even until the end, he was stubborn and did not budge. However, even a principled man could not emerge victorious to use his powers when it came to save his own life. On the night when the undead had reached the forest he had been living in, to the hut that he had built for himself through his sweat and tears, he was attacked and dragged outside his hut. His resistance only showed when it was the time when his head was about to be cut off. His magic circulated and he used the fullness of it to save himself. However, it was all for naught, for the speed of the blade, was faster than the invocation of a spell. His head was cut off and rolled away from his body. However, this happened after he had finished his spell. This was not a Space-Time magic, but a magic that utilizes it, nevertheless. This was a magic that allowed his soul to maintain its integrity once he was reincarnated. After his head rolled, the man''s eyes stared at someone watching him, meeting his eyes. With a flash of bright light, Ryan woke up with a start and was panting hard. Clay instantly came before him and helped him settle down while the Household golem brought a glass of water and a pitcher to drink. Clay offered him the glass, but Ryan took the pitcher from the Golem and drank from it instead. Clay looked at his son curiously and thought, he must have been thirsty. "Son, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" Ryan heard Clay''s voice in his ears and immediately looked up to him. However, when he looked up, he felt that Clay was emitting a different aura than he knew, as if the one in front of him was a different being. He cautiously asked, "Fa-Father?" After saying this, he was even more surprised. He found that now he was able to articulate words using his own mouth. Which meant that he had grown up already! Clay sensed the joy in his son and handed him a mirror after snapping his fingers and conjuring a mirror in his hand. "Here. Look how big you''ve grown. Do you remember what happened?" Clay asked the obvious question. After all, Ryan just experienced excruciating pain that he knew was too much for ordinary children to go through. He was even worried that Ryan would die the moment he finished the process. "Father is this real? I have grown bigger! This is awesome!" Seeing as Clay''s question was thrown into the wind because of his excitement, Clay let him celebrate and told him, "Clean yourself up. We''ll have some supper first before going back to Claiomh. It''s been four years after all." With that, Clay turned around and prepared to cook some good food for him and Ryan. It has been sometime since he had cooked anything after all. He''d be able to utilize his alchemy skills after a long while. While Clay cooked, Ryan was led by the household golem that Clay assigned to take care of him to the bathtub that Clay prepared for them both. The water was already hot, and Ryan''s new clothes had been prepared as well. As if anticipating his awakening, everything was well-prepared. Ryan was inwardly impressed at his father''s ability to take care of him. "With my growth, I wonder if I can now practice magic?" Ryan was excited with the thought, and then he remembered his dream before he woke up just now. It was a memory from his past. He invoked a spell to retain his memories to remind him of the price that cost him and his people the whole world. "If only I wasn''t so stubborn previously, would I have made a difference in Evernight?" After thinking about his, he was reminded yet again of another matter that he was also a participant of, Evernight¡­ the Liberation Army, the last of his people! Hurriedly, Ryan went out of the tent and found Clay who was cooking. He found the table they were to use for dining and sat at the chair allocated for him and slowly asked Clay about the matters in Evernight. "Father¡­ may I ask you a something?" Clay heard him and immediately stopped what he was doing for a second before resuming and answering Ryan. "You want to ask how the Liberation Army and the people of Evernight fared in their endeavor?" Clay confirm Ryan''s query. Ryan nodded his head as if Clay could see him and Clay continued speaking, taking Ryan''s silence as his answer. "They died on the battle before the tower. Marduke, the Grand Lich in charge of the tower let loose a spell that aggravated the soul of everyone in Evernight, attributing to them the madness to devour living being''s souls. The Liberation Army were wiped out by them. The remaining people should still be inside the sanctuary we developed for them and enable them to live. "However, they won''t be able to get out of there unless they dig through the ground or learn earth magic. Both of which would jeopardize their lives if discovered. I''m sorry son. I failed your people and your world. If only I wasn''t so careless and killed Marduke instantly, he wouldn''t have had the chance to unleash such a terrible spell." Clay looked down on the stew he was, a trace of a tear gathered in his right eye. The guilt that came with his failure continues to eat him up even now. "Is¡­ Is that so?" Ryan was silent. In fact, he did not blame Clay. He could only blame himself for being so hasty in enacting his plan to save Evenight. If only he waited until he was old enough to come and save them himself. He wouldn''t have made his father in this life worried and despondent over the failure of their attempt. "Forgive me son." Clay turned around and sat at the only chair left around the table. He stared at Ryan with his powerful eyes that said it all. The once powerful eyes were now clouded by tears threatening to burst from it any moment now. Ryan saw this and was unable to hold back his tears. These were tears of lament and guilt towards the people he failed yet again and his father who he basically forced to help. "Father there''s nothing to forgive! Please do not worry about this matter. When I''m old enough, I shall go there myself and rid Evernight of the plague which is the undead! I promise on my life!" Ryan powerfully said. This display of resolution gave Clay some comfort from his son. He stood up and gave Ryan a hug. The little toddler was talking to him like an old man. What would Giselle say when he converses with her in the coming days? "Thank you, my son. Let''s get this food ready so we can leave early in the morning after a good night''s rest." Clay said as he stood up and turned around to finish preparing the food. The aroma from the food he cooked attracted a lot of monsters in the vicinity, however, Clay''s presence itself was something of a repellant to them as not one even dared to enter their camp. Only little bunnies and critters came and went inside the camp. It is true that beings far weaker won''t be able to sense danger from someone far stronger than them. With enough preparation and finishing in cooking the food. Clay sat down and joined Ryan on the table while the household golem served them both. Ryan was immediately curious as if being reminded by the little golem''s movements and existence. "Father, is this a golem? Was it you who made it?" Ryan was amused looking at it while it was serving them. "Oh yes. This guy was one of my earliest creations. Golem creation was something that I took an interest in as living in my hideout made it hard for my lonesome self. Taking care of the place was a hassle. So, I made them golems. Do you want to learn how to make one, or do you already know how to make one?" Clay spoke enthusiastically as if in the company of someone he could excitedly share his joys and hobbies. "Having a son to share these joys, simply is a blessing isn''t it?" Clay thought joyously. "I have never succeeded in making one, as I could not solve the problem of the core. If I were to put a soul inside it then that would cease to be called a golem and instead an artificial lifeform instead. In a way, our world was kind of backward in its magic development as, we have forgotten how to produce golems and instead we focused more on mastering the soul. I don''t know how that happened though, no one knew even when I was alive there previously." Clay agreed with Ryan in saying that their world''s magic development was backwards. In fact, Clay only learned to create artificial lifeforms recently because of his involvement in Evernight. If not for this, then he''d have no idea where to begin with the development of his magic and skills. Clay and Ryan chatted with each other until late at night when Ryan''s body could not take anymore and slowly drifted into sleeping. Clay chuckled and brought Ryan to his bed and went out the tent to sit at his earthen chair separate from the tent and the table. He began to yet again meditate. When he left his consciousness, he left his ultimate skill to analyze ways to ascend into godhood, however, his only ticket to that knowledge seemed to be the Lich god who could possibly know about it. He stopped thinking about it and focused more on his growing FAITH stat. He wondered what this did. *** The morning the next day. Clay and Ryan packed everything up and shoved them into Clay''s dimensional storage. Ryan was no longer surprised about it and instead excited to cast his own. By now, Clay''s dimensional storage had no limitations and have even incorporated the Space-Time element of the Magic branch to totally stop time and give birth to the revised spell. Ryan could now cast this spell; however, his magic energy capacity was still in development so, Clay told him to wait for him to have greater capacity through training. And when Clay mentioned "training" Ryan immediately turned pale as he remembered the state of his direct subordinates when training. It was literally Hell. When they were ready. Clay snapped his fingers to return the golem to the Apollo''s Lair and created a rift in the air to immediately go to their home, Claiomh. 88 Celebrating Four Years Worth of Birthdays It was the 8th month of the 4th year that Clay and Ryan had started their travel. No one else knew about their adventure in another world. It was the usual for the people that Clay had left behind in Claiomh. Even the transfer gates have successfully been installed on both kingdom''s territories for the public to venture into Claiomh and visit. Merchants were required to pay a toll for using the gates however, that was something that merchants did not even complain about compared to the safety of their travels from one kingdom to the next. Two years ago, the former emperor of the human realms had visited Claiomh and proclaimed the greatest news in history for the human realm empire. The emperor left the throne and abdicated the crown to offer it to Clay. They arrived quickly and announced such a great news even more quickly than that. So, the news of Lord Clay becoming the sole emperor of the whole Human Realm resounded in the realm, including the neighboring realms. The emperor''s announcement took the city of Claiomh by surprise, however, their surprise only turned into pride for their glorious leader and Lord, Clay. They announced that date to be a Realm-Wide holiday celebrating their Lord Clay, headed by Isaac and the rest of his direct subordinates. When the Emperor also heard of the transfer gates, he was so fascinated by it that he requested for Isaac and Giselle to also connect the former Imperial capital with the one in Claiomh as well. Isaac had been against it at first, however, the need to delegate people to manage the kingdoms under the Empire. Starting a year ago, Isaac had finished training ministers to better manage the territories and helped them progress into a better kingdom. The nobility was slowly given new titles and trained according to their strengths. The nobility was given offices in the city hall where their capital city was located. This ensured that whatever projects the city hall wanted to do; they would obey. They needed no persuasion other than that Lord Clay may see their kingdom as useless and cannot be controlled thus, deciding to destroy it instead. With Clay''s power and prestige being used as threats and motivation, the empire slowly adapted Isaac''s reformation according to Clay''s ideas that he gave to Isaac. Military training remained a secret to other kingdoms. The only exception that Clay had given permission to train were the Night Prowlers who had overseen protecting the kingdom of Giselle. Also, effectively, Giselle became the Imperial Queen of the whole Empire, however, her voice was not powerful enough to sway anyone to follow her whims. And she understood this, so she kept her paws off the imperial throne and instead focused on the Kingdom of Acadria. The capital city also expanded upwards towards Moribor and the rest of the expansion focused on the mines on Moribor itself. Guilds had built themselves up in this place and the city had become bustling to the extent that when there''s market day, the town square was always packed full of people, bargaining and hawking their products. Cultural guilds like the Archeology Guilds focused more on discovering new ruins in the Impassable Mountain Range which was now a place that posed challenges to adventurers, mercenaries and archeologists alike. Most of those that venture that way, hire the city guards to guide them. There would usually be one or two guards to accompany them to repel any unusually dangerous monsters. Isaac had the busiest schedule but when it came to training, their diligence could not be toppled. Caltec Jon and Mor took care of the new recruits that join their ranks from the 3''s families young. The selling of the potions that Jora and his fellow apprentice had been one of the pillarsof support for the capital, however, they stopped selling too much and focused on their training since Isaac told them that training was more important for them now, instead of selling. Since, the capital already had the dungeon to generate income. Jora followed this advice and further leveled up in alchemy. The same happened to Myles and his fellow apprentices. His Fire magic further advanced since they last went in a party. His fellow apprentices also gained a lot of insight and leveled up in their Elementalist skills. Occasionally, Isaac, Caltec, Jon and Mor would spar at the peak of Moribor and generate enough force and speed to break the sound barrier creating thundering sounds and making the whole city tremble. Those who were not part of Clay''s original families he took in, will always be surprised and scared by this, however, to them who were used to these thunderous claps did not mind it even one bit. Slowly, Isaac had planned with Giselle to connect every Kingdom in the Empire with a transfer gate using the Rift Spell''s concept to connect the whole Kingdom into one cohesive unit. This way, the hassle of information sharing, and production lines become easier and abundant. Isaac already put this into motion and currently, there are 15 kingdoms that are already connected out of the 50 kingdoms under the Empire. Magic fueled vehicles also replaced horse-dragged carriages and carts. Although still crude, vestiges of cars on earth and motor bikes littered the streets of the Imperial Capital. The former Emperor also worked for the city hall in the former Imperial Capital as well to this day. He was the most avid fan of these magic fueled vehicles. *** In the room where Clay remembered his room was located. Clay and Ryan appeared out of thin air and landed on the floor. Clay stood straight and composed. Ryan though was under Clay''s arms, bringing him like luggage. "Father¡­ put me down please." Ryan begged and Clay noticed the position that his son had been in and put him down gently right after. "Son, you should remember where we are right? You already have the mind of an old man, so I guess that''ll make things easier for us to get along. With that said, your mother should be excited to see you. I''ll call for her immediately. In the meantime, you can go around and explore the city on your own." Clay gave Ryan his freedom to explore the moment they got back. Ryan agreed and left the room, surprising the family servants who maintained the palace. News of Clay''s arrival had the servants all riled up and excited. Even the City Hall was not spared from the excitement and even announced Clay and Ryan''s return home. Putting up a banner in the skies of the city declaring the "Emperor has Returned!" through projection magic tools and technology they''ve developed. The four retainers having heard the news firsthand immediately sprung up and dropped everything they did, no matter the import and went to report to Clay. By now, they''ve learned not to kneel in front of Clay and just slightly bowed their head to show reverence. Although they couldn''t hide the urge to kneel in their body language. "How''ve you all been? I reckon you''ve at least done your assignment while I was gone." Clay chuckled. He could feel the Hydra at the bottom of the dungeon, being fought by raiding parties of mercenaries and adventurers. "We¨C ""Sire¨C ""Lord¨C ""My¨C " All four of them spoke in unison and wanted to be the first to answer but was stopped when Clay held his hand to signal them to stop and spoke again before they could continue, "Sunshine, come and show yourself. I need you to tell Giselle that we''re back and that she needs to see her son." "My Lord! I shall deliver the message pronto." Sunshine appeared out of nowhere from the shadows inside the room and spoke in confirmation before again blending with the shadows and disappearing. No one in the room reacted to him appearing and disappearing like that. They all knew he was there the moment he entered the room. There was no use in acknowledging a shadow. "Good. Now Jon, tell me how you guys defeated it the first time? I know you''ve tried many ways to beat it. I want to hear how you manage to beat it without totally obliterating it and wasting the great materials it had on itself." Clay spoke with the assumption that they''d have done their best to find other ways to beat it after they first were able to defeat the Hydra. It was not something unexpected as of course, they had to share these methods minimally to others like the adventurers and mercenary guilds inside the City to make sure that no one faces it and perishes after foolishly going inside, guns blazing without a plan. That was the business plan that they''ve already devised long before Clay left for the Demon Realm and Evernight. "Lord Clay this is how we started it off¡­" So, Jon recounted their adventure with Jora and Myles as support. It was later that Myles and Jora found their own purpose in the party. Myles and his fire magic were able to singlehandedly defeat the Hydra in their 97th run each time the Hydra respawned. Jon and Mor on their 56th run and Isaac on their 2nd run. Caltec himself also succeeded in defeating the Hydra by plunging into a hole in its body that Caltec had dug through his fists and brutally took its heart out ending its life. "I see. That''s great then. How''s your training? I think it''s time that you step up your game and gain more experience by traveling the world and bringing it to my knees. So, your training shall be intensified for the duration that I am staying here this time. Get ready, we''re going to the peak of Moribor." With that declaration, the four of them paled and started to shiver. They felt it the moment they saw Clay, however, when he said their already intense and crazy training was to be put a step higher, they finally admitted¡­ Their Lord had changed, stronger and even more dangerous. However, to them this was good news. And the latter part of his declaration implied that they will be assigned and scattered throughout Alleucanth to conquer other realms and form treaties with Claiomh. "We live to serve!" Unified in their agreement. They stood erect and saw Clay''s face as he smiled at them brightly. The Hell they just learned to get used to, was after all just the entrance to it. *** Ryan went out of the room and immediately he found people. He remembered that some of them were people who took care of him during his infancy. Although right now, he still is a toddler, he knew he had grown. He bowed his head to them slightly to acknowledge them and they were all frozen stiff on the spot. He knew the reason for it but did not care. They were reverent towards him and the one they worship as a god, his father. He knew that his father was something even he could not explain what is. Ryan went out of the Palace and into the streets towards the City square. He had to first pass the City Hall where all the transactions pertaining the country and the governance of Claiomh Solais was centered. Once he passed there, he saw the banner that they hung up in the skies saying the "Emperor has Returned!" and chuckled. It seems that these people really worship father like a god. "I wonder when Father plans to unify the whole world under his rule. Will peace be maintained well by then? If it''s father I feel that he''d be able to without doubt. It feels weird to have faith in someone else other than myself." In deep thought, Ryan explored the guilds like the Craftsman guild, the Cultural Arts guild, the Business guild, the Adventurer''s guild and even the Mercenary guild. After visiting those, he visited the Museum and the Auction house plus the Theatre that''s been established after they left. He also visited the Arena and training area of the soldiers and guards of the whole City. While there, he was invited by soldiers to train with them, knowing who he was. He wondered how they knew him without him identifying himself to them, however, one of the residents told him, "It''s your hair. Your mother has the same color and it''s unique in Claiomh. No one dares to dye their hair in that color for fear of the Lord''s wrath even as reverence to the queen." Knowing this, he held an expression of a curious child getting the answer for his curiosity. He gave thanks to the citizen and left the place. After hours of just wandering around, Clay came to him secretly and used telepathy to tell him they should go home. After all, if Clay stayed too long and showed himself to the public, some of them may kneel in front of him making him feel awkward. Returning to Clay''s room. "How was the city? Do you think you can rule them well and lead them?" "Rule and Lead? Aren''t I too young for that father?" "Too young? No son, you''re old enough as it is, both mentally and soul based. Right?" "Well yea, but wouldn''t the people think I''m too young to rule?" "I know you''ll do well with it. Plus, who would dare to oppose this anyway? I''m the overlord of the human realm anyway. Plus, when you grow powerful through time, you''ll also feel that worrying about other people''s opinions is a waste of time and something that only politicians should worry about. Ruling isn''t about being political, it''s about fear and respect towards you, while leading only needs to be done for your direct subordinates. That''s why I want you to go around the world with Isaac to expand your network and find yourself good subordinates for yourself. "When I''m gone, and I will eventually, you''ll have to lead your people into the future. That''s something that needs a powerful person to manage. I need you to be that powerful person. Besides, even when I''m gone, I''ll probably still help out in some way or another." Ryan gave what Clay said a long thought and went silent. Then while Ryan was in deep thought, a rift opened inside the room and Clay welcomed the woman who came out of it. "Giselle, you''re back. We''re home." She ran towards Clay and spread her arms open to give him a hug¡­ that is, Ryan. Clay smirked awkwardly but his poker face was great, so he was fine. "My son! You''re back finally! How are you? How have you been? Has your father taken care of you? You must have been lonely without me, right?" Giselle was full-blown mother-to-son mode. She was touching him all over which made Ryan awkward but did not reject her care. He just stood there and smiled awkwardly as well. They even stared at each other, Ryan and Clay while seeing the awkward smiles they had on their faces. Giselle bombarded Ryan with questions and finally remembered that just in a few days, Ryan''s fifth birthday would come. And then she turned to Clay and said, "You''ve taken him away for four years, now he''s turning five years old! We must celebrate our son''s birthday! Something grand and glorious!" Giselle went on and on about the birthday party that she already decided without receiving Clay''s input in the matter. In the end, Clay let her be and told her to bring Ryan out and spend time with him to plan and catch up. While Clay laid on his bed and closed his eyes to sleep. Later that night, Clay disappeared in a huge magic energy ripple that even Giselle and the low-rank and less powerful Elementalists felt. Ryan knew what kind of spell it was that needed that kind of amount of mana, so he just nodded and distracted Giselle with the plans for his birthday and stories about their adventure. With Ryan and Clay back, the whole Empire celebrated with them and even sent replies about attending the birthday celebration of Ryan. For his first birthday celebration. Clay on the other hand, returned to Evernight and concluded his deal with the Lich god, asked about methods to ascend to godhood and other secrets. Then fulfilled his deal with Elkanor as well as gave the humans of Evernight another chance at Liberation through a little arrangement with the Lich god. The undead would lessen their territory and allow the humans to rebuild and then they would try to coexist with each other through waging wars and skirmishes all over. Not really intending to win or to annihilate any one side. The humans though, did not know of this deal. It would come to pass that the world of Evernight''s humans reestablished themselves and fought back the undead to successfully expand their territory and defend it for generations through the use of the artifacts that led their race to victories after victories against the most powerful undead. The legend of Clay and the son were written in human history books as something that inspired the new generation to continue to keep fighting. *** A few days later, Clay came back silently and waited for Ryan to come get him for his birthday party in his room. Giselle had not even visited Clay for the whole duration from when they came back until Clay went away and got back. She gave all her attention to her son. On the night before the birthday party was to be held, Giselle had finally returned to the master''s bedroom where Clay alone slept. The queen and the King, or in this case the Emperor''s chambers were separated. However tonight, Giselle went to Clay to report on the movements in Alleucanth or at least the known world through her team Bronte. Gran had been assigned with An, a member of the Night Prowlers along with a couple more of their members to travel the known world for these past years to gather intelligence. They had one Space Magician who enabled them to report periodically. Bronte''s intelligence gathering spanned throughout the Demon Realm towards the Dragonkin Empire and even the Dodecagon Beast Prairie beyond that was the Mythical Land of Fairies and Elves, however, crossing the Sea of Perpetual Death, continues to prove impossible even until today for them. "My Lord, Bronte had gathered intelligence about the threat that the other Realms feel in the unification of the Human Realm as a singular Empire. Especially since the former Empire had given it up to you to inherit without a fight and so there were close to no casualties in the turnover. "Bronte gathered that the Demon Realm whose territory is adjacent to ours strongly feels this threat and finally could not keep swallowing their pride and summoned the Hero set for them, by their patron god. "They gathered that even the Dragonkin Empire also feels the threat but has even until now, stayed their hands in using the precious saving move that their god had granted them. "If they all start to bring out their aces and start a war with us, even with the years that already passed, the stability of the Empire is still shaky. I want to use this Birthday Celebration for Ryan, to establish the fear and respect they should give to the Emperor and his rule, that is, you. "I know this is against our agreement of you staying away from bothersome things, however, internal struggles are what always ruins a kingdom, even a great empire such as yours. Please consider helping us. If not for the people and for me, then please, do it for Ryan." Giselle laid down her request straight after reporting the worries she had against the Demon Realm''s Hero. It was only reasonable for her to think of the threat of another hero as she has seen Clay''s capabilities firsthand. Clay listened to all of it and was in deep thought. "I am already in a different plane of existence than other Heroes. They shouldn''t pose any threat to me, however, it''s a different story for the people of Claiomh. Should I again neglect them and let them fight for themselves, I''m sure they will perish. I cannot have a repeat of Evernight and the army I raised there dying in vain, the price they paid because of my arrogance and carelessness. "I do not wish to abuse my power nor use it without knowing the full extent of it, for fear of it going out of control. However, if I don''t use it and someone else pays the price for my hesitation again, how will I live with myself. "My powers have stopped growing since I came back, and I know the reason for this is because I have yet to visit Apollo''s Lair and bask in the energies that my body can absorb there to enhance myself further. "I have seen the dejection Ryan, my son, had on his face when I told him we failed. He must blame me for not doing anything to save them. Even I am blaming myself for it. I want to gather power so that it stays contained within me, and never use it for anything other than living a life that needs no worries. "However, it seems that even as a god, one cannot escape the responsibilities of having great power. Damn. I hate you Uncle Ben." In deep thought, Clay wrestled with himself. Hearing that a threat that could rival him may possibly come to face him anytime of any day got to him and it got to him good. Clay''s eyes refocused and there he saw Giselle''s attractive figure. Her cleavage through that neglig¨¦e that was almost transparent that aimed to provoke the imagination of wild beasts such as Clay. Her rose pink hair that he''s become very familiar with through the years that Clay had carried Ryan in his arms with, swayed as the night breeze entered the room as if a playful cupid was blowing wind just to create this gorgeous effect. Her hips were wrapped around tightly by the neglig¨¦e she wore, the slit in between the legs that gave a peek towards those glorious thighs and whatever was in between them. This sight if seen by other men would drive them crazy and if this were a strip club, their money would be gone after the first throw, for that sight truly was heavenly. Of course, Clay was no ordinary man. He stopped knowing Giselle the moment they had Ryan, for fear that his strength would go out of control as they did it in the middle of the night. Tonight however, even as he was no ordinary man, his desires were awakened after years of neglect in this aspect. Like a man in the desert, so parched that even a drop of water would enliven him. Now imagine that man, in front of him lay an oasis. Many can imagine what would happen. Clay without warning, slowly put his palm on Giselle''s face and caressed it. He looked straight into her eyes and communed with her. It was as if he was asking for permission to proceed without speaking it. And Giselle responded with her pale face, that was full of worry just then, to turn pinkish all the way to blushing red. That was the answer Clay waited for. Without further ado, Clay kissed Giselle passionately, all while casting multiple layers of protection, strengthening, reinforcement, enhancement and even barrier magic directly on Giselle''s body. Giselle was unaware of this care that she had been given as she enjoyed the sensations that flooded her from the lips to the back of her hair and her skull that was tingling from her hair being pulled down by Clay to further enhance the experience. While Clay kissed her and held her hair down, his other hand was busy doing another thing which stimulated the very core of Giselle. He held her left breast and started kneading it as a baker would to dough. Her nipple was played with his index finger at speeds that maximized pleasure. This was still while Giselle''s negligee was on. Slurp Clay and Giselle''s tongues were entwined, and their fluids got exchanged time and again as they devoured each other. Clay was busy kneading the dough, while Giselle also counterattacked by ripping Clay''s pants off belt and all. Giselle slowly found the rod of pleasure, half the size of her arm, and long as her forearm. She slowly traced her finger down to the base to slightly prick his balls with her nail and slowly yet again come up and trace it to the head where she traced the base of its head. "Hmmn!" Stroking it gently yet firmly, and then turning aggressive yet softly; Clay was also stimulated. This went on for about five minutes as they really got into it. Clay took the lead and stopped kneading to support Giselle''s lower back and turn her over into the bed. As Clay had done this, he also reinforced the bed and sealed the room shut. No one was to interrupt them now. Click Giselle continued to kiss Clay passionately and slowly moved her lips down towards his neck, to his nipples and down to his penis while Clay moved closer and closer until he was above her neck. Giselle pulled on the thick and hard rod of pleasure and started kissing it and sucking on it, and even using her teeth to further stimulate Clay. Her gentle strokes became more aggressive as time passed and Clay let out joyous manly moans. He had to admit, Giselle was getting it on. "Ooh!" He let her get tired of it and as his dick got wet from her saliva to the base, it was his time to give her pleasure to reward her hard work. Clay made a move and held Giselle''s legs apart and tore off whatever was covering the glorious hole, plugged it with his thing and slowly started to move his hips forward. Now, as his hips moved, the pain of receiving such a magnificent piece, was something that would have given Giselle a hard time in feeling pleasure, however, as Clay had already given her all the boosts he could possibly give, the pleasure came the instant the every bit of it was plugged into her. "Ah!" With Clay getting in the zone also, aggressively ramming Giselle not even thinking about the possible damage their movements and their noise could give the surroundings, they continued to switch positions and round after round got into it, until midnight. In the morning, as Clay woke up, he found that Giselle still embraced him tightly. Clay smiled and put his palm on her cheeks yet again and whispered, "I''ll talk to Ryan about it." It was his birthday afterall. 89 The Danger Lurking Withou Turning the clock two years prior to Clay and Ryan''s return¡­ In the Demon Realm, the Council Chamber of the Demon Emperor and his Generals. On the exquisitely designed round table was a map of the whole Demon Realm and its Empire. Surrounding this table were people whose powers were not held back and emitted to the full. "How fares the Human Empire threat''s investigation?" Asked the Demon Emperor who sat at the center while two of the generals sat across each other on each side. "The Swamplands still poses the greatest threat to any invasion by an army as we speak. With Hydra nesting there, even I cannot simply walk inside and get back out without worrying a bit. Seeing that the Empire has recently been taken over by the hero of Humanity, it should take years to stabilize every kingdom under it. We should take this opportunity to also summon our Hero and make him grow in power to support us." Spoke the round-bodied demon that looked familiar. This one was Agamemkeru, Lord of the Swamps. He was the one who almost killed Clay when he was but a weakling. "The Impassable Mountain Range still poses the greatest obstacle in any plan of invasion that the humans may crop up. However, just in case, we should also dispatch a good number of garrisoned soldiers there and create a fort to serve as eyes and first line of defense at the slim chance that they do invade using the Impassable Mountain Range." The demon that emitted Sword Aura spoke and suggested as well. "My territory will continue to watch out for the Dragonkin Empire''s movements as well. To block and resist them if they try to enter our Realm." The seductive woman emitting bloody aura reported. "Castle security remains in tip-top shape and does not need any concern whatsoever. Even if we were invaded and they succeeded in breaching every layer of defense in each territory, they''ll never succeed once they reach this Capital. I, Vulf, shall decimate them." Vulf confidently said. This person was a werewolf, the most powerful in this Realm. He oversaw security inside the Imperial Capital of the Demon Realm. "It''s good that you are confident, however, our intelligence reports suggest that it is wise to summon our trump card in case the human''s greed and cruelty rear its head again and point their spears to us. We don''t want a repeat of history now do we?" Jacquelin, the Demon Emperor spoke. Her cold aura permeated the room and was in fact suppressing the auras the others were emitting. It goes to show just how powerful this Vampire was, however, even with her strength, she understood that she could not defend the Demon Realm by herself. She needed the help of her people. Her and Vulf were the oldest of the demons in the Demon Realm and they experience history with the humans and other races firsthand. It was not a good experience. "We cannot allow something like this to happen and so, as insurance, I have decided to heed the advice of our oracle to summon the Hero that our god has set for us." "!!!" "What?!" "Let me finish!" Jacquelin did not let them speak their minds and continued while her oppressive aura continued to suppress the rest. "Once the hero is summoned, we will be able to focus solely on bolstering our defenses. We use the hero as a decoy and let him run amok everywhere to draw attention to him instead of us. "This way, we will get more time to prepare for war. Once the war starts, the hero would come back and help us to defend after leveling up in his rampage. This is the most we can do for now." She finished speaking and shut her mouth. That was signal for everyone else to post their questions or object if they really dared. "How about we talk to the human emperor instead? Is it not possible that he''d be different? I her he''s the hero?" The Bloody Witch, Tasha, suggested, however she felt that after she posted her question, the mood inside the room got worse that it already was. She asked, "What?" "That would have been possible. However, a certain someone once fought that very hero and killed him, or at least that''s what he said, when in fact he survived. Now, he''s powerful enough to threaten us and we can''t come up to him and apologize for attempting to kill him. If we did that then that''s just delivering the messenger to his death. "If talking to him were possible, I''d also have done so myself. However, the chances are bigger that he''d lash out instead if he hears that we want to talk peace, when we did attempt to kill him long ago." Jacquelin said. Her head hurt just from thinking of this problem that they could not resolve through diplomacy anymore. So, they had to resort to summoning a hero to defend themselves or at least to become a decoy until they were ready to defend themselves. "Who was it?" Tasha continued to ask as her curiosity got the better of her. Her question gave Agamemkeru a headache as well as making him almost burst veins for continually reminding the Emperor of his errors. Giving up, he said, "It was I, who did it. Long ago, he killed one of my pets and I killed him for it, or at least tried to, I failed and so we are at this predicament." Tasha wanted to laugh but she could not, after all, this was a serious issue with a serious consequence. She did her best to bottle it in. With there no other questions and clarifications, Jacquelin decided. "The summoning shall happen two days later. Tasha prepare every means of control magic that you can find, even if its enslavement magic. "Ken, secure the perimeter of the summoning tower. As well as its entire structure. Put agents to monitor it at all times. "Vulf, start reinforcing our defenses starting with the outer perimeter and expand it from there. "I will go with Tasha and Ken to the summoning tower to meet with the hero that will be summoned. Let''s pray that what we summon is someone we can control. Go!" Jacquelin finished giving commands and as soon as she did, everyone sprang into action. Jacquelin stayed and continued to refine her plans for their welfare. If this goes south, they''ll be facing not just the Human Realm but also the neighboring powers like the Dragonkin and even the Beastman Tribes. That would be something that''s detrimental to the whole Demon race. "We must succeed, for the survival of the outcasted races." Jacquelin lamented. She recalled the history of the demon realm. In fact, the human realm was supposed to be one with the demon realm. The humans were part of them a time ago, when gods did not interfere with their lives. That''s why, old entities like Jacquelin were apprehensive in trusting and relying on the gods'' help. The gods were merely immigrants. This world did not have gods some millennia ago. However, when they entered the fray, the dwarves got locked up in that forsaken continent, the elves distanced themselves from other races, and the dragons, the real dragons, disappeared. The "demons" were just one race, it was a collection of outcasts from various ancient and even hybrid of races that were not welcome in the traditional communities they came from. The Vampires were ancient beings of immortality. They were not undead in this world; they were simply undying. However, they can still be killed. Their protectors, the werewolves, were once part of the Beastman tribes, the wolf tribe, however, they were outcasted for their aggressive and violent tendencies. When the vampires adopted them, somehow, they were granted the same undying trait through blood transfusions. The strange, basically the demon race are the strange and the weird counterpart of each established race in Alleucanth. The Lizardfolk of the demon race were once part of the Dragonkin, who were too weak to be considered dragons and so they were outcasted. The same goes for humans who gathered too much animosity from their own race that they were outcasted or even worse, killed off and hunted, the witches. Tasha, the Blood Witch general, was one such human. Ken was a swordsman that wandered around the world, although he was a ghost, a specter. He possessed a sword and wandered the world, in search of meaning. He found his, after he gathered most of the ghost spirits that he could find in Alleucanth and made a tribe with them. Agamemkeru was a Kappa, a water demon that loves to play pranks and keep pets. However, his power grew too much just as his size did. He met Jacquelin who taught him how to control his power better and thus became one of her subordinates. These generals were just outcasts in society, and the world called them demons, worse yet, the gods even considered them one. However, despite that, the demons kept to themselves and grew in power instead of waning. Their threat had grown enough that the original races couldn''t ignore them and so, they were once again ganged upon and thrown to the cold regions of the north where resources were thought to be scarce. They were given territory, but it was all considered barren. They did not retaliate nor fight back; they accepted their fate. All they wanted was to live in peace with each other, together with the same outcasts. Jacquelin led them and formed this empire. They conquered the north and cultivated it to their taste and succeeded. Now, they are yet again threatened by the humans gaining more power than they already had. They could not just stand and watch as many of their brethren die off again. Not this time. So, she resolved to summon a helper. Whatever the demon god sends, it should at least help them get through the threat or at least give them a chance to talk to the human hero, in hopes of a parley. *** Two days later. Ken and Tasha followed Jacquelin to the top of the tower where the summoning magic array was etched. In the room there was nothing else but the dim light from the magic tool that was installed on the walls separated by a few meters apart. The floor had the array and the stone floor gives off a mystical feel. There were no windows here, but a constant flow of breeze continues to regulate the room temperature. "We shall begin. The summoning ritual doesn''t take much time, so let''s get it over with. Tasha, get ready to cast enslavement and control spells. Ken, you must make sure nothing disturbs the ceremony. Once the hero is summoned you can hide and ready an ambush, in case the hero is out of control. "I''ll start now. Go!" When Jacquelin finished giving orders, she opened her magic energy pool and recited the spell to summon the hero in the current god''s language. This would take almost all her magic energy by the time she finished invoking the spell, the clouds over the tower darkened and converged just above it. Then, as she said the last word, the magic array completely lit up as if a gate had been opened and something came out of the magic array that was set up in the room. The room''s temperature went down almost to freezing point and even Tasha had to defend herself using magic. "Sigh" There was but a sigh that Jacquelin and Tasha heard, as Ken already went down before the ritual started and hid himself. That sigh made Tasha and Jacquelin to feel very oppressed as if this thing in front of them was something that could not be played around with. They put both their guards up at this point. After the initial sigh, the next time the voice was heard, the Magic array had already dimmed and lost its shine. The being that was summoned was presently in their midst. It spoke, "I wasn''t supposed to get out of Hell, nothing could get me out, however, you did. Are you perhaps God?" The voice was calm and relaxed, pleasing to hear even, however, the cold and the evil the two of them could feel from the miasma that came and gathered around the person made them feel nauseous. "It¡­ It was god''s power that brought you to us. We need your help. The humans threaten to invade us with their oppressive power and their cruelty. We demons cannot simply defend by ourselves. Please, help us!" Jacquelin pleaded with the hero they summoned. "Oh? God was it? That''s not even funny. Bu~t¡­ I kinda like it here. The air''s a bit more nourishing that in Hell. I should stay here for now, since I don''t know if you can help me return. "Now, about what you just said and requested, hmmm¡­. I''ll protect you when the time comes, but for the meantime, Hehe¡­ I''ll enjoy my freedom! I''ll spare your lives for the time being! Hahahaha!" The hero, from Hell, was a demon. A real demon that was summoned from the depths of Hell itself. Its power was being nurtured by the second because of the miasma in the air. It did not even bother with the two who''re guarded, it even ignored Ken who had been waiting in hiding, directly flying up and out of the tower, towards the south, enjoying its freedom. What Jacquelin and Tasha did not know, was that demons from Hell, could not affect the physical world much without incarnating. However, this demon had a physical body already as soon as it was summoned. This only meant that Demons, in this world, could incarnate the moment they are exposed to the world''s atmosphere. This was a thought that would have given certain Winchesters a fright. *** Two years and some few months later. After traveling the Demon realm and this world on foot for the last two years, the Demon called Azarael happened upon the highest peak that he could observe in front of him. To the right was a grand river, to the left was a mountain range that had difficult-to-travel-in vibes and to the front was the mountain that seemed to be inviting himself. Beyond the mountain, he could feel the emotion of countless people full of joy¡­ this was irking him and so he decided to crash the party. Anyway, he couldn''t feel anyone as strong as him, he could sense four people that could pass as his subordinate demons, but they''re probably stuck up on something like human pride, so he did not even consider them. The rest were ordinary humans to him. "This should be fun!" 90 A Hero No More The day of the birthday celebration. The city hall had arranged for the celebration to be broadcasted to the whole Empire via the Magic Image Broadcasting tool that they developed through the help of various magic societies and towers in the Human Realm. It was developed through the suggestion of Clay''s apprentices who called themselves Elementalists to distinguish themselves from ordinary magic users. Where their ideas came from, no one knew but them. The in-person participants who went to Claiomh themselves were the leaders of the Kingdoms under the Empire, and the big-name merchants that had influence in their field. There were no less than a thousand leaders in the Human Realm, and they all, with no exception, came to celebrate Ryan''s birthday to show their respect and to meet the future next Emperor. Giselle had already come out to their large courtyard where the celebration was being held. Security was as tight as it could be, to protect against possible monster attacks and other terror attempts. The guards of Claiomh Solais were the cream of the crop so to say. They rivaled Rank AAA adventurers if they were ranked. As they were also the ones charged with the protection of the whole Capital City, they were trained to the extreme by the retainers of Clay himself, his direct subordinates. Giselle welcomed the guests with a gentle and warm voice and said, "We appreciate your response to our invitation to our Son, Ryan''s, first birthday celebration in four years. We celebrated once when he turned 1 year old, however, his father, Lord Clay, had taken him away on an adventure to the Demon Realm four years ago and came back only recently. "We thank you for blessing our son with your presence and hope that you would enjoy this grand celebration that we have prepared for you. "As you know, Lord Clay is currently present however, he will show himself only later as he said he had something to take care of with his four subordinates. I hope you understand our Lord Emperor''s absence for a bit. "Without further ado, let me present to you the star of today''s celebration; my son, Ryan vi Acadria et Solais!" Thunderous clap reverberated over the place and this happening was broadcasted throughout the Empire. By now, the Empire had already installed Transfer Gates towards Claiomh and have continually improved it to cater to better transport for local traveling as well. The broadcasting was quite a new thing that was introduced only last year in the Empire. As the thunderous noise of the clapping of thousands of people slowly died down, Ryan was given the stage to give his thanks for the guests that came. Although he was yet old enough to address them, it was a special occasion after all. Giselle also went down and started her own agenda. While Clay was with his four subordinates in the City Hall''s Mayor''s office: Isaac''s office. "Giselle had given me information about the movements of all the other Realms in Alleucanth and I have been reluctant to affect the world with my power, however without me knowing about it, I became Emperor this fast. And the other realms must be alarmed. "The Demon Realm had already summoned their hero it seems. And the Dragonkin are still just watching. The Beast Prairie is silent as well. It seems your training, really must get to the next level already. After today, we will all train. All four of you from this moment on, take off your shackles and consolidate your strength for our upcoming training session. "I set up the Hydra sometime ago so that you''d know how to battle something that has the ability to heal and regenerate at high speeds. I will tell you the reason for that now. "I needed you to be strong enough to kill or at least restrain beings that have similar characteristics because I am one as well. That is why, I set it up so that you know how to fight me. "Right now, your flesh and bones are still fragile and are unable to hurt me, even with weapons you won''t scratch my skin. However, I will entrust to you a formula to hurt me in case I go out of control. That''s why I need you to be strong! "Since I came to this world, I have never taken a human life. In another incarnation of me, maybe I have taken lives, however, I have not¡­ not yet. And therefore, I am reluctant in using my power to hurt normal human beings or people. "However, to monsters, my strength I can muster and exert. This reluctance has made me indirectly hurt other people. You don''t need to know the details; however, I have failed others. I may have a ridiculous amount of power and energy, but I am a coward who does not want to use this power. Whether its for good or bad. I only used it to entertain myself and pursue things that interested me until now. "Why am I telling you all this? "Because, sooner or later, there will come a time, when I will use this power to protect my family, my friends and my loved ones that I may lose control over it and become a monster instead of someone you knew. "I need you four to be strong enough to put a stop to my rampage. And to do that, I need you four to become stronger than you are now. The way you are currently, I can snuff your lives out of you with a snap of my fingers. You need to ascend and step into the world closer to perfection. "Here is you new training regimen. Do this and at the end of your struggle and suffering, you will become strong enough to bear inside your bodies, the power that makes me as I am. The room was silent. They did not know how to answer, however, their answer was not needed. Only their effort was needed. What needed to be done, needs to be done. That was what Clay implied and what he intends for them. Clay was about to speak again, however, he suddenly sat up and looked towards the north. The same thing happened to Jon as he also sensed danger on a whole new level. It was paralyzing to him. He grew paler as each second came and passed. Isaac took his eyes away from the piece of parchment that Clay handed them that contained their training regimen and saw that something wrong with both. He wanted to ask but as he saw Jon grow paler by the second, he knew something was up. In his suspicion, he spread his magic energy in the area of a few miles that almost covered the entire city. There was nothing he could sense. Sensing Isaac''s probe, Caltec and Mor also looked up and saw Clay and Jon''s expressions. Clay''s were more of curiosity, while Jon''s was of utter terror. Finally, Clay spoke to them very slowly and calmly, "You guys need to silently take away every citizen in this city away. I will open rifts and gates towards the distance. Don''t come back here until Jon says so. Do not let them panic. Just make up excuses. "This is gonna be a messy business. I can feel extreme malice from our visitor, I''m curious what he wants." From what Clay said last, they understood that they had an uninvited visitor. "Go! Right now, he''s still strolling around and climbing the mountain like it''s a park, we have time. Just don''t let the people panic and let them go peacefully." Snap Clay snapped his finger and immediately, the four of them were transferred to a specific area in the city to warn the citizens and to let them go. Clay himself went to the courtyard of their home to greet the guests they had. When Clay arrived silently, no one noticed him but when he stood on stage, he was finally noticed by the people who came. Clay wore the aura of a higher being and made everyone feel his presence. It was exclusive to only this audience, however. Clay could control his presence form being felt and to dull the perception of lower beings by will, so it came easy to him now. "Hello! I greet everyone. My name is Clay. No need to kneel. I was preparing something earlier and have come late because of it, I apologize. Now that it''s ready, I wish to take you all there right now. And so, please, orderly enter the Rift I have opened at the gates. Just pass through it and you will find my surprise in there. Enjoy its view." Clay had opened the Rift and connected it to the hills that overlooked Claiomh from a distance. This was part of one of the Empire''s Kingdoms close to the Moribor mountain, where Agera was. The King of Igelias gasped in surprise and immediately exclaimed that this was part of his territory once he did a once over on the terrain and the familiar landmarks. "This is part of my territory! To think that the Emperor would grace my territory with this honor. I see! We can clearly see the Imperial Capital from here. What a wonderful discovery. From now on, this spot will be developed to be one of the landmarks of Igelias." With a hearty laughter, the King of Igelias rejoiced and the other leaders'' reaction varied from congratulatory, to envy, to ridicule. Even the former emperor also congratulated the King of Igelias. Clay appeared last and closed the Rift behind him and simply snapped his finger to hide the presence of these leaders. He then simply told them some sort of excuse to disappear after telling Giselle to take care of them for the time being. "Giselle, something''s up. I had to evacuate the citizens and these leaders. I think the Demon Realm''s Hero is visiting. Just in case there''s a fight, I can''t have them become casualties. Just give them some well placed excuses. You can also tell them the truth since they are leaders after all, but, keep them in line. I must go. You be careful. "Son take care of your mother. She takes priority over others, understand? If you feel any threat, blast them." Clay told his son telepathically. Just to make sure that Giselle did not notice, he hugged him lightly and disappeared. *** Before Clay came back from taking the leaders away, Caltec, Isaac, Jon and Mor were busy commanding the Town Guards to guide the citizens to the Rifts that Clay had made for them. Each Rift was connected to Acadria and were powered by Clay''s magic energy so there were no worries about it closing soon. "Proceed with caution and lead them! Town Guards! You are to keep the peace and quite of the place where you are going. Each squad will take care of the accommodation for our citizens. Talk to the overseer for the procedures. And citizens, do not panic. Lord Clay is handling the situation. It''s only a minor problem that showed itself suddenly. So be calm and collected. Go in peace!" This was also said by Caltec, Jon and Mor to their quadrants. The citizens followed the instructions without fail and by the end of 30 minutes, all the citizens had evacuated successfully. With the help of Clay''s apprentices and the Town guards and the four of them, they did a great evacuation execution. *** Claiomh Solais. The streets were empty and even the wind howling could not be heard. Clay appeared at the peak of Moribor waiting with crossed arms and leaning on one of the trees. Even the monsters that occupy this place were long purged by his subordinates however, the lesser monsters were not, which meant that they were spooked by something else. As Clay''s presence can never be detected unless he wants it to be detected. Not even the hero of the Demon Realm detected him. The demon from Hell, Azarael. He was leisurely strolling and going for a visit to such a great party that he sensed a few hours ago, but then as he was nearing the mountain to climb it, he suddenly felt that they disappeared. He even doubted his senses for a second, but then confirmed that they really were gone. He was slightly disturbed, but he did not mind it. He had all the time in the world to find more people to play with. There was no rush. Even as he did stroll around the Demon Realm, he also enjoyed killing and torturing some hybrids he found. "I''m sure these things were not created by God. Am I not on Earth? How interesting." As he reached the peak of Moribor, the mountain he was climbing without care, he passed by one tree that he found odd. There was nothing there, but he could feel some sort of apprehension towards that tree. Instead of being scared, he instead was curious and so he went closer to it. At two feet apart from the tree, he eyed it carefully and even went around it to check thoroughly. What he did not know was that his face was already as close as can be with Clay''s. Clay did not move and just stared at the Demon he was facing. Clay had already known that it was a Demon¡­ a real one from where he came from originally. And so, his belief in Demons and Angels was established. If this guy is real, then I''m sure that Angels are also real. Clay thought. "And here I thought, the demons in the Demon Realm were just normal monsters. To think they were able to summon such a malicious being into this world. Pure evil. How dreadful are these gods in Alleucanth?" Clay thought further and then spoke to the Demon. "Where are you going, friend?" Oddly, Clay did not feel threatened by the Demon Azarael. He was in fact only worried about the malice this demon directed towards the city when he felt it earlier. At this sudden voice that appeared from the tree, Azarael immediately struck out and punched the tree. Unsurprisingly, the tree was felled, and the debris were scattered to the ground and dust flew in the air. "No need to be so violent is there?" Clay continued to speak calmly. "Where are you motherfucka!" Azarael cussed. He was agitated. He couldn''t feel any pressure, yet he also could not feel the presence of this voice. "Oof! Such a foul mouth we have here. Care to calm down first?" Instead of calming down, Azarael was even more agitated when he was spoken to like this. "Bastard! Show yourself! You think hiding will save you from me? I''ll butcher you!" "Fine, fine. Stop spitting in the air will you. I don''t want any of your saliva on me." Saying so, Clay showed himself in front of Azarael. This time, Azarael felt the presence of Clay and immediately felt oppressed. "W-What are you?! You look human, but why do I feel a primal fear towards you?!" Azarael realized immediately what he was feeling. The only times he ever felt this was of those times when he was in the presence of the Princes of Hell. "You, you''re no human!" He pointed his hand and said. "Ouch! No, pointing of fingers please." Snap "Arggh!" Azarael had his pointing finger bent backwards towards himself with Clay''s snap. "I know you''re naturally malicious, but could you not spread your malice in my domain? I''d hate for my people to be infected by you." Clay said in a matter-of-fact way. "The thing is, I''m stronger that you. You won''t stand a chance against me if we fought. So, I want you to go back to where you came from and just stay there until I come for a visit. This way, we''ll all live happily ever after. Right?" "Hell no! I''ll enjoy my freedom thank you! And you mother fucka won''t be able to stop me!" Azarael said as he used his all to strike at Clay. His broken finger was healed in an instant as well. His speed was great, and the impact was even greater. A sonic boom was created from his charging punch, blasting trees, boulders, and snow away. He arrived quickly and started a barrage on Clay. Clay on the other hand just stood there and extended his hand to receive the punches. Boom! Boom! Boom! The scene looked much like how trainers received the punches of their trainees with a mitt. Even folding his left arm and resting it on his lower back. "Hah!" Each exertion Azarael gave made him certain¡­ this man, he''s not normal! "Ah! Hah! Huuh!" Punch after punch after kicks and Azarael was yet to hit Clay squarely, he did not even more from the spot as if Azarael''s punches were as light as mosquito bites. What he did not know, was that Clay''s overall weight was not actually that heavy. If he received those punches normally, then normally he''d have been blown away from the very first punch. However, Clay had made it his fighting habit or discipline to multiply his weight when fighting with monsters. Because normally, monsters exert so much force that a single punch would blow a tiny person away, regardless of the damage it does. And getting always blown away was not something ideal for battle. This was what he taught his subordinates. So. in training from now on, they''ll no longer wear the gravity bangles and instead wear them when battling. if Azarael knew this, he''d have agreed wholeheartedly of this great idea. Azarael continued his barrage for at least five seconds before he punched his last and retreated. Seeing as Clay was unaffected, he changed his tactics. He used his other abilities instead of physical prowess. A Demon from Hell had one arsenal that was staple, it was psychokinesis. Azarael extended his hand and had his palm pointing towards Clay. He was going to exert force on Clay with his mind. He dug deep within himself and even groaned in effort. In his mind, he saw Clay was being held by his power in the air and was slowly getting crushed. Or so he imagined. Clay found his ability rather interesting and commanded his skill to analyze and create a skill with similar features as Azarael was showing. It took no time at all to have the skill, heck, Clay''s skill reported, [Opponent''s Skill is inferior to Host''s. Dissolving Skill. Success] "Huh. Whatever. I thought I could imitate Skywalker and use the "Force" oh well." Clay nonchalantly thought. "How could this be?!" Azarael was getting even more certain that he went and swallowed more than he can chew. As he was exerting all of his efforts, footsteps arrived at the scene and four men arrived. Obviously, they were Isaac, Caltec, Jon and Mor. Clay was frowning a little and they all saw this. And then Jon immediately pointed to the others saying, "It was them! They were worried about the city, so they wanted to witness the fight. I told them not to go, since I can still feel the danger from this guy!" He was frantic. Maybe because of the malice from Azarael whom they just met or from the fright of receiving yet another scolding from Clay. "Enough. This guy is boring, so I''ll give them to you. He''s a bit too strong for you guys in your current state, so let''s do this instead." Clay snapped his finger and Azarael''s energy dropped down to his base level from before he was transported to this world. Clay knew that he had been absorbing the miasma that was a nourishment to a Demon like him to make himself stronger and his hard work for 2 years had all been drained by Clay instead. Only Clay knew where all that energy went to, but Azarael looked miserable now that he was deflated by Clay. But even in this state, he was still stronger than the four of them combined. "Hey, Azarael, yea, that''s right I know your name. Anyway, if you can beat my guys, I''ll let you go and return your energy to you. But if they beat you, you''re gonna die, deal?" Clay gave Azarael a deal, but before that, Azarael was surprised that Clay even knew his name. Just how profound is this man''s power? Azarael thought. "If I win, you''ll let me go and have my power back, right?" Azarael sized the guys up and felt confident in ending them quickly. Once he did that, he was confident right away. He readily agreed to Clay''s proposal. "Deal!" The four men''s face paled as they could also feel that the opponent, they had was stronger than them by miles. If earlier, they were dreadful of the other guy because of the energy radiating from him, then now, it should have lessened. However, they found that even with him drained, he was still stronger than the four of them combined. However, at least now, they stood a chance compared to earlier. "Hey you four troublemakers. Fight him with all you got, or you''ll die. If he deals a killing blow to you, I may not be able to save you in time, so you must take note of that. I won''t let you die easily, but you may still die regardless. Understood? Now go!" With Clay''s orders. The four of them entered their usual formation. The only difference is that they were fighting a human. Or at least that''s how they looked at this guy called Azarael. Each with a nod, they communicated their intentions and went off to fight Azarael. Azarael who was trying to grasp his powers again received their attacks without problem. Isaac attacked with an ice blade connected to his arm created using magic, while Caltec punched out with his Turtle Destruction Wave induced fist techniques. Jon and Mor were waiting for an opportunity to also land attacks. Isaac''s slash was defended well by Azarael using only his arm while his other hand clenched its fist and threw it towards Isaac''s body. Before his fist could reach Isaac, Caltec had already launched his own punch towards Azarael''s undefended temple. Without fear, Azarael continued his punch and it landed on Isaac''s body which resulted in him being blown away into the snow-filled land. Isaac was unmoving for a few seconds before he coughed up blood dyeing the snow on the ground in front of him red. Caltec''s punch to Azarael''s temple landed as well and Azarael skidded away while scraping the ground. His standing posture wasn''t disturbed. Only that he was blown away by the force of Caltec''s punch. After all, he was almost weightless, compared to that punch. Waiting for him at the position he was blown into was Jon. Jon still felt danger from this man they were facing but he set that aside and faced his fears. He slashed with his all-cutting blade. His slash contained traces of magic energy in it which made it even more deadly. The slash landed and sliced Azarael in half. There was no blood, only a black smoke that slowly spilled out of the cut halves. Seeing this, Clay spoke to them, "Oh, I forgot to mention. This guy is a spiritual entity. He may have a physical body, but he is a pure spiritual entity. To make it fair, let me enhance your weapons." Clay snapped his finger and instantly, the weapons they had became dangerous even for Azarael. It may not kill him with just a slash, but it will wound even his spiritual body. ''Just what are you?!'' Azarael was indignant. This is just wrong! Azarael wanted to surprise these guys by letting them put their guards down, but Clay foiled his plan with that one sentence and even empowered his subordinates. How was this fair?! "I see." Isaac was without weapon and instead relied on his ice magic, but this time, he switched to his other source of power. He summoned the Ice Spirit King saying, "O Spirit of the King of Frost heed my call and lend me your coat of arms." It wasn''t a full summoning as Isaac only borrowed the King''s power to coat his own Ice Blade, now it became Spirit Ice Blade. It had the same effect as what Clay enhanced the others'' weapons with. "Good thinking!" Clay gave a thumbs up to Isaac and grinned. He knew that Isaac knew what to do with the information, so he did not provide him a weapon. What he did not know though was when Isaac finally made a contract with the Spirit King of Frost. He was curious but he''ll ask about it later. The rest now also had a chance to fight and damage Azarael as well. Mor, who was chanting something earlier had now unleashed his attack on the unsuspecting Azarael after that single round earlier. He was feeling left out because everyone forgot about him. His attacks after all were big and needed charging time. When he did attack, his weapon was already enhanced by Clay, so he did not need to worry about it not damaging if it hit. Azarael was still cursing Clay inside his mind when he felt the fluctuation of energy above him. It was Mor who put his Turtle Destruction Wave ¨C Slash to the extreme of both speed and magic energy output. A time ago, he would have shouted out loud before hitting the enemy, alerting it and allowing it to dodge, but Mor seemed to have overcome this childish tendency after some time. Clay approved of it, but he still had to work on his magic energy being detected while he attacks. Surprise attacks lose their effectivity when detected after all. Slash! Mor''s attack hit the ground and gouged a large portion of the earth. His target was nowhere to be found around the hole he made. Then, "Watch out!" Jon was the one to warn Mor of the impending attack he was to receive. Hurriedly, he put his perception to the test and found Azarael speedily attacking him with a kick from his left side blind spot. After all, it was Mor who was taught by Clay to use magic energy to detect other creatures around himself. Swoosh! Mor was barely able to dodge the attack and Azarael landed in front of him a few meters away. Without letting up, Azarael turned on his toes and delivered a roundhouse kick to Mor. Mor certainly was not a training dummy. He circulated magic on his Magic Stick and formed a Tower Shield that covered even his flank, receiving Azarael''s kick squarely. Crash! The sound of glass breaking resounded just as Azarael''s kick contacted the shield Mor conjured resulting in him being blown away towards a few meters before crashing on a dozen of trees and stopping. From the looks of it, he was heavily injured just like how Isaac should have been when he received Azarael''s attack. While Mor was getting blown away, Jon had arrived next to Azarael to attack him. He was supposed to stop Azarael''s kick with a counterattack, but he was too late and so his slash came late. When Azarael''s kick collided with Mor''s shield, he was already in the motion of slashing horizontally towards the neck of Azarael. When Mor was blown away, Azarael had to defend from Jon''s slash hastily with both his arms. Clang! The sound of heavy metal on heavy metal resounded as the slash hit and Azarael was also blown away at the opposite direction where Mor was. Azarael was damaged quite considerably owing to the enhancement that Clay gave their armament. "Hiss!" Azarael could only hiss as the pain he could feel was immense. The searing of the soul is what particularly gave him that sensation of pain. He had never felt pain like this for millennia. While he was in the air, blown away, Caltec had positioned himself to where Azarael was supposed to land and gathered a finishing blow. He utilized the energy gathering and compression ability of the Turtle Destruction Wave and wore it on his right arm as a giant fist. He can either blast it forward or use its enormous energy to deal internal damage to physical beings. However, this was a mistake. Azarael was a spiritual entity who could not simply be damaged by physical attacks. Caltec''s attack well thought off as a follow up attack, however, as an attack in general it was a failure on his part to remember that their quarry was not something he could hurt physically. It was even a subject for debate at this point if they were the quarry or the other way around. Caltec blasted Azarael with the ultimate move he charged. At first, Azarael was a bit apprehensive as to what would happen if that fist was to collide with his face, however, when he saw the magic energy that ballooned covering Caltec''s fist, he was relieved. After being blasted away from Caltec using the momentum of the blast, Azarael found himself in mid-air, he was flying. Supernaturally, it was a simple feat to fly. However, the four of them were unable to do this just yet. This was their disadvantage when facing foes who could take to the skies. They could leap to great heights, however, as gravity dictates, they needed to fall. "Dammit! We still can''t fly. We won''t be able to catch him in mid-air." "Yeah, our attacks would only be evaded there." At this point, they could only look towards Clay for guidance. They had gathered to regroup after Caltec''s attack failed to finish the job. Even as the terrain was devastated because of that huge energy blast. Clay seeing this action of theirs could only chuckle. "What are you guys looking at me for? This is your fight. If you can''t beat him, I''ll allow him to go back to where he came from. But if you can finish him then that''s it. Just say if you''re unable and we''ll finish up here. We still have a party to resume." Clay was not in the mood to play with Azarael. He was too weak for Clay and he was too strong for his current subordinates'' strength. "We are unable to fight hi when he is in the air, Sire. We are still greatly lacking." "Exactly! That''s why your training will be more intense when we get back. So, ready yourselves. "As for you, Azarael, go back to the demon realm and maybe train or whatever. Don''t even dare to visit other realms before you think you''re strong enough, or I will personally end you. And tell the Demon Leaders there to visit me within a year. If they don''t respond or if you don''t tell them, it''s you who I will visit for both accounts. You understand? "Now, Go!" Clay was not forgiving nor lenient this time. There was a reason why he let the Demon Azarael go for now. One, he could use the bastard as training dummy for his subordinates, two, he could use his memories to extract the coordinates of Hell and make a visit there himself later. Whatever else form of use he can serve; Clay would have to think about more later. With a bit of hesitation, Azarael flew away into the direction of the Demon Realm and even tested Clay''s influence by swerving towards the Dragonkin Territory, however, Clay had the entire planet under his watch the moment he found out that other races may have summoned heroes after Azarael showed up. And that tiny movement of Azarael, netted him a light beam that came out of nowhere and struck his head. Fortunately, it was merely a warning shot, if not, he knew that he''d have died without knowing how. So, he continued his way to tell the demons of this world, what Clay had told him to do. His hatred and anger could easily be understood. 91 Heaven-bound Training Clay had wanted to train his subordinates to be the pillar of Alleucanth when he decides to go and pursue even more power in the future. Clay knew that Alleucanth was still just developing and so the techniques and knowledge here was not exactly what he could consider modern. He had to go to other planets that could possibly have other powerhouses. He was powerful in Alleucanth, but what''s to say that he''d still be powerful when he visited other planets with more advanced magic and scientific technologies developed. So, he could only make them ascend. The thing about ascension was, that any skill that he had prior to ascension were upgraded to better versions of it. Even Ultico was upgraded. So, before he made his subordinates ascend and possibly his son Ryan as well in the future along with his mother Giselle, who Clay now had some inkling of romantic feelings toward. When they ascend, the first thing that they''d benefit from is the fact that they''d live longer lives compared to even the long-lived species like the elves. However, with a magic technique that Clay developed, dying of aging would be impossible for them. He developed the technique of flooding the entire human being with magic particles instead of the usual elements. This process is arduous and painful in the long run, but the effects are boundless. This was a technique he developed owing to his knowledge of some eastern fantasy cultivation methods. If in eastern fantasy, it was Qi that was absorbed by the body to make it tougher and stronger, Clay''s technique replaces Qi with magic energy. The manual was divided into 14 books. Each book contains the methods for cultivating the skin, bones, nerves, viscera, mind, perception and control. All of which were required to tempered again and again until they reach the next level. It was simple, not as complicated as the cultivation methods of eastern fantasy. It was a step by step method towards ascension that he cropped up. Although for his subordinates, training was the only way. He couldn''t let them slack off and cultivate close doors, when they had responsibilities to perform and take care of in Claiomh. Their training now consisted of being pumped with magic energy from Clay. Yes, Clay was forcefully washing away their human flesh. This was the same with the methods of cultivation, but it was forceful and the pain they had to undergo was not something that should have been experienced if they cultivated instead. Clay was not remorseful. He wanted them to be the first to understand how painful it is to gain power. Clay himself had to undergo a torturous period before he had become powerful. That was a long time ago though. After the incident on Ryan''s birthday, it had already been a few months. "You will grit your teeth and endure! You are warriors that will one day serve as pillars of this world. The gods can do nothing to you unless they descended themselves. You will rule the entire world with might and power! "Endure! Do not think that power comes without effort and pain. You''ve experienced firsthand how painful it is to gain even the measly power that you had. You couldn''t even finish one Demon even when you had my support. That''s how weak you are. Compared to others, you''re still chicks! "I was ashamed to even admit that you are my subordinates. I could snap my fingers and kill without doing anything else, and yet my subordinates cannot even take down one Demon. The Shame! "From now on, you will experience pain that transcends pain that you''ve ever experienced. All for the sake of your survival!" With his impassioned speech, Clay proceeded with washing the four of them with his magic energy. He was constantly monitoring their stats and their STR, INT, MGC, and DEX were steadily increasing at rapid speeds towards the millions in each session. Each session would last only about 2 hours and in those two hours, their screams would never cease. Clay estimated that by the time he finished with them in a month, they''d have stats that go over at least 10 million. "This should be enough to ascend with a decent enough power afterwards. Stronger that even Azarael when he had all that miasma collected in his body." This training session lasted for a month and each day, would be more torturous than the previous. By the time they finished. Caltec, Isaac, Jon and Mor all had faces as serene as the night. As if they were unfeeling. However, their trembling betrayed what they had inside their minds. They feared the pain they had to endure yet again. However, they did not protest. They willingly gritted their teeth in order to be granted with power that would enable them to do their utmost in protecting their loved ones, their home and the peace they had built. It was a month later that Clay decided to make them ascend. The place he chose as the ascension site was the peak of Moribor. He leveled the inside of the top of the mountain to make some space for them to proceed with the Ritual. The Moribor peak was now hollow as the space Clay decided to flatten was the interior of the peak. Inside, Clay was standing a few meters away from the four of them. They were also separated by at least ten meters apart. Clay would work on them one by one from now on. When the time came, Clay proceeded with the Ritual. And just like how he ascended it may take them a year at most or years if they are slow. Clay snapped his finger and a household golem appeared beside him. He assigned this golem to take care of the four of them and this site for as long as they are yet awake before leaving. At Claiomh, he assigned Yorna to be the temporary Mayor for as long as Isaac was training. He told her to relay to the families ¨C the original families ¨C that the four of them were training and that they will be absent from Claiomh for an indefinite amount of time. Just as Clay will also be gone. "It is up to you to manage the entire city. Giselle will help manage the Empire, so you don''t need to worry about it, just take care of this city and the original family. Here are some ideas that you may implement in this city first and expand and spread it to the empire later. "Infrastructure, energy source, magic tools development, plans for world unification and magic techniques for the Elementalists and recipes for Alchemists. "It should last you some 50 years or so until you finish all of these plans altogether. Exhausting this would put you to step into the future. I look forward to it when I come back." Without staying longer, Clay disappeared while Yorna was looking at the documents. It was a stack of over 5 meters of paper, all plans for the future of Claiomh. Clay was planning to disappear and leave after his retainers were done with their ascension. *** A few years later, Clay and Giselle and Ryan were sitting on a dining table inside their palace. The food was aromatic and pleasing to the eyes. Giselle and Ryan were already eating, and Clay was simply enjoying this view. His fondness of Giselle had grown to an affectious stage already and love was clearly seen in his eyes these days. However, along with the love and yearning in his eyes for them, his family, there was also worry. Giselle who was quite perceptive of Clay''s micro expressions asked him. "What troubles you my Lord you have yet to touch your food?" "Ah! I was just enjoying the view of you and my son, eating peacefully and hope that it will continue to be so. The Demon Realm Emperor has already visited, the Dragonkin Emperor as well. The King of the Beast Prairie also graced us with his presence a few months ago. They have expressed their wish to unite with us one way or another. "Ryan is already a young man. Right son? He is at a marriageable age and so I have arranged for him and the daughter of the Dragonkin emperor, Kezel to be wed this coming year. The Dragon emperor expressed his desire to unite us through the bond of marriage, obviously. "The King of the Beast Prairie also expressed this; however, Ryan is only one, and their pride would not allow their princess to be merely a mistress. So, I''ve arranged for Caltec''s son, who has now grown to be younger than Ryan a few years to marry their daughter. I have already arranged this for them, Caltec will not object. "The Demon Empress though, has expressed unity in the form of marriage with me. I need your opinion on this, Giselle." Clay stopped talking and waited for Giselle to voice her opinion. "My Lord, there is absolutely no problem for one such as yourself to have as many wives as you can. It is only natural that such a grand Emperor should have many heirs. In fact, Ryan has been such a blessing to us already and more like him should secure your Empire for eternity. "So, marrying the Demon Empress and possibly having children with her will also be a glorious achievement for your Empire. That is my opinion." Giselle stopped talking up to here and continued eating with a smile. "I see. However, having children is already out of the question. It seems that with my power, the ability to sire children has been lost in me. I mean we have tried time and again to produce another heir, however my constitution no longer permits me to have children. This is the price I must pay for the power I now possess. It cannot be remedied. That is why, it must be better to marry the Demon Empress with Ryan instead. Even as a mistress, she should be suitable for him. What say you, son?" Clay asked for Ryan''s opinion. It was not because he wanted Ryan to decline but because Ryan too knew Clay''s circumstance. After all, he was the only one who knew of Clays condition after Clay confided in him, entrusting Alleucanth to him. "Father, there''re no objections from me if it is your will. I shall obey." Clay chuckled and soon began to laugh. He was glad that his son was someone he could talk to as an equal when they were in private. If not, he''d have no one to talk to and whine with. "It is decided then!" *** Another year passed and movement from the peak of Moribor alerted Clay, disappearing as he felt the movement. Arriving instantly at the hollowed peak, Clay found Isaac first who was now floating in the air and looking at him curiously. After a few seconds of confusion, he immediately recognized Clay and descended to the ground to bow before him. "Your subject, greets the Lord!" Clay felt Isaac''s power overflowing and surely, even those that are in hiding all over the world, could feel even a faint trace of this power. In fact, even the gods should have felt this power. "Isaac. You have done well. Suppress your energy to the maximum level. Do not let it leak lest you freeze the people you are supposed to be protecting." With a laugh, Clay patted Isaac''s shoulders and told him to suppress his power. Isaac had looked like a pure ice spirit earlier. He was emitting unbelievable amounts of frost energy and his spiritual body was indeed ice-based. Clay could also feel that his connection to the Spirit Realm had gotten better and in fact, the Spirit King of Frost now stood almost as Isaac''s equal. After suppressing his powers, Isaac''s human countenance returned, and he was relieved. "Good. Let''s wait for the others to awaken then." Said Clay. It was Isaac who he first made to ascend. Next was Caltec, then Jon and then Mor. Not soon after, Caltec did finish his ascension and had a spiritual body that was geared more on close combat. His spiritual body looked like a monk''s. The same procedure happened as with Isaac and Clay made him to suppress his energy. Soon, Jon and then Mor also awakened. Jon''s spiritual body was a swordsman. Quite common, but still powerful. And Mor''s was a Magician who wore heavy armor. Most probably a magic swordsman. After this reunion, Clay had taken all of them to Apollo''s Lair. By this time, Apollo''s Lair had already been established for years and its facilities have become state-of-the-art. The insulation was at its greatest output and not even the heat from the core of the Sun could enter the mansion. The golems continued their work while the four of them were surprised. "Sire, where is this?" Asked Isaac. He felt apprehensive of the place, naturally. As if he was standing inside the most dangerous place he could possibly be. "This is my Lair, on the Sun. I made this a long time ago. I took you here, because from now on, I will entrust to you the world of Alleucanth. You will be its overseer, executioner, judge, and guide. I have in this Lair of mine plans and knowledge that can help you further guide the world into prospering into the future. "You will have access to all my golems here after I turn over the ownership to the four of you. "I am telling you this because I am leaving Alleucanth and search for power in this massive universe. My adventure will take so much time that by the time I return, I don''t even know if you''d still be alive. That is why, strive to lead Alleucanth and its people into the future. "The gods may try to stop you because we''ve ruined their game, however, we shall not ¨C "Just as Clay was giving that impassioned speech, he felt a movement near the skies of Moribor. A massive energy signature that even the Demon Azarael, could not compare to. The same feeling of dread turned Clay''s body almost into jelly while the four of them were already on the ground. Even when far away, they still felt the dread. This feeling of dread was the same as when Clay came inside the Forbidden Chamber to meet the Lich god, when he was yet ascended. When he had ascended, he did not feel this again even when he met the Lich god again right after. But now, he was feeling dread even more than when he encountered the Lich god for the first time! Just what could have caused this. However, Clay could not stay still. He perceived that this massive energy was not going to be dispersed but instead aimed and fired and the only target that is close to Moribor was Claiomh. "This is bad!" Clay knew that his apprehension was right on the ball. Immediately he teleported right at the peak of Moribor and finally, the dread he felt took on physical form. "Y-You!" "Ah~ There you are. I couldn''t find you anywhere in Alleucanth. I thought you went and died from just my manifestation. Do you know why I''m here?" said the physical form that the being in front of Clay. "You are Sa¨C "before Clay finished pronouncing his name, Safir, the god of humanity hushed him. "Hush! Do not mention my name lowly mortal. Have I not told you already? I told you like it was just yesterday to not lightly mention my name. Have you forgotten?" Clay stared at him in dread. He really felt like his insides were going to burst from the fear that he was feeling. "Since you are keeping quiet, I shall answer my question then~ "I came here to punish the champion I have sent here to do my bidding. Since it was doing things not according to what I had in mind. You see, I asked my champion to destroy the other races and beat them to a pulp so that I would win, and the other gods would bow down before me and my power. "However, my champion instead united the whole world and would not start to live according to peace. I predict that this peace would last for about a few hundred years with the insurances that you''ve already planned out and put in place am I right? "My anger is consuming me, and I cannot let this go any further! "You have given me no other choice! I shall destroy you and summon another hero that''s right for my taste. And this time, I shall make it my slave! Damn you! Wasting my divinity on useless scum like you!" After saying up to that point, the manifestation of Safir, the swirling clouds in the sky started to churn and coagulate. It turns into something else as a hole opened at its center and a bright light threatened to swallow the world with it from it. "I shall destroy everything you''ve built so far, and I will kill you! without further explanation and chances to converse, Safir brought his already raised hand down abruptly which corresponded to the movement inside the hole in the sky. A bright light immediately beamed towards Claiomh along with the whole Moribor mountain where Clay was. Swallowing the entirety of Claiomh and even the periphery. Clay''s anguished voice resounded, "No!" as he circulated all the means he had all the power that he swore never to use for fear of going out of control. Everything he had, he dished out to resist this dreadful attack from one of the gods. The beam reached Clay first and he was almost completely crushed had it not been for his ascended power and skills. "No!" "No! No!" "No!" "No~!" Clay''s mind was flooded with images of Ryan and Giselle who were at home probably teaching each other magic. The family of his four subordinates still going on with their daily duties happily and dutifully. The citizens that put their trust on Clay the moment they moved to Claiomh. The countless lives that were going to be lost from this one attack of Safir. He was powerless to stop it. Even with the powers he attained it was not enough to resist a god. Tears started to flow from Clay''s eyes. He felt despair from being powerless against Safir. He also did not expect this god to be this malicious as to kill him and even those that were innocent. Tears continued to flow as Clay howled while clasping that Energy Beam from the sky in his embrace. He did not want to let go, however, even if he did not, his body had already started to dissolve. It was as if this beam of light was separate from the laws of the world. Heat should not affect him, magic should follow his will and yet, it did not yield to him no matter how hard he tried. "No!" Clay continued to shout "No" in denial of the fact that he could not stop this. Resisting till the last moment. Safir showed up only for about 5 seconds from his manifestation to the conversation they had and the attack. In only five seconds, Clay was rendered powerless and incapable. In that 5 seconds, the lives of close to a million citizens would perish along with his child and wife. Clay had hope that Ryan would be able to use his Space-Time Magic to run away, but not even Ryan could resist this beam as even after he used Time Stopping magic, it continued without being hindered at all. Only the sound of glass breaking as spell after spell was broken which only added to Clay''s despair. Clay was desperate but he did not have anything he could use to save his people. There was only one thing he could do now. That was to run away. And even this idea was something he rejected again and again. With his Space-Time Magic spell of Teleport, he could go to Evernight, the only other planet he could teleport to as he did not have any other coordinates. His magic was not restricted, and his energy was constantly being replenished by his reactor skills. It was possible to run away. Time seemed to have slowed down for Clay to think it through again and again. And each scenario that he could think off, he would die and even his family died and people he cared for died. That was an unavoidable outcome, however, there was an outcome that did not involve him dying with them as well, giving him the chance to avenge his family and loved ones. Yes, that was if he ran away. Tears continued to drop from Clay''s eyes as these thoughts continued to run in his mind. "Will they forgive me?" "Will I be able to avenge them?" "Will I be strong enough?" Questions upon questions sprung up and he denied each with a definite answer. They''d not forgive me. Definitely. I would not be able to avenge them. Certainly. I won''t be strong enough. Unfortunately. Yet every time he reached that conclusion, somewhere in his heart, a hope was always budding. You''ll be fine. You''ll be able to avenge them. You''ll be able to punish them. No matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes. You will. If you are alive. If you are alive. When that line, "If you are alive" finally stuck itself on Clay''s mind. He had made the decision. His expression turned cold and unfeeling. It was as if his warm and easy-going attitude was erased from existence. He executed Teleport right as he was pushed by the beam for the last time. Clay''s struggle only lasted for 1 second. And the beam, now unhindered by Clay punched through its target and cleansed the whole city of Claiomh. Without knowing what happened. They only saw the disturbance in the sky and then the shine of the beam before they all turned into nothing. Citizen, Adventurer, Mercenary, Original Family, Imperial Family¡­ no one was spared. The aftermath was of no concern to Safir. He was going to summon another hero anyway. However, the uniqueness of Safir''s attack was that it only took the lives of people, not affecting the physical surroundings. And so, the city of Claiomh Solais, became a ghost town without anyone in it. Not until four men arrived at a secret room inside the Imperial palace. Four men who despaired. Four men who witnessed what their Lord had done for them. They were ascended beings. Their perception and sense were exceptional. Even now, they still felt the dread even when they knew that the being that manifested was already gone. Their Lord faced that annihilation head on to protect them, and even he failed and vanished in the face of that overwhelming power. They could not hold on and tears also started to stream from their eyes¡­ The loss of their families and the pain of losing even their Lord¡­ they were in so much pain. Jon and Mor started wailing and banging the floor as they kneeled and cried. Isaac had been holding back his tears as he stood however, he still succumbed to it, nevertheless. Caltec on the other hand started to punish himself by banging his head on the sturdy walls that their Lord had made for their city. All for them. He was furious at himself for being powerless, useless. The same went for the rest. Their cries filled the city of Claiomh with wails and as if offering their tears to the lost, they continued even until after a few days had passed. They understood¡­ Clay, their Lord was no more. And their loved ones were no more. However, the Empire was still dependent on them. And their Lord had given them one last order before he sacrificed himself for them. He said to lead, guide, implement, execute plans and reformation that he''d planned out for the future of Alleucanth. They will not fail him again. They all swore. 92 20 Years Evernight, 20 years after Clay brought himself here, abandoning his family and friends. In grief and desolation. He would have succumbed to the sorrow if not for the will to not let that incident happen again. No matter the cost. He blamed himself, blamed his weakness and blamed his lack of preparation for unexpected attacks, even from gods. Revenge was out of his mind. Revenge could not have brought back his family, his friends, and their families. It was a task quite impossible even if he scoured every world, he could find that had advanced healing and resurrection techniques. He was the least optimistic about getting their soul back into bodies of flesh. Even if he studied and researched souls to an extreme extent, he really so no use for it. He gave up on lofty goals like resurrecting them and instead built himself up in strength and power. Doing this, made him feel that a repeat of what happened would grow slimmer until it can no longer happen. In 20 years, Clay had made Evernight the way it was supposed to be hundreds of years before the Lich god made it that way. The skies were bright with sunlight, the green fields and mountains were full of life and activity from countless animals and even magic beasts as well as miasmic beasts. The human settlements grew in power and prosperity in order to defend themselves at night. Clay arranged with the Lich god, that he would take back the day and the Lich god the night. This way, the world is balanced, and the urgency of survival would grind both parties into growth together. And so, the day belonged to the humans, and the night belonged to the undead. The humans would toil and work to further themselves in the day, not holding anything back if there is daylight, and when night falls, the undead hunt also bring about their terror. Attacking the human settlements and castles in droves. The lesser undead were not as valuable as the higher level undead and even commander level ones, so they make them go and attack humans in hopes of bringing about other higher level undead. With this arrangement, Evernight was reformed and was called by the humans, Solas. Clay became their god, and faith was directed towards him. For the last 20 years, Clay had been protecting them and upholding justice and fairness in Evernight. He set up a new Apollo''s Lair on the Sun''s core and had been staying there since then. He setup an automatic smiting system which judges humans who hold evil intent and puts it into action. After which, a beam of golden light hits the offender without fail and depending on the degree of crime and offense he commits, he either gets his limbs cut off, his senses impaired temporarily or permanently, his head punched through and die. There are no warning shots or announcements. There is no need for police or temples to be built for oracles. Clay made himself overseer of humanity in this planet. This system had been going on for 20 years and nothing has hindered Clay''s growth in strength and authority in Evernight. On the other hand, the Lich god had become their god and followed his will uncontested. Afterall, he was a Lich and right now, the highest order lich there is on the planet. He still stayed in the Forbidden Chamber and never accepted any other visitors unless it was his disciple Elkanor. He had taken Elkanor as his disciple after Clay recommended her to him. Her achievements in research and undead technologies were top notch even with the Lich god''s standards. He told Clay that Elkanor had the highest chance of ascending given time. Clay did not comment and left. While all this was happening and the world revolving, Clay was inside Apollo''s Lair in Evernight and absorbing all the radiation and energy he could and converted them into stats. He did this by continuously washing himself with these energies. His stats broke through the Billions mark after 15 years and the progress had slowed down until now. Clay had not developed any more fun and games and just focused on the strength of his offense and the strength of his defense. Nothing else mattered. Today marks the 20 years after Clay had come to Evernight, fleeing from Safir. He descended stealthily and went to the Forbidden Chamber to seek the Lich god. The Lich god felt his presence immediately and greeted him. "Sun god, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" The Lich god was cordial to Clay ever since he felt that Clay held more power than him, even though he was the senior. "Lich god. Skip the pleasantries. Have you found any way to ascend further than just racial upgrade? Surely there are records of others ascending further?" Clay was seriously asking for a way to grow in power. He wants to find out how to become a real god. "As I have told you time and again, even I only found records of ascending which I tried on my self and succeeded by some stroke of luck. Other than this, I hold no other means to help you seek what you want, Sun god." the Lich god was exasperated as he had already told Clay almost to a thousand times that he did not have the information he needed. "Not unless you venture into the stars and find what you are looking for yourself, that''d be for the best. Both for you and Evernight." The Lich god continued, giving Clay an idea he himself also considered some time ago. "I see. Then I will venture to the stars and seek what I need there indeed. While I am gone, our arrangement still stands. And my eye, will continue to execute my orders according to its commands. So, you can be sure that in due time, more disciples will come to you." Clay said only this much before he disappeared. !!! Even the Lich god could not trace his whereabouts and his movement as he disappeared. He was amazed and frightened. "Just how powerful had the man grown, for him to even make an ascended like me feel like an inferior race?" the Lich god pondered and shuddered at the thought. *** When Clay disappeared from the Forbidden Chamber, he reappeared at the same time on Apollo''s Lair. After he double checked his Automatons, no longer golems, but automatons, Clay gave another command. "When less than 20 percent of humanity is left because of the undead, you shall mobilize and control the situation. When the situation is under control, you can go back here and watch again. This will be in a loop for as long as there''re humans left in Evernight." Clay left that command to them and slowly ascended away from the Sun. His stats had stagnated again, same with how his stats also did when he was primed for ascension. He suspected that an Ascension was in order, maybe this time, he''d achieve godhood as well. "When I ascend to godhood, I shall settle accounts with Safir. Then I shall be able to honor the memory of my family in Alleucanth. My retainers are surely working hard in keeping the world in its place for as long as they are there. "They''ve ascended as well, stronger than that Demon Azarael, keeping him in check would be easy. The rest of the world should also be under their thumb. At least, I am certain that they would make Claiomh Solais, a place worthy of my comeback. That is, if they do not think I died." Clay lamented. Going into the void was an easy feat for Clay now. He merely had to operate his ability to manipulate heat and some other skills. However, as Clay needed to learn how to properly breathe in space, he wanted to make his body learn it by force. He flew into the void and started breathing in the void itself. Inhaling and then Exhaling it. If not for his sturdy lungs and body, he would have imploded the second he went to the void. However, even the void had to bow down to his strength. No longer than 10 breaths, he heard his Ultimate skill giving him a heads up. That he learned to absorb the void into his body. Part of his lungs became the vessel for void particles which when breathed in, would go directly to that space. With spatial manipulation, it was an easy feat for Clay. This gave Clay the ability to breathe in space. Having done this, he also made a space for water to be inside his lungs, filled it with water through magic, and closed it off until he needed it. Without a proper destination, Clay had to expand his perception to cover a vast part of the System this Sun had. Evernight was not the only planet that supported life it seemed. He found out that a planet two planets away from Evernight also had signs of life. That was his first stop. Clay propelled himself at light speed towards that planet. His body unhindered by anything in space, arrived in no more than 20 minutes. Descending was no problem as well. There were no indications of intruding as he was simply too small to create any resistance in the atmosphere. Unless he flew at such a high speed while descending. Clay saw that the planet was a pure body of water. He could not detect that many signs of land mass through his Earth affinity. The entire planet being a body of water was something even Clay was curious about. This meant that the beings that lived here and those he has been detecting since entering the atmosphere were all underwater creatures. "Fascinating!" Clay could not help but admire. Landing on the surface of the water, Clay breathed in a huge gulp of air. He had been relying on his skill to breathe in the void since earlier and when he finally set foot on the planet, he found that the air, was heavier in this planet. Without further ado, he plunged into the underwater world he detected when he encompassed the whole planet with his perception. There were city-like structures at the bottom of the underwater world founded on the only landmass that he could detect. He visited one of the cities and immediately was also detected by this world''s people. Surprisingly, they were not overly aggressive in their approach. "Halt!" Clay was greeted by a man riding on a giant sea creature he had never seen before. It looked like a horse that grew scales and the tail of a whale. If one were to compare it with known monsters, then it looked like Lugia but with the face of a Horsea. It was weird but also kind of expected for Clay. After all, creatures were unique according to their evolution. Even Clay can become some ball of heat when he releases his physical body and switches to his spiritual one. When he heard the call to stop, it was not through the vibration in the air, rather, it was the vibration of water that was precisely targeted towards Clay. This technique was unique to the people of this planet. After all, they needed to communicate under water. What Clay was extra curious though, was how these people along with the one who shouted looked a lot like the humans from Evernight. Clay wanted to speak to them as well and his trusty Ultimate skill made this possible. "Greetings! I mean you no harm. I come in peace!" Clay chuckled in his heart as he never thought he would be the first to say this to another race in space. He had only read things like this in manga and novels after all. "Please hold. We are aware you are not from around here. However, we still need to check whether you hold any evil intent before we let you into our cities. After all, we can''t sense your strength but instead your existence only." The one who halted Clay explained. "Regardless, my name is Toka. I am captain of the patrolling squadron behind me. Please identify yourself and where you come from." Hearing him introduce himself. Clay could not help but also introduce himself cordially. "My name is Clay. I come from Evernight just two planets over from the same Solar System. How do you do?" !!! Hearing Clay''s origin, the captain calling himself Toka was surprised a look of admiration flashed in his eyes. "Amazing!" Toka exclaimed. "We shall hold you under monitoring, but you are welcome to enter our city of Shingle. I welcome you on behalf of our people." Toka gave Clay a warm welcome and commanded one of his subordinates to lead Clay into the city of Shingle. "A small city, from its name, Shingle. Hope I can find some clues here on this planet." *** Hearing that a foreigner came who originated from Evernight, a lot of big names in the city came to Clay to ask him about his origins and how Evernight was these days. Clay answered them positively and told them that humans in Evernight had been given back the Sun and that they were thriving to survive even during constant danger from the undead at night. After answering their questions, Clay also asked his own. "Do you have any idea of other planets in this galaxy where I can travel? I am on a journey to find myself and want to go beyond my limits in traveling. It would be great if you can point me in the right direction." After his question, the bigwigs of this city were thinking. Then they gave him their answer. "We have to admit, even we are clueless as to other civilizations in the galaxy. As you may have already gathered from our inquiries, we are but former people of Evernight who escaped from there before the whole world was fully engulfed in darkness. That was some hundred years ago. "We have been here for many generations already and our struggles to survive in this world was arduous and mind-breaking as well. Some even regretted coming here but look at us now. "To answer your question. We are not aware of any other planet that may contain life in our Solar System as you put it. We are not as knowledgeable as you may think we are. "After all, we come from the same origins. What we know, you may also already know. I''m sorry to be unable to give you the answer you''re looking for." Clay listened to them and started to contemplate. After waiting for the speaker to finish in silence, he said, "No, don''t apologize. I only had some hope you would be able to point me in the right direction. However, to thank you for your hospitality, I wish to grant you a gift. What I am giving you, is a way to go back and forth from Evernight to this place you now call home. You can decline if you don''t want- " Before Clay finished speaking, some of the bigwigs already jumped at the offer in fear of Clay changing his mind! "No, no, no, no! Of course, we would gratefully accept your gift, oh generous one! We accept! We Accept!" Hearing them accepting his offer. He immediately asked for an appropriate place he can make a magic array on. "A grand hall, would be preferable." Clay added. Hearing his advice, the bigwigs immediately brought him to what looked like a place of entertainment. Like a grandstand. The place was big, and the surrounding area was a bit secluded. Without further ado, Clay started engraving a runic magic array using the Olden gods Language. He finished the elaborate and intricate work after 3 hours of meticulous engraving. Then finally, the finishing touch was to set a cost for each use. This array would open a gate in Evernight''s largest human city. At the center of the training grounds. He did this so that the people there would be able to fully educate their visitors of the rules that they had to follow as well as be received properly. Before activating the runic magic array, Clay warned them to keep quiet about who made it possible for them to travel between planets. He told them that they can study the runes and copy it later but did not recommend it. After all, it was dangerous. Saying their thanks, Clay went out of their well-built city where not even a speck of water can come inside through the vacuum-like environment inside. He swam out of the water and started to contemplate what he was supposed to do now. Lost in thought, Clay tried to refocus and flew out of the planet in mere seconds only to find himself out of the current solar system and into another one. This time, he stayed inside the Sun of a new Solar System. There, he contemplated his next moves. Being without direction was after all not ideal. *** Clay was at a loss where to go, when he remembered that he could also ask some other beings about gaining more power. For example, the spirits! Spirits were what made spirit magic possible for anyone with affinity towards them like Isaac. "Damn! How could I have forgotten about the spirits! Even the Spirit King, Agni, invited me to have a feast with him a long time ago!" "Let me just summon him again then?!" Clay exclaimed. After doing the ritual summoning, the flames of the Sun and its heat seemed to intensify under the influence of Spirit King Agni. When he saw Clay looking up at himself, he was surprised and indignant, because he clearly remembered something unpleasant! "How dare you human! You dare to renege on the promise we made when you first summoned me?! I ought to kill you right now!" Angrily shouted Agni as he brought his giant face closer to Clay''s. Feeling the anger of Agni, Clay thought about their agreement that he had clearly forgotten as well. "I promised him to bring him a contract worthy of his power. I had in mind to let Mor have him as his spirit, but I forgot about it. Shit!" Clay thought hard and almost face palmed himself. "I apologize King Agni; I seem to have forgotten about it. However, today, I can fulfill your requirements and become your contract! What do you say?" Clay wanted to at least alleviate the King''s temper by offering himself. "You are indeed adequate, but why did you take so long to realize this?" Agni clearly wasn''t questioning Clay, rather, he was mumbling to himself like a pouting child. "Please accept my sincerest apologies and please make a contract with me. This way, we can converse properly!" Clay proposed and hoped that it was not too late for them both. After all, they were alike in the sense that fire and heat were their affinities. "Damn you! Fine! I shall make a contract with you now. After which we will have a feast! After all, it had been so damn long since I could fight to the fullest! Har Har Har Har!" The Sprit King, Agni laughed out loud and immediately started the contract forming ceremony for him. Each Spirit King had some form of ceremony to accept others as their contracted. Kings were lofty after all and not just anyone can gain their favors. Agni''s contract ceremony was the most lively of all as he would take his potential contract to the Spirit Realm and fight with the potential contract. Once the fight is started, it had to be finished by either one surrendering. The type of contract formed then would depend on who won the battle. If Agni wins, he''ll be the master and he''ll keep Clay in the Spirit Realms, however, if Clay won, he''d be the master and he can keep Agni at his beck and call wherever I the mortal plane. What Clay had yet to notice, was that Agni was made in contact with on Alleucanth''s universe. Evernight was not on the same dimension, as he confirmed with the Space-Time Magic he had mastered. The moment he realized this; he would flip on his head. Without warning, Agni waved his arm and caught Clay in his grip. Clay was relaxed and not at all alarmed as he knew Agni had no ill intent. He let the giant spirit take him and transfer places, to the Spirit Realm. When Agni changed the venue, Clay had not closed his eyes, but it was as if he was shrouded in fog which disabled his ability to sense or make sense of where he was. After a second of staying still, Clay had found himself in another world. 93 Fighting the Spirit King of Fire Clay had arrived at the Spirit Realm. Surprisingly, there was nothing in this realm. What made the Spirit Realm a place where Spirits thrive, was the Spirit energy that was abundant and inexhaustible here. Each Spirit King made their territories more comfortable with their own kind, by constantly releasing their own energy to either burn, freeze, blow, solidify and etcetera their own territories. The Fire Spirit King, Agni, made his territory burning. If one were to picture Hell in the biblical perspective, then they would have thought this place was Hell itself. There were no buildings, no structures at all, just fire, perpetually burning in an area even bigger than the Asia continent on Earth. There was no palace for the king nor where their politics. It was all just them, living together comfortably. There was no need for food and shelter, however, what the Spirit King of Fire liked most were hot-blooded fighters that show him fights that could be entertaining. He himself was inclined to fighting the other Kings when he was bored. Overall, the Spirit Realm was a realm that lived in perpetual peace. There were no deaths here as well, as spirits were literally immortal. They may weaken and would need time to recover their strength but, they never truly die. Clay had opened his eyes as he was thrown by Agni once they arrived. Then he immediately announced, "Here is a potential contract, who wants to form a bond with me! Let us all witness a fight worthy of admiration and praise! Make room, my kin!" Agni waved his hand as he spoke, and the lesser spirits were forcibly moved back to make room. They also did not resist, as doing so was pointless after all. "Lord Clay, we meet once again." Greeted Efrit who he met and fought some time ago. Clay also remembered Efrit. "Hey. It has been so long. Nice to see you again." He greeted back. "It''s good to witness a fight worthy of the master''s praise and hype. We are honored to witness this!" Said Efrit as he turned around and joined the crowd outside the encirclement. Suddenly, the heat of the place fluctuated and there appeared the Spirit King Frost. "Agni! Are you going to fight again?! The last time you fought with someone, you rampaged on for a few years! Can you not do that again?!" Then the wind blew so hard as if to snuff the fire out of the place. "That''s right Agni. Even if you want to alleviate your boredom, don''t get us in as collateral damage!" The Spirit King of Gale, Syl seconded Frost. "Syl, Frost! Do you not see who I have with me?! He is the only human who''d ever summoned me with pure magic energy! He must be quite good right?!" "Really? This guy summoned you. Haha! You must have become weaker Agni! How could a human even begin to summon you? Even lesser spirits would be hard for them!" Syl gloated and made the low-tempered Agni blast him with a flamethrower. "Bah! You are just jealous I can finally blow some steam off! So back off!" Agni showed a pissed expression on his giant face and threw the attack. Meanwhile, Clay was on the surprisingly hard ground, despite not having any ground at all. He could flatly feel the sole of his feet in contact with a hard floor, but there was no floor. This was confusing for him. "Does my opinion even matter here? Are we really in the Spirit Realm?" [Spirit Energy washing Host''s body Automatically. In Progress] His Ultimate skill started an operation that he did not even authorize, but since he felt that the spirit energy here was inexhaustible anyway, "Might as well." Clay muttered. No one answered him as the three Kings argued back and forth. "What is this commotion?!" Another gigantic spirit arrived and obviously looked like a giant mountain that can move. This was the Spirit King of Earth, Gaius. "Oh Gaius! I found some fresh meat and want to have a battle with him for a contract. So, keep your distance and don''t steal my prey you hear?!" Agni was telling Gaius off as if his accusations have already happened once upon a time. Hearing this, Gaius was a bit embarrassed and said, "What are you talking about? I never stole from you! I just told them, having their contract with me would bring more benefits and I never lied!" Feeling accused, Gaius was blabbering away to defend himself. "Hey Human! Let us start this fight already before any more thieves arrive and steal your contract away!" Clay heard Agni and he wanted to ask a question, but Agni had already started attacking him without warning! Agni formed a fist and slammed it against Clay. As his fist was getting closer, Agni''s size shrunk until he was the same size as Clay. Clay had never felt threatened by Agni or any of the Spirit Kings before, but right now, he felt like all his being only had one goal, to run away. His body was screaming for him to run away this instant. "Damn! Maybe I did not feel they were threatening because they never saw me a threat in the first place, hence no hostility or intent to fight generated from them that I could pick up! "That, or I was too weak the first time I met him, and I couldn''t even measure his abilities and power? "Either way, I''m fucked if I fight recklessly. I have to discard my mortal body and switch to my spiritual body instead!" Deciding so, Clay immediately unleashed his Spiritual transformation and entered Spiritual Body mode. Seeing this, Agni was intrigued but only reacted with one of his brows shooting upwards without stopping his punch from hitting Clay. With the confidence to face Agni''s punch now, Clay blocked with his arms crossed before Agni;s punch and resulted in, Bang! Clay was hit and was blown far away into the horizon. He could not recover in time and Agni was already in front of him even as he was being blown away. Another fist went towards his tight guard. This time, Clay employed everything he could muster as a Spirit body. As a Spirit, Clay was unable to multiply his weight to brace for impact. Instead, he had to rely on his senses to fully control and manipulate the elements around as well as the energies involved. However, he was too caught up in the conversation between the Kings that he did not pay too much attention to Agni. And this was the result. In his 20 years of solitude, he had already mastered his Spirit body transformation. The only thing he lacked now was fighting experience in this form. And what more could he ask than to have a battle with Agni, Spirit King of Fire? This second punch of Agni''s was already seen by Clay who had adjusted his mindset. He need not think about collateral damage and whatever as he fought. He only had one goal in fighting, to win. To come out on top with each encounter. He did not want to be on the receiving and losing end, instead he wanted to be the one to decide fates. This twisted kind of mindset was born from his frustration about his power, or the lack thereof. Seeing Agni''s punch, Clay unleashed the force of a nuclear explosion in his attempt to block this punch with his own. Agni saw this and smirked. This attempt of Clay seemed laughable in front of this King. However, reality was exacting. Clay''s punch that contained the force of a nuclear explosion collided with Agni''s casual punch and resulted in a sound explosion that spread from the place they were hitting each other to the initial point where they fought. Covering the distance of over 240 thousand miles, showing just how ridiculously large the Spirit Realm was. This did not even cover half of the Spirit Realm at all. Before the explosion even resounded, Clay and Agni were separated by the force of their punches. Clay had been blown back again, this time it was relatively shorter than the first, while Agni was blown away just enough to let Clay recover his stance. Then it was his turn to go on offensive. Clay employed the speed of light he can achieve and directly appeared in front of Agni who was just recovering from the force of the collision midair. Clay sent out a punch that this time, contained the force released in a Sun fusing millions of tons of hydrogen in but a second. He wanted to show Agni that he simply cannot be looked down upon. Agni received this punch as well but this time, he turned serious as he sensed the energy that it contained. He was not unfamiliar with the energy produced by Clay''s punch, but he was curious how Clay was able to harness this type of energy when he was a man off magic, in a world of magic. Questions cannot be asked in mid-fight and so, he guarded himself and prepared a return when he successfully received Clay''s punch. Agni yelled and laughed out loud as he received Clay''s punch. Kaboom! The collision produced yet another wave of energy dispersion that reach beyond the original scale they were dishing out. Agni was yet again blown away and Clay was hot in pursuit in no time at all, he was about to punch out again against Agni when suddenly, Agni disappeared from his sight that surprised Clay. He was not moving at light speed; however, Clay could not detect him. "You still don''t know how to use heat as a weapon and as defense. I can probably teach you how to use your powers properly instead of wasting this talent you have." Clay suddenly heard Agni''s voice behind him but as he moved away and turned to face him, Agni was not there. Clay was baffled but he could not find the answer. Bang! "Ahh!" Clay was hit from behind. He was punched by Agni on the lower rib part which hurt like hell. Clay screamed in agony but had to hold it in just a second after his outburst. He wanted to return the favor to Agni with even more energy contained in his punch, however, as he swung behind him, his punch met no resistance, hitting nothing. "Tsk!" Clay was growing more frustrated with this fight. As he kept getting hit by Agni using this mysterious ability that Agni employed to hide himself completely from Clay''s sight, his limits showed, and he gritted his teeth as he prepared to go nova on Agni. Clay compressed solar energy to his utmost control on his palm and continued to refine it to the size of an atom. The mass it contained could not be called light. It was heavier than even Alleucanth''s weight. Clay compressed it and just like making a sword, he folded it time and again to continue to compress it. Since even his Ultimate Skill could not detect Agni, he had to hit the surroundings instead. He didn''t know if it will damage Agni, but he was so mad he just did not care. "Argh!" Clay abruptly released his hold on that mass of energy on his palm and defended himself against its explosive energy by fully utilizing his ability to absorb energy of this type. "Let''s see where you''re hiding now!" Clay declared loudly to make sure Agni could hear. "You''re too impulsive." A nonchalant reply resounded beside his ear and he immediately lashed out against Agni who he thought was beside him. After Clay released the energy to produce a nova explosion, the area they were currently in was left silent. Not one of the other elements were left aside from heat and fire. "You do know that I am King of Fire, right?" Again, Agni spoke to Clay as if a teacher lecturing his student. "I also absorb fire, light and energies that run wild when left unaccounted for. That''s why I took an interest in you, because you seem to have the same trait as I have, being able to absorb energy from a great fire source like the Sun. "I can teach you; you know. I can teach you to better control your abilities and use them expertly instead of brute forcing your way into anything. That may work with lower beings, but people like you who''s ascended, would find that control and grasp of your own ability is urgently important than more raw power instead." "Come under me for discipleship instead of a contract human. I can make you ascend further down the line if you manage to master my craft. After all, the Spirit Realm is just a small piece of the greater Celestial Realms and the Eternal Realms. Once you master your Spirit Body and its abietites, you will have an easier time in ascending. "Of course, without much work, you won''t be able to achieve anything beyond just knowledge. What do you say? Your second ascension should be close, I can help you with that after you learn and master the techniques, I am going to impart to you. "What do you say? Right now, you have no hope of beating me, much less scratching me. Do you agree to become my disciple?" Clay nodded without hesitation. He was already sold with "Help you Ascending" 94 Physical Laws only Bind Mortals The laws of physics were what kept the whole universe in place. This was what was believed by many scientists on Earth. However, what if these laws were only created to help the mortals live easier? Like training wheels that had to be put in place so that toddlers know how to ride a bike. This was how Agni explained to me the concept of being bound not by Physical Laws. He explained to me that these binds were not applicable to them and potentially me as I ascend later to become a full pledged Spirit. He says that achieving this would take me at least a hundred years to just take the first step. Looking forward, he estimated that with my talent, it would at least take 2 thousand years for me to fully become a Spirit in the process called Disincarnating. Disincarnating was the process of how a mortal who has ascended discards his physical body to be fully cut off from the physical bounds of Physics. That was why ascending once introduced us to having a spiritual body transformation. Transforming into the spirit body would tire us out normally, but in my case, my soul became the container for my reactor skills which granted me unlimited energy if my capacity meets the requirement for an action. In the second ascension that he taught me, I would have to discard my mortal body and do away with it. In its place would be my Full Spirit Transformation which is called Disincarnating. Having no mortal body, enables me to harness my full soul potential through the Stats that I have accumulated over the past years. I had to start my training immediately after the fight. In fact, I begged my master to teach me hastily. Agni became my first and real master in the arts of using my power. Since I also have disciples of my own, if I consider them as such, Isaac, Caltec, Jon and Mor should also be able to learn from me when I revisit them. "You have to start by forgetting every burden you have in your heart and mind. Releasing them from your self is hard and almost impossible, but this is only the first step. Being unable to get past this would get you nowhere at all. "Once you start, I will not visit you until you, yourself come to me. Meaning, do not come to me unless you have already discarded your burdens of the past. You hear?" Agni was strict, but as he said, it was necessary to take this step for me to proceed with the rest. Just like with the first ascension. It was a test of whether you were willing to sacrifice your hard-earned stats to ascend into a bigger stage. And I passed it since I did not know anything about the stakes. I hope my subordinates also did not stop their training. "I''ll leave you to it now. Start meditating." Agni slapped my back. I might have overestimated myself when facing them after all. After Agni left me alone in an open spot with flames going up and down, I started my training. He said I would take 2 thousand years to finish this process, but the first step is to discard my burdens and memories that I am carrying. "He must mean I need to put this burden off myself, instead of always carrying it. It may be good to carry it to give myself motivation but if I were to move forward and achieve greater heights it becomes a burden." Damn. Do I have to convince myself to release the memory of Ryan dying? Giselle? "Fuck! This is not merely hard, this is impossible! Agni really was not lying! Fuck!" Throwing a tantrum alone on the spot may make me look like a child, but damn man! Releasing this burden¡­ I cannot even begin to call them burden! "I can''t do this!!" I shouted and flopped back onto the floor sitting in place with my legs open far apart. I close my eyes and start to meditate. *** A year later. I''ve been meditating and struggling for a year now. "I''ve not even gotten close to releasing my family and friend''s memories and how I feel about them as I abandoned them. I just cannot. If I do, I feel as if my existence is unjustified!" 5 years going forward. "Master!" Master~!" I keep calling my master for help, but he never comes. It''s like he ignores me deliberately. I don''t know if this is him encouraging me to forge on, or him giving up on me. 10 years passed. I have tried everything I can that is available to me, meditating and releasing them, but every time their faces turn up in my mind, I start to tear up and my concentration and resolve is shaken badly. I still do not have the guts to forgive myself. If only I could talk to them. A hundred years, two hundred, five and then a thousand years. Time seemed to pass faster than the speed of light and then, my Master came to me without warning. "You''re still not ready. Come on. Let''s fight and loosen yourself a bit. Sitting there for a millennium hadn''t helped you in the least bit." Without warning, he punched out. I was too muddled for sitting on the same spot and crying continuously for the last millennia. I wanted to so badly turn back time and save them in advance, but something tells me that if I did that, I''d only make a copy of them in time''s flow and the main flow of time would go on without minding the split timeline. Struggling with this for the past millennium wasn''t easy. I had the power to do this. The capability to snap my fingers and be brought back to a time before Safir attacked in anger. I could but the feeling of strongly regretting the result and consequence of my action still weighs on me. I received my master''s punch squarely. However, even his punch now felt only ticklish instead of painful. I don''t know when, but my spirit body has been fully washed and has purely become Spirit Energized. This did not mean that I have already become a pure Spirit Body, in fact, I can still transform into my physical body. What this meant was that my spirit body had become unadulterated by magic energy, miasma, fusion, fission, and solar energies. Instead only having spirit energy circulating in it. However, if I transform back to my mortal form, my body would then again be a mishmash of energies that I have absorbed through the course of time. I was naturally blown into the horizon and a new horizon set before me as I stopped myself from being dragged by the force of master''s punch. "Here''s another one!" Master appeared once again in a blink of an eye and sent another punch. This time it was to my face. Instinctively, I covered my face to guard, that''s when master''s voice yet again resounded. "Of course, it''s impossible for you to separate yourself from your humanity. However, that is the only way to achieve a greater height both in power and in existence. "Don''t let the laws of Physics dictate your outcome. Let the laws of physics bow down to you instead!" Pak! The crisp sound of my master''s punch and my guarding arm resounded. Before they collided though, hearing my master''s words, I thought, "Physics should bow down to me. Being blown away is a physics phenomenon. A transferring of force through momentum, from the punch to hitting the target. If I bend physics to my will, then that should make it so that any force acted against me to become null." Shhh The sound of master''s breath resounded in front of me. This time, I wasn''t blown away and instead stood in place. Master is right. Physics binds only mortals. I''m no ordinary mortal! Clenching my fists, I sent the return package to master. Punching out. However, I realized, if I punch him, then this is still me just using physics to dish out a cause and effect situation with him. I put as much spiritual energy into my punch, and I saw master''s face twitch. I see. This was the right answer! Pak Another crisp sound resounded, and master had to guard against my punch. Seeing his guarding stance, it seems I have succeeded in making him defend himself. "Not bad. Continue to meditate on this instead of you moping century after century. It''s depressing. "It''s not a problem of your memories, but a problem of you forgiving yourself. I know you must have felt devastated and the guilt and shame of whatever you''ve done is weighing on you. However, blaming yourself for something out of your control is childish. "Instead, work harder in order to achieve what you could not in the past. Surpass yourself and you will find that not even failure, guilt, shame and a lot of negative emotions affect you. Instead, they will make you stronger. "Mistakes are inevitable when you''re weak and vulnerable, however, even us Spirits are not exempt to mistakes that we make. "Don''t be conceited in thinking that you alone are able to shoulder the world. You''re not a god, and even gods are imperfect beings. They have flaws that sometimes cost the lives of billions of innocent lives. "Forgive yourself. And swear to never let that happen again for the same reason. That''s the only way for you to release your burdens. "Remember. You are not perfect. You are but a chick in the game of life." Instantly, master disappeared without warning. What he left me though, are words that was worth meditating about. So, I descended from the air and sat on the ground, meditating again. "That''s right. I make mistakes and I am guilty of abandoning my family and friends to their fate. I was responsible for them. I could not fulfill my promise to protect them. "I am scum who cannot follow through my own promises. "However, I have to remember. I must remember what happened at that moment. *** Safir''s attack came and I intercepted it. "I was blocking it in hopes of giving at least my son to notice what was happening and Teleport with his mother away from Claiomh, however, I could only last a second before I would have disintegrated. Without my interception, that bastard''s attack went unhindered and killed everyone. "I remember. I remember why I decided to let go. I remember! It was for a chance to avenge them and settle the books with that god bastard in the future. No matter how long it takes! "It''s not my fault they died, it''s Safir''s fault for being malicious against me. My family and friends became collateral damage for no reason other than being connected to me. "That bastard must suffer!" My anger and resentment all came back and the grief and guilt I felt disappeared altogether. What remained was anger and the goal to achieve no matter how long it takes. I will come back and settle things with Safir, that bastard! "Argh!" Overpower was released along with my outcry. The Spirit Realm was shaken by the huge amount of killing intent and intense feeling of fury and hate. To the Spirits who were sensitive to emotions, they felt my anger and hatred, they also slowly turned hostile, influenced by this flood of negative intense emotion. "I see. You''ve released yourself from the burden and instead found your real goal. "I think you are ready to undergo Disincarnating. Calm yourself first before you turn the lesser spirits into berserkers." I heard master''s voice telling me to calm down and snappily turned my line of sight towards him. I saw him, but my mind was still processing the anger and hatred I felt. Unfortunately, I couldn''t control myself well in that situation and so, "Hah!" I lunged towards Master and punched out with the full force of my spiritual energy. "What a helpless fool. Let met teach you another lesson then." Pak! Pak! Pak! Three strikes to the head, chest, and lower abdomen landed on me via a movement I couldn''t follow even with my high perception. My knees gave out and my Overpower slowly dissipated. In turn, I returned to my normal self. "I''m sorry master. I couldn''t control my anger." I apologized to master while I has kneeling on the ground. "No shit! You must control that fire in your heart if you are to be a flame god or whatever. Our symbol, Fire, is something that rages on and consumes everything. And so, if our tempers are not under control, we run the risk of becoming calamities instead of deities. "I did not take you in as disciple to release you into the Celestial Realm to wreak havoc. I want you to fulfill something that I have not been able to fulfill. "Become a Fire Deity that surpasses even the greatest of them all. The gods are only celestials. I need you to reach the pinnacle and step into the Eternals realm. "I put my hopes in you. Now ready yourself. I shall prepare you for your Celestial Ascension. After only a thousand or so years, you have realized what you should let go and the goal you should fulfill. If you are unable to fulfill that goal, you will never reach the Eternals." Master said. It seems I still have a lot to learn. Master himself have been stuck in this stage for who knows how long already. He has entrusted me with his dreams and aspirations. I shall fulfill my goals and then try to fulfill his as well. "I will start now. Once you undergo this process, the gates of the Celestial will be opened. This Spirit Realm is separate from the flow of Time and Space and so we are not affected by it. Even spending millions of years here will not affect anything. Same with the Celestial Realm and Eternal Realm. We are not affected by the laws of Physics and beyond. "We have our own rules to follow. You''ve only just begun on the journey to becoming an Eternal. Mortality does not apply to you anymore. "When you first ascended, that was the first step to entering the road to becoming all powerful. "There are levels of the Ascended. They are called stages. "You are currently at the peak of Ascension. I don''t know your circumstance when you ascended but since you could achieve entering the peak of Ascension only at a thousand or so years, that is already considered fast. There are those who are fortunate enough to Ascend without proper strength and foundation. "You on the other hand had foundation that could be said to be at the peak of mortality. "What you did here, absorbing the spiritual energies in the Spiritual Realm and seemingly washing yourself with it to purify your spirit body is unprecedented. "Normally, one has to train and meditate to even begin to absorb and circulate Spiritual energy. But you only took a single day to get accustomed to it and even started to absorb it immediately. "You have an advantage against everyone here. Even us Kings had to absorb spiritual energy slowly to consolidate it inside us, instead of just borrowing it from the Spirit Realm. "Once you become a celestial, you will know that your advantage is a great boon. "Well then, let us proceed with your ascension. When it is done, you will know just how weak you are as an ascended even at the peak." Master''s monologue was too long but I listened to it and remembered everything that he said. They are surely lessons that I need in order to thrive in the celestial realm. It was then that master did a ceremony. It was a ceremony that enclosed me inside a dome of energy. I do not know when but there were a lot of spirits that came here to watch this happening. Even the other Spirit Kings came. I could only entrust myself to master''s hands. When I awaken, I''m sure I''d have become some sort of deity right? That was what I thought then¡­ if only I knew and listened properly instead of becoming excited over something of the future. *** The Ascension Ceremony was initiated by Agni, he performed this ritual to make Clay ascend into a real Spirit instead of just Ascending into another hybrid. A lower evolutionary path for ascension. Agni knew that Clay took the form of a Sun deity when he ascended because he did not know anything. But his powers clearly were not for a Sun deity but for a World Eater. 900 or so years before the ceremony. In one of the meetings that the Spirit Kings held regularly. "Hey, you guys have seen that kid, Agni took in right?" The Spirit King of Light asked Syl and Frost. "Hmm? Yea. What''s up?" Syl answered, confused about what the fuss this Spirit King of Light, Luca was going to stir up. "Like, have you noticed his affinity then? He''s not supposed to be purely Fire element but ALL element. So why is his spirit body like that of the Fire affinity spirits?" "Oi Agni, this one''s yours!" Frost was annoyed at being asked this. He also did not know the answer. After all, he hadn''t come into close contact with Clay. "He''s not Fire affiliated. In fact, his affinity doesn''t correlate with what we currently know to be the norm. He looks like a Fire spirit, but I sensed, not Fire from him but a more primitive power. "He once mentioned that he was a Sun god. A lesser one, he added. But we all know there are no Sun gods. There are only elements to be associated with us. Gods are in the Celestial Realm and even they normally don''t get associated with heavenly bodies like stars and whatever. "But this primal power that he has grants him the ability to absorb energies not accustomed to himself and store it within him. A total waste, I know, but he has that ability. "Plus, I felt that even if he was shattered into a million pieces, he would restructure himself without any help. "Now, tell me, who among us or even those Celestials we know that are able to do this? "In a way, we may be seeing the birth of a monster that would eat everything that he came upon on. "Thus, I recalled the myth of the World Eater. You know how it goes right?" Agni stopped talking there and let the others complete the story of the myth. "Of course, we do. The myth tells of an individual who once dominated the entire universe and all Realms of existence. He was able to achieve this through the power of regenerative ability and his ability to "eat" anything that he came across. Including the gods and even the eternals. Myth tells that he is resting in the Black Hole that recreated the universe from scratch. "To this day, he is swallowing star after star, reducing them to energy and elementary particles to maintain balance in this new recreated universe. Gods and Eternals that venture close to the mouth of the World Eater will never be able to escape. After all, they are balls of pure energy." "Yes. We know of the myth, but do you really think he is the second coming of that cosmic entity?" "I don''t know. Only time would tell. But I want to guide him at least to not become a mindless eater. Have you seen the rate at which he absorbs energy? The spiritual energy in this Realm is pretty much inexhaustible, yet he managed to almost draw everything to himself. The good thing was he always releases some of the energy he uses to wash himself with. Agni took it upon himself to explain his plan. Because if Clay was what he suspected he was, then at least he may be able to teach him to at least spare the Spirits from catastrophe. "I disagree with letting him ascend. If he is what we think he is, then that''s too dangerous and reckless! "He''s here now, we should just end him while we still can!" Said the Spirit King of Dark, Abyss. He was cautionary and decisive when it came to the safety of the Spirit Realm. After all, he was one of the Oldest Spirit Kings in existence. "Have you lost your mind? Do you know how much power he even holds at this very moment? He may not beat us in a battle, but if he so wished to absorb Spiritual energy to the barest, would we survive? If he becomes desperate, do you know what he would do? "Let other entities deal with him that way, so that his resentment is directed to them, but not us. We are too low on the power structure to even defend ourselves. "I hear he was attacked by a god. If he survived even a god''s attack, how do you think you''ll fare? If he escapes? Will you take responsibility for dooming us all?" Agni''s flames seemed to flare up as he spoke. Horror as his picture. The others understood where he was coming from. "You all don''t be foolish. Let''s employ him instead as our helper in times of need. If he becomes our backer in the higher Realms, what would that mean? You can only imagine!" He finished speaking up to this point and no longer discussed matters concerning Clay. The others understood his intention and kept away from the topic. In Agni''s mind, he had to make Clay ascend into any other spirit than a mindless greedy eater. This all came to fruition the moment Clay became ready to ascend. Now was the time. 95 Hiatus Announcemen @@Hello there! As the title indicates, TRM will be on hiatus. COVID''s effect on society finally hit me as well and me and my wife need to readjust our schedule and resources. Plus, the next school year is right around the corner, preparations are needed for that as well. I might see you again in a month or two, it''s not definite, I apologize. I pray all of you readers and supporters be safe in these trying times. Again, thank you for your support. See you again later.