Lv1 Skeleton

Some important fixes,

"My Lord, I can accept, but I have one condition."

"Name it, and I"ll take it under consideration."

"Once one of my three unique children grow strong enough to replace me, allow me to challenge you once again."

I thought it would be alright to allow this small consideration, to avoid the threat of a rebellion in the near future. Also, I was confident that with my current growth rate, by the time Bianca challenged me she wouldn"t be much of a threat.

"Fine I accept, then about the alliance…."

"No need, I am willing to submit. You have accepted my condition, so I will serve the new King wholeheartedly."

I was willing to discuss terms of the alliance, but surprisingly she submitted immediately.

"Great, then when will you be sending your three children over?"

"They will arrive tomorrow. Also, we are very good at guarding the borders, that"s why the former King also gave us a certain amount of freedom."

"Are the boundaries of the territory marked by your spider webs?"

"Yes, will we also continue to have the duty of watching borders?"

"Naturally"

"Thank you my Lord!"

"By the way, make sure not to feed on or capture anymore of my minions alright? Or else…."

"Absolutely, we are completely devoted to you my Lord!"

With a clap of my hands, the flying termites retreated into the distance.

"I will leave now."

Bianca was still in a submissive posture with her head to the ground.

"Now that this is taken care of, we"ll be ready for the next step."

After a long walk through the forest, I arrived before the largest of the termite mounds. It felt good that all the termites I met, prostrated themselves to the floor until I was out of sight.

"My Lord, I have been waiting."

Alpeon was the most hardworking and intelligent of the queens, it was the correct choice to entrust her with my tasks.

"Alpeon, thank you for your hard work."

"Not at all my Lord, If I had known she would rebel I would have wiped them out earlier."

"Don"t be so quick to choose confrontation, the current amicable situation is a better result for both."

"I will follow my Lord"s instructions."

Stroking Alpeon"s antennae, I found the large and shy queen quite adorable.

"Tomorrow three spiders will arrive. Although they are hostages, they must be treated with the utmost respect. I will have a use for them someday. "

"I shall follow your command."

I saw my reflection in Alpeon"s large eyes. I didn"t feel strong, despite being a Lich, my magic powers were still too weak. Although I had survived and had successive victories, luck had played a big role and I definitely had to improve my power.

"Tell me more about the delegation you mentioned last time."

"My Lord, they usually arrive in three distinct groups."

"Three groups?"

Alpeon paused to wipe it"s antenna  before continuing our telepathic conversation.

"Pardon my rudeness."

"Not at all, please continue what you were saying."

"Wise King, the future of the Jungle Pit is bright with my Lord at its helm."

Alpeon was considerably talented at a.s.s-kissing, it was hard not to feel good from so much praise.

"The most powerful group are known as Lost Asmodians."

"Lost Asmodians?"

"They want to return to their magical homeworld and claim that somewhere within the Pit lies the key."

Normally, a magic race like the Asmodians would be among the strongest in a fantasy game, but the fact that they had the word "Lost" in their t.i.tle meant they had a special history.

"So what do you think we should do about their claim?"

"If you give them the Pit, allowing them to return to their mysterious promise land, they would be willing to offer another piece of land in exchange."

I expected their excuses to be a scam, what they really wanted were the endless benefits which the World"s Roots nectar provided.

"That doesn"t make any sense."

"Yes, I agree"

"So, I guess they aren"t looking for a diplomatic resolution.?"

"You are very wise, my Lord. The former King came up with a plan in which the three envoys would fight between themselves, to pick a winner who he would then face in combat."

I almost asked if it was no longer a visit of delegations, but a small tournament instead. Still, it made sense, in a 1 to 1 duel, there were few beings that could overcome the previous King.

I had won mostly through some luck and use of the terrain. Also, the two dragon teeth were indispensable in breaking it"s defenses.

"What about the other 2 forces?"

"One of them are Elves who have lost their hometown."

"Elves?"

"Yes, they a similar to humans except they have longer lifespans and stronger magic."

Wasn"t that a super common fantasy, meeting and dating a beautiful elf? Well, of course that was no longer the case for me.

"Hm… right, then are the elves weaker than the Asmodians?"

"The Asmodians have almost always won the elimination tournament among the envoys. It has been mostly them who have fought against the previous King."

It seemed like the Asmodians were quite a force to be reckoned with, even more so than the elves.

"What about the last group?"

"The final delegation aren"t very strong but they are regarded as wicked beings.I am not sure what kind of species they belong to because their representatives are  always changing, they call themselves the League of Reincarnation"

Reincarnation? I felt they were same as me. Maybe I wasn"t the only one who had a previous life.  

Still, I responded to Alpeon in a calm manner.

"I see, but what do you mean by wicked?"

"Those from that delegation would always have strange powers. The previous King mentioned that they are wicked because they go against the laws of the world."

The King would have been able to see the stats of all beings within the Pit.The envoys who experienced reincarnation must have had some strange power, and when the King checked their stats, he must have mistaken it for wicked (Devil) power. I was beginning to form an interest in their group.

"Thank you, actually there is one more thing which I am curious about."

"Please do tell."

"How were the duels against the King, did the he win easily?"

"They were always incredibly vicious and close fights. Still, the King mentioned that it was his duty to keep ownership of this place, and he always kept that promise."

Such terrible news! If even the previous King struggled so much, how would I fare in an open duel, where the use of tricks and terrain were limited.

"Ok, thank you for the information Alpeon. Regarding my previous instructions, how has the development been going?"

"According to my Lord"s wishes, the children have been getting stronger, but…"

"Well, what is it?"

It was strange for someone like Alpeon to hesitate. It was her nature to always speak frankly,. so if she was reluctant to speak, it must be something big."

"Something unexpected has occurred."

"What"s happened?"

"A few of them have experienced a golden mutation across their bodies."

"Hmmm? So what"s the problem?"

"Well, the children have become much stronger than before. I was worried that my Lord would be angry."

I let out an inner cheer, I definitely needed powerful minions. Using my Ownership View, I checked the status pages of those with strange mutations.

"Mir, Tagan and Jenna, was it those three?"

"That"s right."

"Well done, great work Alpeon. You should raise them well and provide them with a larger portion of nectar, is that understood?"

"Thank you, so… you aren"t angry?"

"No, you"ve done really well."

Walking out of the termite hill, I let a scream of satisfaction within my mind

"Aaaah, finally things are taking a turn for the better."

It was already sunset, the stars were shining in the sky.

Today marked the end of the year, so there should be about 15 days left. I had some things to take care of before the arrival of the envoys. Still, I wasn"t up for it right now and went to Ian"s teepee to rest my weary mind.

"Zzzzz Sir Johra… Not the Pixie! Why not me Zzzzzzz"

Kueeek Kuee

Ian talking in her sleep talk and Mallepi lay near her, snoring comfortably.This had become one of the most peaceful and precious moments of my new life. I was certain that I would do my utmost to protect them.

"It would be perfect if  Gwyn were here. Oh right!"

I just remembered that Gwyn had asked me to bring a gift next time I"d come see her.

"Hm, what does Gwyn like…?"

As I remember, Gwyn liked having some beautiful things. Ever since I had become the King of this Pit, I could check the information of any living being within my territory.

"Could I get that?"

There were many rare flowers growing up on a ledge, behind the waterfall. Still, even among those, there was one which stood out. Adonis, it"s name shone in a golden light, demonstrating its unique status.

I climbed up the cliff, enduring the pressure of the waterfall to reach the cl.u.s.ter of flowers. When I arrived, I could see Adonis" strange and unique beauty for myself.

"Oh!"

There was a special rainbow surrounding the flower.

Ting

The rainbow pushed my hand away.

"Is this for real?"

I take a closer look at Adonis" status page. Surprisingly it had its own level and HP. Although it didn"t have any attack power, its defense was almost 1000! It stood upright, like a proud and untouchable monarch.

"This was no longer just a flower, has it become a monster?"

It"s petals shone with a platinum l.u.s.tre and it"s robust stem was a vibrant green. I was so surprised that I thought it might actually be a monster.

"What to do…"

Its tremendous defense value implied that the rainbow which was now reflecting the starlight held some deeper meaning. This rainbow seemed to be absorbing the power of the stars.

"It would be easier to carry Gwyn here and just show it to her."

I had been trying different methods to dislodge it, but it appeared untouchable. My last resort was to break off a part of the cliff, but as the owner of the area, I preferred not to ruin the natural landscape.

Giving up, I climbed down the cliff and noticed some ordinary, wildflowers growing along the stream.

"I"ll just settle for these, I"m sure she"ll like them just the same."

I gathered a few small, pretty looking flowers and held them in one hand.

"Oh right, I still have the Life Absorption pa.s.sive."

I realised that I had prepared quite the poor gift as the flowers in my hand had already begun to wilt. Still, already having made up my mind, I decided that they would just have to do.

Grasping what might be considered as the ugliest bouquet in the world, I walked off to meet Gwyn.

"Gwyn?"

"Chompy? Why?"

Her voice still sounded a bit upset.

"This… this", I stuttered as I was somewhat embarra.s.sed of my gift.

"What… are those dead flowers?"

"They"re a bit sick, but there not that bad to look at."

Gwyn grabs the bouquet of flowers from my hand and tried hard to keep a straight face. Still, the occasional look of disgust did slip past her poker face.

"Thank you for bringing a gift, but…"

"But?"

"I hate you! You never bring me on any of your dangerous adventures. Before, it was because you worried about the Lifesteal, but not anymore! I really like going places with you but it seems you don"t, that "s why I am so angry!"

Gwyn had a pure heart, She would always be very sensitive, and it was careless of me to have missed this.

"All right, I"ll make sure that we are always together. I"ll become stronger to always be able to protect you."

"Really? In that case I"ll accept these flowers. Suddenly I"m in high spirits, hihi~"

It never ceased to amaze me how quickly her mood changed, it was the best part about her.

"Come live with us at the tent, that way my mind can be at ease."

It has been difficult for Gwyn to be sleeping outdoors like a homeless person.

"No, I don"t like it there. There"s an ugly witch living over there."

"Ian isn"t ugly."

"Fine! A bad witch then."

"Gwyn, Ian is now a comrade of ours so please try to get along."

Hmph! Chiit!

"Gwyn, we will always be together so you have to be nice with Ian, will you listen to me?"

"Fine, I"ll stay in the teepee, but just far away from Ian. I only like Chompy! "

Their differences were simply irreconcilable, there was no middle ground to be found.

"Give it a try, ok?"

"I"ll try really hard for Chompy."

"Good, do you promise?"

"Yuup~ Ok, time to ride in my very own skull!"

She had already lain down comfortably inside.

"Gwyn has always wanted to be as close as possible to me. Still, on many occasions her light heartedness has helped me overcome many issues."

I had faced many challenges since coming to this new world. Most notably, was how little regard was held for life. Killing had immediately become common practice, and I could preserve some sense of humanity through my interactions with Gwyn. So it was natural for me to have developed a deep affection for her.

I returned to the teepee with Gwyn inside my skull. I stayed watching Ian and Mallepi"s sleeping scenery until sunrise.

"OMG Again? Again! Sir Johra It"s illegal to watch someone while they sleep!"

Ian was so upset that she had to stop and wipe her saliva foaming near her mouth. Still, I found her very cute even when she was angry.

"Ian, I"ll be gone for the next ten days. I told Alpeon to keep an eye on things, so everything should be fine."

"Where are you going?"

"Hmmm… I need to get stronger. Don"t worry, I"ll be back safe and sound."

"Woah!"

Ian came up to me and held my arm close."

"Ian… your life force…."

"I"ll wait for you, so please come back to me. I don"t ever want to be alone again."

Ian"s eyes were tearing up, she had been through many difficult situations recently.

"Don"t worry I"ll be back soon, and didn"t I warn you last time about getting too close?"

Her health was steadily declining.

"I don"t have life absorption resistance…"

She had a face full of disappointment, it seemed like it was an ability she really wanted to have.

"Well, I have to get going, take care."

"Johra, you"re too cold!"

She looked a bit angry.

"I"ll be back!"

Ian went back to the teepee and began stroking Mallepi.

"You have to!"

I heard Ian"s voice from afar as I headed towards the termite nests.

3 unique golden termites: Mir, Tagan, Jenna.
Lost Asmodians: One of three envoys, a powerful magic wielding race.
Elves: One of three envoys, magic powers.
League of Reincarnation: weakest of the envoys, but a mysterious wicked (devil) power.