《I'm just an 'Ordinary' Human (MCU fanfic)》


 Prologue

    This is a one-time opportunity, so you better pay attention.


    Now, listen carefully.


    I was just an ordinary guy. A dropped out guy; without a job, without a girlfriend. Living in my mom''s house despite being 20 years old, I''m your so-called NEET.


    But don''t get me wrong. I did not experience a traumatic past or any of that bullshit that resulted in my NEET life. I chose this life. I mean, life is just a series of bad choices, am I right?


    If so, then I''ll choose the ''I can play video games and watch animes for the rest of my life'' life.


    Why is all of this important, you ask? I don''t know, what do you think? Of course, it''s for the character background.


    Anyways, I thought my life wouldn''t get any better, but it did.


    I died.


    To a truck.


    And then I reincarnated in a fantasy world of magic.


    Cool, right?


    Heck no.


    I mean, what can I do, I didn''t get any superpowers despite reincarnating. Hell, I got negative abilities. I have no aptitude in magic in a world where even the lowest peasant can cast magic.


    How can I even survive in this world of magic if I''m just an ordinary person?


    Naturally, as a slave, I slept with the horses; hays as my pillows and air for a blanket. For 5 years, I ate hard bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every day. I consider it lucky if they gave me soup, and not if they didn''t.


    I thought my life wouldn''t get any worse, but it did.


    The kingdom fell to the attacks of the dark army.


    Monsters of all shapes and sizes.


    Orcs army, wyverns, Behemoths, an undead army, Demon Lord. You know all of these, right? Good, no need to explain.


    The nobles I served died to them.


    But surprise, surprise. I didn''t.


    Instead, I just changed jobs from a ''noble''s slave'' into a ''monster''s slave''.


    Nothing much has changed. I was still being worked as a slave anyway. Sometimes even becoming the Demon Lord''s lab rat. The only grace is that I get to eat meat occasionally.


    In my 10th year of reincarnating, I finally realized something. I don''t age like any other humans do.


    No matter what the Demon Lord fed me, be it poison or a curse, I always come back to a normal, perfect state after a matter of time. The Demon Lord became curious because of it and scouted me.


    Alright, I got promoted.


    Into an official lab rat, that is.


    The Demon Lord fed me every poison and curse that he concocted to test the results. It was a variation of all torture that even hard-core masochists would say ''pass''.


    That went on for hundreds of years.


    I mean, technically, the Demon Lord also doesn''t age.


    We became friends, actually. The relationship like that of a human and his pet hamster. I get to eat delicious food every day and sleep in a warm and comfy bed. My life finally got better, I thought.


    But sadly, the Demon Lord died in a battle.


    When I thought I''m going to be transferred as a slave again, the Demon God suddenly said, "What do you think of becoming the new Demon Lord?"


    So I did. I became a Great Demon Lord.


    He bestowed me a magic aptitude better than those of summoned Heroes. I also received power stronger than any other Demon Lords'' in history. Why?


    Usually, the ''Immortality'' part consumes the biggest portion of power granted by Demon God bro. However, since I''m already an Immortal, all those portions became a supplement to my magical power instead.


    This is where the fun part started.


    Killing sacred beasts, massacring cities with an army of undead, headhunting servants of God, displaying the Heroes'' heads in my shelf, plaguing a whole continent with deadly virus... Damn, I wreaked havoc in that world. It was great. ''Was''.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.After 2000 years of toying with the humans, they gave up hope. They no longer resisted. No matter what I did, they just accepted whatever death I granted them.


    An empty feeling consumed me. I regret massacring their cities. I regret destroying their continents. I regret hunting Heroes and servants of God. I regretted all of my actions.


    So what I did next was simple. I began to research a way to get into another world.


    I mean, if I toyed with the humans slowly, they would last a little longer than 2000 years, right?


    Yes, what I regretted was that I toyed with them too roughly. That''s why their spirits broke after just 2000 years of suffering. I forgot how frail humans can be.


    My research was advancing smoothly, and even Demon God bro approved of it. He''s also a destruction-loving pervert like me, I guess.


    But, I overestimated my ability. I couldn''t wait anymore so I hastily finished something again. A repetition of my past actions. The result?


    The transportation circle blew up. My body got sent into oblivion, destroying that world in the process. Even Demon God bro can''t revive me, so I died again. Shit.


    I was already waiting for Hell''s door, but it never came. I guess even Satan himself felt threatened by my presence if I go there.


    I don''t know how long I floated in the darkness, neither dying nor living. I don''t have a corporeal body yet I can think. Unexpectedly, I didn''t feel anger or hatred. I just felt... empty. I suddenly realized: what I felt before wasn''t emptiness. It was lust, hunger. And now, this emptiness is the only feeling that remained in me.


    In a space where nothing exists yet I remained, my mind thought over my past 2 lives. My ordinary life on Earth and that damned piece-of-shit magical world. In the end, the biggest regret that I realized, surprisingly, is that I didn''t even get a chance to say ''I love you'' or ''Thank you'' to my mom.


    In my original world, I live a carefree and peaceful life. I can eat when I wanted to eat, sleep in a comfy bed when I wanted to sleep. No one can dictate my life other than me.


    Compared to when I was living in the magical world, where every mistake equals punishment, it was heaven above hell. There came a point of time that I even wished I was better off dead instead. But even fate isn''t so kind to me, taking away the liberation called death.


    In the end, I missed my original world, where I could''ve lived peacefully in my whole life.


    If I would be given a third chance of reincarnating, I would definitely try to avoid my regrets. I would never make the same mistakes again. I would cherish my loved ones more than my life, and live with them peacefully until I grow old.


    I thought, and thought, and thought, and thought. An endless cycle of thinking and waiting.


    And just when I thought I would forever drift into nothingness, a white light suddenly consumed me. The light was too strong that I thought I was going to heaven. It scared me. But instead, what happened next gave me a huge but pleasant surprise.


    The first thing that entered my vision is a beautiful middle-aged woman. Short blond hair, big almond eyes, pale white skin. She wore a white coat as she embraced me, sobbing.


    At that instant, a feeling of familiarity arose in my heart. It''s like I know this woman but at the same time, I don''t. I recognize the contours of her face. Because no matter how beautiful the elves or faeries in that magical world are, this face was somehow engraved in my mind.


    I felt a sense of warmth, a feeling I already forgot. My hazy memories finally recalled who this woman was.


    "It''s okay, mom. It''s okay..."


    I patted her back as she continued sobbing. I looked around, and just like I thought. I noticed that I am in a hospital room, complete with hospital equipment supporting my body. The nurses already left to give me and my mom privacy.


    After a few minutes, she finally stopped crying.


    "I-I thought you wouldn''t wake up. You were in comatose for 2 years, you know! Hic..."


    Just like I thou--


    "Huh? What tomatoes?"


    "Comatose. You were in a coma for 2 years, my son."


    ''Oh, okay''-- like hell it is! Coma? I was in a coma? The magical world... How about the hardships and tortures I went through? Are you saying that it was all a dream? Are you kidding me?! I felt all of those pains down to my bones! Every needle inserted in my arm, I screamed in anguish! How can that all be a dream?!


    "Son? Son? Your face is turning pale, are you okay? Do you need anything? Here, drink some water."


    My mom''s gentle voice brought a stop to my darkening thoughts. I remember now. Her name is Minerva. Minerva Mertens.


    "I-I''m okay. I just spaced out for a bit..."


    I took the cup from her and drank from it. The clear and cold water washed away my thoughts, cooling off my head.


    ''Fuu~''


    I sighed lightly as I tried to reorganize my thoughts.


    "Let''s go home, my son. You need a lot of catching up to do."


    My mom said with a smile.


    "....okay."


    -------------


    My family consists of me and my mom only. Father left us when I was young, so my mom raised me alone. She worked as a doctor. I heard she was also the one who took care of me for the past 2 years I am in a coma.


    We lived in a well-off suburb in the Upper West side of Manhattan, New York. In a not so large house, I and my mom lived together. She did not permit me to live alone in a dormitory during my college days as she pampered me like a baby. I guess she was one of the reasons why I became a NEET, though I don''t blame her.


    Back to being an ordinary human, there''s only one thing I can do.


    ''Let''s watch all the animes that I failed to finish first. And maybe live a normal life this time.''


    Or, so I thought. I didn''t realize that the Earth I lived in now was already far from normal.


    A man in a metal suit flying around the city, saving those in need. A buff 90-years old dude in cryogenic hibernation. A human turning into a giant green monster with anger issues. A self-proclaimed god of thunder with muscles for brains wielding a hammer.


    These are just some of the abnormalities that arrived in my world.


    Now, what is happening, you ask?


    I don''t f*cking know. Maybe the Gods of the world I destroyed followed me and sent superheroes to kill me in revenge? Because after a few months of living in this world, I realized something: I can still use the magic spells I learned in the magical world.


    How? Let me explain magic in simple terms. Magic is the result of forcefully using the external forces to make it do your bidding. It can be achieved in several methods, like chanting, magic circles, scrolls, enchantments, etc. In short, it was no different from the novels you''ve read so far.


    Back to the superheroes. Yeah, they''re real, alright. I confirmed it.


    Not only that.


    When I used global search magic to find more abnormalities like these, my head hurts because I couldn''t count them all. A dark organization planning to disrupt the world? An advanced civilization being hidden from the world? And there''s even a group of sorcerers no different from where I came from.


    Apparently, it seems like my not-so-normal life will continue with these oddities in existence.


    So here I am, recounting you my story. I hope you listen, and listen well.


    For I, the Great Demon Lord that destroyed a world, the harbinger of death itself, shall avoid these so-called superheroes and live my normal life. Hopefully.

 Volume 1 Chapter 1.1

    "Hey, what are your superpowers?"


    A blonde woman said with sparkling eyes. She wore a loose cardigan on top of her black shirt. Her legs wrapped in tight skinny jeans. On her left chest is a nametag: Lynn Walsh. The woman gave a very familiar feeling as she approached me.


    I know I just said that I will live my life normally but, what can I do.


    Several months after I woke up from the coma, I completely ignored the fact that the world was littered with humans with superpowers. If not for my mom''s existence in this world, I would''ve made this planet a much ''better'' place, with corpses littering the ground. Instead, I minded my own business.


    I continued my daily life of watching anime and playing video games. I completed all the shows that I missed and started watching new ones. You can see me playing video games if not watching animes.


    All went well until today.


    During breakfast, my mom ordered me to go outside and walk the dog. But the dog can''t even walk with me holding the leash. Animals have a much keener sense than humans, so it must''ve sensed my dreadful aura. The dog is trembling even now.


    When I was walking with the dog, three clich¨¦d thugs suddenly approached me, extorting some money. One of them even flashed a knife in front of me.


    I was surprised.


    This was literally my first time for the past 2000 years to be threatened. In my previous life, after I became a Demon Lord, I vowed that I will not let myself get hurt or threatened ever again. It became a habit of mine to obliterate anyone who threatens my safety the moment they appeared. And as they say, habits require a long time to erase.


    These guys... deserved ''praise'' for threatening the herald of death.


    I stretched out my hands. Under their clich¨¦d ridiculing snickers, a blue magic circle with complicated runes appeared.


    [Shock], a tier 1 variety of [Lightning Magic: Human]. It''s a magic created for beginner lightning-element human mages. It has no other uses than to shock your friend awake if he ever gets sleepy during a night patrol.


    Magic is generally separated into three: Human magic, Demonic magic, and Dragonian magic. I know them all, all down to basics. Why? Try spending 2000 years in boredom. Dragonian magic is the strongest of the three, followed by Demonic and Human magic respectively. Although there is a higher class of magic, I''m not going to explain it yet as it will be mentioned in this novel sooner or later anyway.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    In short, Human magic is the weakest of them all.


    But because I, a Demon Lord, used it, the tier 1 magic appeared like a tier 3 [Electric Bolt]. Needless to say, the three thugs became like burnt lizards sprawled on the ground.


    *katcha*


    A familiar sound.


    When I turned around in response to that sound, another katcha resounded with a flash of light. A blonde haired girl was standing right there, flashing her camera.


    And that''s how we got here.


    "Hey, hey, are you a superhero? You are, right? Tell me about your superpowers. Can you let me see it? Please let me see it. Ah. Do you know Iron Man? Are you two acquaintances? Hey, please answer me..."


    I hid my intention to kill the woman as I tried to find a way out of this. If I remember correctly, in this world, you don''t immediately kill a witness. Unless you''re a psychopath. But I''m not a psychopath (said the genocidal maniac who caused a planet''s destruction). I turned over a new leaf, or at least I tried to.


    Mind magic [Hypnosis]


    Just as I casted a magic spell, the girl tinkered with her camera and looked up to me. I tilted my head in confusion.


    ''Why doesn''t my magic work?''


    I tried casting several other [Mind magic] but it still didn''t work. From the weakest Human magic to the strongest Dragonian magic. It seems like she has a strong resistance against mind magic. How is this possible?


    Just when I was running out of options, a thought flashed in my mind. A harmless method that guaranteed success no matter where you are, or what the circumstances are. The strongest card that humanity used when I invaded their countries. Their last resort.


    "C-can''t you delete the picture?"


    Begging.


    The woman blinked. I never killed a single soul ever since arriving here, so my records are still clean. Trust me, those thugs are not dead yet. See, one of them even twitched in response. They look fine if we ignore the fact that they smelled like burnt crap.


    I am not against killing, but I don''t kill without a reason anymore. I''m a perfect example of a reasonable person, after all.


    "Don''t wanna."


    ''Let''s kill her.''


    I desperately tried to calm myself down so as to not accidentally kill this woman.


    "Pretty please?"


    I tried once again. A Great Demon Lord, even greater than Satan himself, begging to a puny human. If Demon God bro knew of this matter, I would be ashamed to death.


    The woman imitated a thinking posture. And after a while, she raised her head.


    "On one condition."


    "Hmmmmmmmm."


    The woman grinned widely.


    "Become a superhero."


    "Anything but that."


    I flatly refused her; the last thing I wanted was to become of those philanthropists. I don''t want to wear briefs on top of my pants while flying around the city, mind you. I don''t want to wear a skin-tight spandex suit either.


    Seeing my earnest refusal, the woman gave up on the superhero-thing, much to my relief.


    "Hmmm. Let''s see... if you don''t want to become a superhero... then maybe..."


    Just as I was planning to teleport away while she was busy murmuring to herself, she exclaimed.


    "Alright! But this one you can''t refuse. If you don''t want to become a superhero, then work with me!"


    Work? That''s the other last thing I wanted to do besides being a superhero. As I was about to refuse her, I suddenly remembered the conversation I had with my mom last week.


    .....


    "Son, when will you try to find a job?"


    My mom suddenly said while picking up the plates.


    "Don''t worry, mom. I will never leave your side and always guard the house. I will make sure that it is protected from thieves at all times."


    "*sigh* If you say so..."


    After that, my mom went to the kitchen. And thanks to my enhanced hearing, I accidentally heard her soliloquy.


    "*sigh* What should I do to our son, honey. Where did we go wrong? I just hope that I can still support him with this frail body until the day I die..."


    .....


    After that, I did consider finding a job. But it''s hard to find one with a dropped out record like mine, add to that my below average grades. I thought of going to college again, but my lazy nature got the best of me as I instantly rejected the idea the moment it appeared.


    ''This situation... might be an opportunity.''

 Volume 1 Chapter 1.2

    "What''s your job anyway?" I asked the woman.


    "I worked for a newspaper company named Daily Bugle. I''m a journalist there, and I urgently need an assistant." Lynn said with the sincerest smile she could muster.


    I squinted my eyes. "Your real motives?"


    "I''m a failure as a journalist so I tried to find superheroes in hopes of saving my job! Please help me!"


    I turned around with the intention to leave.


    "W-wait, wait, wait! Hear me out first, partner!"


    She already started calling me partner.


    "Wait a second, okay?"


    I stopped and faced her again. I sighed and said: "Please make it quick. I still have to walk my dog."


    Relieved, she quickly organized herself. After a while, she started her introduction.


    "As you can see, my name is Lynn Walsh. And like I said, I''m on the verge of being fired if I still can''t produce any results by the end of this month. So in order to save my job, I started finding other superheroes like Iron Man."


    Up till here, she still had a normal expression. But in the next moment, she sighed in disappointment while shaking her head.


    "And as expected, my leading clues never got me anywhere."


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Lynn then raised her head, showing me a wide smile.


    "I almost gave up hope, until I met you."


    "Don''t make it sound romantical."


    "Now, here''s the offer."


    Ignoring my statement, she loudly declared as she straightened her body with her arms akimbo.


    "Since you don''t want to become a superhero and I can''t get a scoop out of your pictures, you''re gonna help me find these superheroes instead. This is gonna be a long time deal so make up your mind.Please accept it! I''m begging youuuu!"


    Staying silent after I heard her, I pondered. Though I don''t want to get involved in this superhero business, I''m not against the idea of having a lax job with adequate pay. Sure, I do think it''s bothersome, and I hate the fact that I''m being threatened, but it''s also true that I was careless earlier when using magic. More importantly...


    After debating with my self, I secretly activated a magic spell. My round pupils became a slit for a second before going back to normal after I blinked. Lynn failed to notice the abrupt change.


    With that, I confirmed my suspicions.


    This woman, Lynn Walsh, is about to die a few days from now.


    How did I manage to notice? Being a Demon Lord for two millenniums, I naturally developed a strong connection with death. After observing the mana in her body with the unique tier magic [Death Aura Perception: Demonic], I finally confirmed the strong death aura lingering around her.


    So that''s why she gave a familiar feeling when I first saw her. And I guess this is the reason why mind magic doesn''t work on her. The death elements surrounding her are so condensed that you could say that nothing would pass through it. It means it somehow interferes with my mind magic.


    I couldn''t care less about the death of other humans, but this woman''s death aura was several folds thicker than a normal dying person.


    There are two cases that I thought of first: 1. She contacted a strong curse that will surely cause her death, or 2. She offended a divine being that took her blessing upon birth and caused the death elements to surround her until she met her end.


    The first case is the best logical explanation and also the easiest to solve. I already discovered many abnormalities in this world that I was unaware of before, so it''s not strange if a strong curse like this exists. The only mystery was how she managed to contact a curse this strong. I mean, a curse like this can almost compete with my tier 6 curse magic, both with potent and deadliness. If this is the case, I can just replace it with a much stronger curse and remove my curse, effectively removing the current curse in her body.


    The second case, while it appeared simple, is the hardest to solve. Even in my long lifespan, I can only count on one hand the number of divine beings I encountered, including Demon God bro. Moreover, managing to anger that God to the point of condemnation is just absurd for a human like her. If she really encountered and angered a divine being, I would immediately start calling her Big Sis and acknowledge her as my senior. Also, I don''t have any immediate solution to this case.


    And while I do have a third case in mind, it was even more absurd than the second case so I immediately discarded that notion.


    I tried putting my strongest curse on her body with the first case in my mind, but after I removed it, the death aura surrounding her didn''t even budge in the least. That leaves me to case 2, or possibly 3.


    Deactivating my tier 5 magic [Parallel Thoughts: Human] which made my brain process data much faster, I murmured to myself. "It was so long ago that I felt this curious..."


    And that, kids, is how I met your mother. Just kidding.

 Volume 1 Chapter 2.1

    "Mom, I''m going out for a bit."


    "Eat breakfast first~"


    "Okay."


    I replied while adjusting my black necktie in front of a mirror. After that, I went downstairs to eat breakfast.


    Needless to say, my mom dropped the plate she was holding after seeing me in formal office attire. Good thing I caught it with my super-fast reflex.


    "My son... My son is finally entering the society? I''m glad." Mom said while wiping the tears in the corner of her eyes.


    "Ah, uhm, yeah..." I replied dejectedly.


    Geez, I know that I''ve been holed up in my room for ages, and after that, I even went into a coma, but she didn''t have to be this harsh!


    While I was earnestly trying to fit in the society after waking up, my mentality as a Demon Lord made it extra hard for me to do so. That''s why I gave up after several job interviews and became a NEET again. But it was out of my expectation to meet that death-girl, Lynn.


    And now, I got a job recommendation to become her assistant. Finding superheroes together... How great.


    During my time as a Demon Lord, whenever I see a hero, I didn''t even put them in my eyes. They''re no more than an ant in front of me, so why bother. But now I have to find them with a death-attracting girl by my side.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Don''t be so nervous, Finn. This is just to make it official. After this, we will start working right away!" Lynn said full of enthusiasm.


    No, you''re the one that''s nervous. I''ve met countless rulers in my previous life and even made them wipe my shoes, so there''s no way I would be nervous just meeting your office director. You, on the other hand, have been fidgeting and drinking water nonstop ever since we got here.


    We are in a forty-six stories tall building with the logo of ''Daily Bugle'' in 30-foot letters on the roof. Right now, we entered in one of the three editorial offices with the nameplate: Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Joseph Robertson.


    Lynn said that I''m her assistant but in name only, so we''re here to make it official. This is how their conversation went.


    "Chief! Good morning!" Lynn loudly shouted.


    "Keep your voice down, you idiot!" A man in his late 50s berated Lynn. The man had dark skin and whitening hair. He put his pen down as he stopped writing. "*sigh* Quickly state your business. Can''t you see that I''m busy?"


    Lynn became serious as she instantly got into the topic.


    "Chief, I''m here to officially hire my assistant."


    Robertson looked at me for a moment, and then looked at Lynn.


    "No." He shook his head. A direct refusal.


    ''Good job, Chief.'' I praised him in my mind.


    "How many times have I told you? If you can''t produce any result by the end of this month, you''re fired! And now you wanted to get an assistant instead of using your time to get a new scoop? Find Stark. Get an interview. And ask questions! How hard is that?"


    Lynn''s face paled. Gritting her teeth, she said. "Chief, I''m serious this time. I promise I will get you that scoop no matter what. So please reconsider your decision!"


    Robertson stared hard at her for a moment, before sighing. "Your dad used to say that you would become an amazing journalist someday. I still believe that even now..."


    Lynn clenched her fist.


    "So I''m gonna give you one last time." Robertson declared. "His salary will be deducted to yours. I''m gonna tell my assistant to process the necessary paperwork later, so get me that goddamn scoop!"


    "Yes! You won''t regret this, Chief!" Lynn bowed profusely.


    We exited the office, with the BGM of Robertson''s sighs.


    After that, we went to Lynn''s small office/cubicle.


    "What are you doing?" I asked.


    "What do you think? Of course, I''m packing up. We''re gonna leave for Monaco tomorrow for the Grand Prix. Stark''s gonna be there. And just as you''ve heard, if I don''t get that Stark interview, I''m fired. And you''re fired too."


    ''Isn''t that good news for me?'' I silently thought. But after thinking about it, if we both get fired, I still doubt she''ll be erasing those pictures. Besides, my mom''s hope went up after seeing me getting a job. Wouldn''t she get devastated after knowing I got fired the next day after?


    "Let''s go. We have a lot of things to prepare for tomorrow. Make sure you keep up!"


    "You sure don''t waste any time, huh. Good grief..."

 Volume 1 Chapter 2.2

    May 22, 2010


    *knock, knock*


    "Son, wake up, your co-worker is here."


    Early in the morning, my mom knocked on my door, calling me. Coincidentally, I similarly knocked the door away in the video game I was playing. I was up all night playing the newly released Battlefield. (Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is released on March 2, 2010)


    "What co-worker? Why is your co-worker looking for me, mom?" I replied somewhat absentmindedly.


    "I said ''your'' co-worker, not mine! She said her name is Lynn, she''s waiting downstairs."


    Lynn? Ah, shit. I totally forgot that I''m employed now as her assistant and we''re going to Monaco today. I mean, it''s Saturday, good grief.


    I lazily got up, brushed my teeth and took a quick bath. Downstairs, I found Lynn seated on a sofa, facing mom as they chatted to some tea. I don''t know what they''re talking about though, so I minded my own business and silently ate the breakfast.


    After I finished eating, I couldn''t help but overhear their conversation.


    "I promise to take care of your son no matter what," Lynn said somewhat resolutely.


    "As I said, don''t say misleading things. Look, the readers aren''t amused."


    "What are you talking about? It''s only normal for their seniors to take care of their juniors, isn''t it, Mom?"


    Who are you calling mom? And when did the two of you get so close in the short period of time that you met?!


    "Yes, that''s right. I''ll leave my son to you~" Mom chuckled lightly.


    "You can count on me!"


    "Oi, you. Meet me outside." I vowed to instill some shame into this girl''s head. With a beating, of course.


    "More importantly, what are doing? Why are you bringing all of the things in your house with you? We''re only going there for 3 days tops!" I said while pointing at the three huge pieces of luggage at her side. They were almost at the height of my waist with each of them bulging.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "Huh? What do you mean?" Lynn replied while tilting her head. "Oh, you mean these? Naturally, I came prepared. I brought a week''s change of clothes with me in case something happens. I also brought my newly purchased swimsuits with me. There''s also towels, bathrobe, blankets, pillows, sunscreen, and even Sheila and Maya."


    "We''re not going on a vacation! And don''t casually stuff dead bodies in there! Good grief..."


    "What are you saying? Sheila and Maya are my pet dogs. I can''t leave them unattended while I''m away for a few days, can I? Besides, it''s okay." Lynn revealed a crafty smile. "If we can just pass the baggage check, they won''t notice any abnormality."


    ''No, because you''re the abnormality here.'' I cursed in my mind.


    "Anyways," While pointing at her luggage, I coldly declared. "Leave those two and your dogs."


    "No way?!" Lynn''s eyes widened in surprise.


    "Leave it or we won''t leave."


    "Kuk...!"


    "Bring only spare clothes enough for 3 days. The dogs can stay here. Mom will take care of them."


    Lynn gritted her teeth. Crouching down, she opened one luggage and took out the dogs in the cage. This girl... Who puts dogs inside their bags just to sneak it to the airport? Even I who just woke up from coma know that airports have a strict policy of allowing animals to travel. Besides, you can''t get past the thermal inspection even if you put ice inside that bag.


    "Uuu... Alright... fine." With teary eyes, she apologized to her dogs and promised to take them on the next trip.


    "Please take care of them, Mom." She said to MY mom.


    "You can rest assured. I''m already taking care of 1 dog, so 2 more is not a problem. Have a safe trip, okay?"


    In the end, she was forced to take just one luggage. She stuffed her clothes and swimsuits until it burst out, so I had to limit it again. We then flagged a taxi to the airport.


    "By the way, what did you bring? You can''t possibly fit all your clothes inside that small backpack, right?" Lynn curiously asked.


    "I can." I curtly replied.


    "See, you can-- huh? What?"


    Naturally, I used a variety of [Space magic], tier 5 [Storage]. But I can''t possibly say that out loud, so I just changed the topic immediately.


    "More importantly, what''s your plan? You can''t just barge in hoping for an interview, you know?"


    To my question, Lynn instantly grinned and took out something from her handbag.


    "Fufufu. I already processed all the things we''re going to need; from airplane tickets to Grand Prix tickets, and even two rooms in a hotel! Preparation is the key to success! Aren''t I great?" She puffed her chest out irritatingly as she boasted the tickets.


    "Yeah, yeah. Whatever." I replied, uninterested.


    "Now, let''s go to Monaco!"


    "Don''t shout, this is not a shounen manga. Good grief."


    --------------


    Monaco is best known for its tax-free casinos. It has always been a trip destination for rich tycoons that love gambling. It is even safe to say that tourism became the number one source of income of the country because of the casinos. Although, the weird thing is, locals of Monaco are not allowed to gamble. Must be awful to live in a country of gambling that forbids you to gamble.


    There are no airports in Monaco. That is why; our plane would land on Cote d''Azur Airport in Nice, France, which is just a 30-minute ride to Monaco''s capital.


    Our 9-hour flight passed by quietly, and it is already early evening when our plane arrived in France. Furthermore, we traveled again for 30 minutes just to get to our hotel in Monte-Carlo. Imagine how fatigued a normal human would be after that traveling.


    "Ugh. So tired. Wanna rest."


    See? Even the ultra-energetic Lynn instantly slumped down to bed after arriving in the hotel. Hotel de Paris. Apparently, this is where Stark will be tomorrow before the Grand Prix. However...


    "You said two rooms. Why are we in a room with two beds then? Where''s the other room?"


    "Geez, don''t mind the small details. As long as... there''s a place to sleep... it''s fine..." She continued dawdling on the bed until she fell asleep, even forgetting to remove her shoes and change clothes.


    "Good grief."


    I went to the other bed and similarly prepared to sleep.


    I closed my eyes, waiting till sleep takes me in.


    But it never came.


    Ever since I came back here, I never experienced sleep even once.


    I sighed.


    "Good grief indeed..."

 Volume 1 Chapter 3.1

    "You got the camera ready?" Lynn said as she glanced at me.


    "For the sixth time, yes. Good grief, don''t be paranoid. We''re just asking for an interview." I rolled my eyes at her.


    We''re on the lobby of the hotel right now. Lynn woke me up early, we went for some breakfast, and back to the room again to get the necessary equipment/camera. According to Lynn, Stark, the Iron Man, will drop by here to watch the Grand Prix or support his company''s race car. It is the only chance to ask for an interview.


    A little while later, a Rolls Royce car stopped in front of the hotel.


    The first who came out is a middle-aged man of average height. He''s an American, has Caucasian skin, and brown eyes. He has black hair, which is kept in a rough-edged manner. The man has a mustache that runs all the way down to his cheeks, then straight to his chin making an enclosed form, with a small goatee as well on his upper chin. He wore a neat grey tuxedo while waving at the bystanders near the hotel.


    He is Tony Stark, owner of the Stark Industries. The Billionaire in a Flying Metal Suit. Iron Man, as the public calls it.


    Stark was followed by a beautifully dressed woman with a knee-length skirt and high heels, and another bodyguard-looking man in a black tuxedo. The bodyguard held a futuristic red suitcase as he followed the two inside the hotel.


    After Stark and the woman entered the hotel, they were immediately greeted with courteous smiles by the staffs. Then, a redhead woman dressed in an alluring red outfit greeted them. Her name is Natalie Rushman. Why did I know? Let''s turn back a few minutes ago.


    --------------


    "Natalie! Thank god, I finally found you." Lynn grabbed the woman named Natalie as she sighed in relief.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "Lynn. What are you doing here? Aren''t you in New York?" Natalie blinked, surprised.


    "Ugh. It''s for work. For work." Lynn winced as she pathetically rubbed her temples. "About the thing I asked... Is it possible?"


    Natalie is the current assistant of Stark, or so I head from Lynn.


    Natalie adapted a thinking expression, before nodding. "I guess taking a picture is fine. But I''m not sure if he''ll agree to the interview. I can''t promise anything."


    "That''s plenty enough! Thank you!"


    --------------


    Back to the topic:


    Natalie greeted the two as she gestured to them.


    "Uhm. We have one photographer from the ACM, if you don''t mind. Okay?"


    Of course, the photographer from ACM she was talking about was me. It was a cover, although I don''t know why Lynn even bothered.


    "Um-mhm" Stark hummed in agreement, smiling widely as he turned to face me.


    "When did this happen?" The woman beside him softly said.


    "What? You made me do it."


    "I made you do what?"


    "You quit. Smile. Look, right there. Stop acting constipated. Don''t flare your nostrils."


    They whispered to each other. I don''t know what they''re talking about though so I just minded my own business and took the pictures. Then they walked further inside.


    ''Hmmm''


    As I watched his leaving back, I used [Parallel Thoughts].


    This man, Tony Stark, is one of the superheroes who goes around the city saving people. In my knowledge, he created a full-body metal suit, not unlike that of Gundam, only human-sized. He shocked the world as he revealed his identity as the Iron Man on a news conference several months ago. A natural genius.


    But now, he was no more than a dying man.


    I don''t know what the heck happened, but I can see quite a lot of death elements surrounding him. Like I said before, I don''t care about the death of normal humans. Yes, that only applies to normal humans.


    If you can call a man who successfully built a futuristic suit that can compete with magical equipment without the help of magic ''normal'', then what would you call the humans that did nothing to contribute in society? (said the guy who, last week ago, was just a NEET that did nothing to contribute in society)


    Moreover, he''s not only raising charities to help the children in Africa, he''s also trying to make the world peaceful by purging those terrorists. And by doing so, not only am I free of trouble; I''m also free of trouble! (Important things should be repeated twice.)


    But when all was said and done, at the end of the day, I can''t claim myself to be a good man. As a Demon Lord in my past life, I never knew the word ''help''. Even now, I knew that the world is full of hidden dangers and impending chaos yet I did nothing to stop any of those, resulting in deaths of countless people.


    That''s why, I won''t meddle in Stark''s affairs, but I will keep a watch on him. That''s the least that I could do. For this man, who defied the limitations of mankind using pure technology...


    Deactivating the magic [Parallel Thoughts], I then casted another magic. A small magic circle the size of a coin appeared inside Stark''s body; precisely, his heart. The magic circle embedded itself there, unnoticed by even Stark himself.

 Volume 1 Chapter 3.2

    "In the end, we didn''t even get a chance to ask for an interview..." Lynn sighed dejectedly.


    "We got plenty of time." I consoled while pretending to watch the TV. "Besides, Ms. Potts becoming the new CEO of Stark Industries is a piece of news that Robertson wouldn''t refuse."


    We overheard their conversation to others a while back, that''s why we knew. It really is a news-worthy scoop.


    "I hope you''re right." Lynn sighed once again. "But still, let''s go find Mr. Stark to ask that interview. Where is he anyway?"


    In the bathroom. Changing into an F1 race uniform.


    But I can''t say that, can I? I deactivated the tier 6 magic [Clairvoyance: Dragonian] and took a sip to my orange juice. So refreshing.


    What I just used was a magic spell that can ''spy'' other people, no matter where they are in this world. It can monitor an individual''s activities by utilizing the all-purpose mana in the surroundings.


    Of course, I cannot just use it to spy whoever I wanted to. There are limitations. Like if I want to locate someone and use [Clairvoyance], I would need to calculate their longitude and latitude location. And it''s not easy to do so; that''s why I used the tier 3 magic, [Tracing Searcher: Human], usually used by the hunters in the magical world. That''s the magic circle that I place on Stark''s heart earlier. It automatically provides the location of the target, making it easy for me to use [Clairvoyance]. These two magic combined sort of works like a GPS + satellite.


    Ah, now he''s in the F1 race track. That''s on the TV by the way, not on my magic. And as Lynn saw Stark on TV making a ruckus, she started heading off outside the hotel. Stark seems like he forcefully replaced the driver of his company''s race car.


    As we arrived in the Grand Prix grandstand, the F1 cars are already revved up; engines roaring and tires producing white smoke. Then, the go sign resounded, signaling the start of the race.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The F1 cars started unhurriedly at first until all of them began to speed up, wanting to be in the lead. Stark''s surprisingly not bad at this race car driving, as he can be seen competing with others just fine. The bystanders can be seen shouting Stark''s name.


    All''s going well, until a man dressed in orange as a pit crew walked inside the race track. The staffs supervising the race shouted at the man, telling him to come back. But the man seems like he heard nothing as he ripped his shirt while walking.


    Revealing two long whips, the man''s shirt was set ablaze; not because of fire, but because of electricity. What appeared underneath his shirt is crude-looking armor that seems to imitate something.


    In the next second, the whips produced electric current.


    As an F1 car approaches the man, he suddenly lashed out the electrical whip. The car was cleanly cut in half as it proceeded to crash on the track''s fence. The people screamed, panicking and stampeding away from that place.


    The F1 car blew up once more and one if its tires miraculously flew towards the audience area. Should I say it''s as expected or just bad luck? The car''s tire was coincidentally headed our way; or more precisely, headed straight towards Lynn. While she closed her eyes, I slapped it away and pretended to stumble backward. I quickly looked around. Good, no one suspected a thing as most of them are busy caring for themselves. Good grief, the death elements around her are diligently working too, I see.


    The man proceeded to cut some more cars until Stark''s F1 car arrived. The man''s eyes lit up. Then, he mercilessly cut the car in two pieces. Before the electric whiplash, Stark car was no different from others. His car tossed and tumbled, crashing upside down.


    The man took his time walking up to Stark''s car. And after arriving, he further cut it in half.


    However, to his surprise, Stark had already gotten out of the car and seemingly escaped.


    Unexpectedly, Stark struck the man from behind. Having escaped from his car, Stark attempted to knock the man out, but despite all his best efforts, the man''s crude weaponry seemed to be Stark''s downfall, as he was unable to defend himself from the deadly whips which the man swung at him, although he still managed to avoid several of the lethal blows aimed at him.


    Stark managed to cause an explosion to put some distance between himself and the man using the leaking gasoline from the destroyed F1 cars. However, the man refused to give up so easily. As he continued walking towards Stark and just before the man could whip Stark to death, a Rolls Royce car drove into the fight and crashed into him, pinning the man to the wall and briefly knocking him out.


    Needless to say, inside the car were Ms. Potts and the bodyguard. Stark sighed in relief.


    They appeared arguing about something as Ms. Potts looked angrily at him.


    Just as Stark opened the door to get inside the car, an electric whiplash suddenly cut the door in half. The Rolls Royce car tried to pin down the man again, while the man attempted to escape by cutting the car completely into pieces in a fit of rage.


    Finally, when the man successfully cut the car into two, Ms. Potts suddenly threw a red suitcase towards Stark. Stark''s eyes lit up.


    Stark caught that suitcase. Opening it, the red suitcase repeatedly transformed, finally covering Stark''s whole body in metal armor. The seemingly normal suitcase was actually an Iron Man suit in disguise.


    Donning in the Iron Man suit, Stark kicked the car with Ms. Potts inside out of harm''s way.


    At that moment, I realized: I feel like I''m watching a movie...

 Volume 1 Chapter 4.1

    Now fully prepared for the battle, Stark fought back against the man. While Iron Man was now more durable, the man blocked Stark''s gauntlet strikes while Stark struggled to defend himself against the deadly electric whips, which the man had managed to wrap around Stark''s neck. The man delighted in Stark''s suffering.


    But despite the man''s best efforts to kill him by increasing the power of the whips while trying to choke him, Stark eventually defeated the man using his Iron Man suit. With two punches to the face and stomach, the man was unable to stand and Stark destroyed the man''s crude armor while he was captured and taken away to prison. As he was being pulled away by the police, the man spat out his own blood and continued to mock Stark, claiming that Stark had lost the fight.


    --------------


    Good grief, it sure turned into chaos real quick. Naturally, the F1 race stopped. The race staffs tried to pacify the masses, while I and Lynn were escorted out of the grandstand.


    "Ah! We forgot to take pictures of the battle!"


    You''re noticing that only now? Outside, Lynn suddenly exclaimed with a shocked expression.


    "Don''t worry. I took several pictures of it."


    "Are you a god?!"


    Turning to me, Lynn said with widened eyes. Well, I could''ve achieved Godhood if I tried a bit harder, but there''s no way I can tell you that.


    While Lynn was on a good mood, I poured cold water over her head, saying: "Now that Stark''s attacked, there''s no way we''ll get that interview here in Monaco."


    Lynn crumbled again. Yep, watching her change expressions is a little amusing so I just can''t help it.


    "M-maybe if we tried harder--"


    "Ah, what? Stark just said they would come back to New York tonight? See?" I pretended to have heard something from a bystander and turned to Lynn.


    Although, it was not a lie that they would fly to New York tonight. I heard while using my [Clairvoyance] to check on them occasionally.


    Lynn sighed in defeat. But in the next moment, she happily cheered like a little girl. "Alright fine. Since we couldn''t get that interview, we still have 2 days more before our flight back to New York. We''re in Monaco, so we should make the best out of it! Let''s go!"


    --------------


    "Sand!" Lynn crouched down and grabbed a fistful of sand.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "Sun!" Lynn stretched her arms widely, basking in the sunlight.


    "Sea!" Lynn ran towards the beach.


    "We''re in Monaco Beach!!"


    Seeing such a childish act, I distanced myself away from her because of shame. Even after receiving quite a lot of weird glances, Lynn continued playing like a kid on the shore. Wait... she is basically a kid trapped in an adult body, and we''re in a beach anyway, so whatever.


    I set up the beach umbrella that Lynn got from god-knows-where and laid the blanket. Next, I took out the sunscreen and applied some on my skin. Even though I can use strong magic, my weak body is still vulnerable to the elements, no different than that of normal humans. Unless I put a buff on me, of course. But putting a buff just so I could protect myself from sunlight seems absurd, so I used a sunscreen instead.


    Taking a sip from my orange juice, I enjoyed the view of swimsuit beauties walking around the beach. Ah, so refreshing.


    "Finn! Join me! The water''s so nice here!"


    While I was basking in delight, an annoying voice suddenly interrupted me. Lynn was currently riding on a Jet Ski. This woman really does whatever she wants.


    "Yeah, yeah. Knock yourself out." I uninterestedly replied and continued to ogle at the beauties.


    In the next moment, however, my eyes widened. A bad premonition crept up inside me. I looked at Lynn. And just as I thought, the Jet Ski she was riding on seems out of control.


    "I said ''knock yourself out'' but I didn''t mean to knock yourself out literally!"


    "H-help meee-- woaahh!"


    I quickly swam towards her after casting deceleration magic, noticeably decreasing the speeding Jet Ski. Meanwhile, I casted an acceleration magic on myself.


    "Fiiiinnn-! Save meeee-!" Lynn''s scream got nearer and nearer after a minute of swimming.


    I... was surprisingly getting tired. I failed to realize the consequence of using an acceleration magic with a weak body constitution. Just imagine how a 1990 car would look like after you replaced its engine with an F1 race car engine. That is what''s happening to my body at the moment.


    After the Jet Ski got far enough from the shore, and after making sure that no one can see what''s happening anymore, I casted psychokinetic magic to the Jet Ski, effectively stopping it in its track. I reached Lynn quickly after.


    "Are you okay?" I asked.


    "That..." I can notice Lynn''s minute trembling.


    Just when I was about to ask again if she was really okay, she quickly raised her head, showing a big smile. "That was great! One more, one more!"


    I sighed in relief. It looks like she was okay. I checked the Jet Ski using an x-ray vision-like magic and was astounded at what I saw. Inside the Jet Ski, was a motherf*cking seashell. How can there be a seashell in there?! After thinking about the death elements surrounding Lynn, I didn''t care anymore. Good thing she was an airhead and didn''t ask any more about my abilities.


    But it goes without saying that the Jet Ski can no longer work. And just as expected, we are almost a kilometer away from shore. How great.


    "Hey, get down already. Let''s swim ashore and come back with help to retrieve this Jet Ski."


    "I can''t swim though? Hehe~" Lynn cutely scratched her head, embarrassed.


    My eyes widened in astonishment. Are you serious? Why did you ride the Jet Ski then if you can''t swim?!


    "What do you mean you can''t¡ª[Barrier]!"


    *bang!*


    In the middle of my sentence, I was interrupted by a loud explosion. My barrier magic completely stopped it though so no one got hurt.


    Looking at the thing that hit my barrier, I realized that it was a trident.


    "Huh? What? Eh?" Lynn was surprised; she didn''t know what was going on.


    Meanwhile, the culprit hastily dove down into the sea after seeing that its attack failed. Unfortunately, it disappeared before I can even cast magic.


    I think I was getting a bit rusty; because if it was before, that shithead would be in pieces right now.


    Before the trident fell into the sea, I swiftly stored it inside my storage magic.


    On second thought, I discarded the idea of swimming to the shore. Instead, I rode the Jet Ski with Lynn using psychokinetic magic to the shore.


    When we got there, Lynn immediately started making a sand castle, oblivious to the fact that her life got threatened twice in such a short period of time. It''s a relief that she didn''t dwell too much about what happened earlier.


    The next day, I spent the entire afternoon working on something. I discreetly casted a particular magic spell on the entire beach of Monaco, including the 5-kilometer radius sea near it.


    I''m not a petty person, you see. But I do hold grudges. I especially hate it if I was attacked without prior notice, without rhyme nor reason.


    After that, we spent the rest of the trip wandering the city of Monte-Carlo and boarded the plane back to New York early in the morning. Thus, our short 3-day trip to Monaco came to an end.

 Volume 1 Chapter 4.2

    A week after the trip to Monaco.


    "Finn! Fiiinnnn!"


    I raised my head from the stack of paperwork as I heard a voice calling my name. I instantly knew who it was.


    "Finn!"


    "Quiet down, you fool." I scolded her.


    After Lynn ran towards me, she tried to catch her breath, clearly exhausted from running. Right now, we''re in the Daily Bugle building. Early in the morning after I arrived in her cubicle, Lynn instantly bolted out saying that she got something important to do. It''s 12:00nn now; meaning, I''ve been doing all the paperwork that she was supposed to do for the past 5 hours.


    "Where have you been? If you can''t give me a good explanation..." I made a cutting motion on my neck as I slowly said those words.


    "Fufu~" Lynn smiled proudly. Flashing a small black envelope, she jerked her head upwards. "See this? See this? This is what I''ve been working on!"


    "Who died? What''s that mourning card for?"


    "It''s not a mourning card! It''s a birthday invitation card!"


    "Oh, okay. Have fun." I curtly replied, uninterested.


    "Heh. No, no, no. I''m not going alone." Shaking her head, Lynn pointed at me. "You''re coming with me! Because this is Tony Stark''s birthday party!"


    Ah, so that''s why she was this cheerful over a piece of paper. And that explains why she was out this whole morning. I can see the fatigue built up in her, resulting in those bags underneath her eyes. So she worked this hard, just so she could get an invitation...


    But I couldn''t care less because I already have a gaming schedule tonight. It''s just a birthday party anyway, so nothing bad should happen, right?


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ....Right?


    In the end, I reluctantly agreed about coming with her. Don''t get me wrong. I''m just accompanying her to make sure she doesn''t die, that''s all. Because if she dies, there''s a chance that I may lose my job too. (What a f*cking tsundere)


    "*sigh* Fine. But we''ll be back early, and no drinking. If you can promise me those, I''ll go along with you."


    "Alright then! Let''s go! It would take 6 hours from here to Malibu so we shouldn''t dawdle any longer."


    As she finished talking, a question suddenly popped in my mind.


    ''Wait, how rich is this girl anyway?''


    Last week, all the expenses we incurred for the trip to Monaco came from her personal allowance. That''s including the airplane tickets, hotel''s rent fee, Grand Prix tickets, all our foods plus that Jet Ski. Now that I think about it, the items inside her three pieces of luggage were all branded. Even her pet dogs; one is a little Chow Chow, and the other is a Pomeranian.


    And now this time too. If she can dish out this amount of money in a short span of time, why is she still working on Daily Bugle as a simple journalist? I was curious, but I didn''t dwell too much about it. She''ll tell me when the time comes.


    --------------


    We arrived at the airport at exactly 6:30 pm. A butler-looking guy immediately greeted us and led us to a limousine. Lynn and I followed him inside as though it was only normal; though, in my mind, I was slightly surprised. Moreover, it was a Rolls Royce limousine.


    Peeping in the driver''s window, the butler respectfully said. "Shall we head straight to Mr. Stark''s mansion, Young Miss?"


    "Hmm~ wait a second." Lynn sized me up, scrutinizing me from the top down to the bottom. She then shook her head, sighing. "That''s no good. You can''t go to a billionaire''s birthday party dressed up like that."


    "Whose fault is it that we have to hurry here without changing clothes anyway?"


    Hearing nothing, Lynn turned towards the driver. "Uncle, before we go to Mr. Stark''s mansion, can we please dropped by somewhere else?"


    "Understood, Young Miss." The driver then started driving.


    According to Lynn, it should take roughly an hour drive from Long Beach Airport to Point Dume coast, the location of Stark''s mansion. But because we''re stopping by somewhere, we might arrive a little late than the agreed time.


    After passing by the Malibu Lagoon, the limousine exited the Pacific coast highway, finally stopping at a Shell gas station. We went out of the car as Lynn led the way like she knew where everything is.


    We first stopped by a clothing store called Maxfield. Lynn picked a variety of clothes while I tried them all. In the end, we took the black, semi-formal suit paired with a gray necktie.


    Next, Lynn went inside a high-end women''s clothing line called INTERMIX. I gotta say though; standing for 30 minutes while waiting for a woman to pick a dress is not something I''d like to experience again. Lynn finally decided on a gorgeous but simple black vintage dress and coat set.


    Another 20 minutes later did we only get to see Stark''s Mansion. It is a multi-level mansion built atop a cliff overlooking the view of the Pacific Ocean. The exterior exhibits a modern design with a lot of spirals and flat surfaces. When we arrived inside, it seems like the party has already started.


    While I was expecting a more formal birthday party, like clinking with each other''s wine glass while seated on a round table, what greeted us instead was a chaotic party. Stark is wearing his iconic Iron Man suit, obviously drunk as he wreaked havoc on the stage.


    Lynn and I watched him stumbled towards a wine shelf, breaking a glass or two.


    "You gotta be kidding me." Besides us, I can hear a black man talking to Ms. Potts. "That''s it, I''m making¡­"


    "No, no, no. Don''t call anyone." Ms. Potts tried to stop the man.


    "Pepper. This is ridiculous. I just stuck my neck out for this guy!"


    It seems like the man is angry at Stark''s behavior. Obviously, wearing the Iron Man suit while drunk is clearly not a rational decision.


    "I know. I know. I get it. I''m gonna handle it, okay. Just let me handle it."


    "Handle it. Or I''m gonna have to."


    Ms. Potts then strode towards the stage.

 Volume 1 Chapter 5.1

    On stage, Stark suddenly grabbed the mic and face the audience.


    "You know the question I get asked most often is, ''Tony, how do you go to the bathroom in the suit?''" After he finished speaking, the sound of trickling water was heard. It was coming from inside of his suit. "Just like that."


    Stark laughed loudly, while the audience laughed with him.


    Just then, Ms. Potts finally arrived on the stage, taking the mic from him.


    "Does this guy know how to throw a party or what?" Ms. Potts threw a clear sarcasm.


    The audience cheered.


    "I love you." Stark whispered.


    "Aww. Unbelievable. Thank you so much. Tony, we all thank you so much for such a wonderful night. And we''re gonna say good night now, and thank you all for coming¡­"


    "No, no, no, we can''t ¡­ Wait, wait, wait. We didn''t have the cake. We didn''t blow out the candles."


    The couple whispered to each other, Ms. Potts trying to make Stark dismiss the party while Stark insists on continuing.


    "Just send everybody home, okay? It''s time to¡­"


    "If you say so..."


    "Okay? I''ll take this, you take that." Ms. Potts said and took the beer bottle away from Stark''s hand, while she gave the mic back to him.


    Stark faced the audience.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "Pepper Potts. She''s right. The party''s over. Then again, the party was over for me, like, an hour and a half ago. The after-party starts in 15 minutes!" Stark loudly proclaimed, gaining the audience''s cheers again. "And if anybody, Pepper, doesn''t like it, there''s the door."


    After he finished speaking, he accidentally fired an energy blast towards the glass door, breaking it. The audience shouted louder.


    Stark fired an energy blast towards the beer bottle a woman threw upwards. Needless to say, it shattered, sending sharp pieces all around. I shielded Lynn''s eyes with my hands from some of the glass shrapnel that ''coincidentally'' targeted her. This woman''s luck was truly excellent.


    In the corner of my eyes, I can see the black man that Ms. Potts talked to earlier heading downstairs.


    Meanwhile, another woman appeared with a watermelon.


    "I think she wants the Gallagher!"


    A stronger energy blast came out from Stark''s chest, blowing the melon into pieces.


    The people cheered even more.


    But suddenly, the black man I saw earlier came out with a similar Iron Man suit; the only difference was his was silver while Stark''s painted in red and gold.


    "I''m only gonna say this once." He looked around the audience with a commanding gaze. "Get out."


    The audience scrambled to the door, including us, of course. Although Lynn wanted to stay, I forcefully dragged her out of the mansion while following the crowd. I know full well that those two would end up fighting, and Lynn staying there with her negative luck stats wasn''t a good idea.


    When we''re outside, I quickly used [Clairvoyance]. This time, Lynn noticed the change in my eyes. So she pulled my sleeves, saying. "Hey, what is it? What is it? Let me see too!"


    I had no choice but to share the [Clairvoyance] on her too, as she wouldn''t stop bugging me until I do so. Thus, we watched Stark''s fight with the black man, who he called Rhodey.


    They fought in the gym, using the barbells to hit each other. They destroyed the equipment as they traded blows after blows. Eventually, they arrived on the floor we''re at, just at the entrance of his mansion.


    They resorted to dirty tricks, their fight quickly turning into a dog fight. Stark managed to briefly knock Rhodey out by smashing him to a counter.


    He looked in our direction, where the audience had gathered.


    "HraaAAaAHh!" Stark roared at the audience, making them flee out of fear.


    Meanwhile, Lynn pulled me into a nearby plant, effectively hiding from plain sight. She then took out a camera out of nowhere.


    After the people completely vanished, Rhodey suddenly stood up, grabbing a table in the process as he directly smashed it to Stark''s naked back. Stark was thrown into the fireplace.


    After recovering, Stark immediately raised his hand. Rhodey did the same.


    "Put your hand down." Rhodey said.


    "You think you got what it takes to wear that suit?"


    "We don''t have to do this, Tony."


    "You wanna be the War Machine, take your shot."


    Both of them refused to concede.


    "Put it down!"


    "You gonna take a shot?"


    "Put it down!"


    "No!"


    Their gauntlets suddenly issued a screeching sound, the light building up.


    "Drop it, Tony!"


    "Take it!"


    Then the energy blast met in the middle. It produced a beautiful circle blast that quickly became larger and finally creating a big explosion, blowing away both of them.


    Meanwhile, my barrier magic repelled all the glass shards and debris that Lynn naturally attracted. And while the two wasn''t looking, I swiftly pulled Lynn away and headed towards the limousine. She didn''t resist this time, maybe because she already captured several good shots.


    Our limousine then drove out of Stark''s mansion. The birthday night ended in a way that no one could''ve possibly imagined.

 Volume 1 Chapter 5.2

    May 31, 2010. Monday.


    I got up early in the morning, brushed my teeth, and ate breakfast with my mom as usual. After that, I headed off for work. It''s been more than a week now since I started working.


    Meanwhile, Stark is doing fine. I discovered that the reason why he was dying is because of heavy metal poisoning induced by the palladium element in the Arc Reactor on his chest. And the next day after his disastrous birthday party, he met up with a man in a Donut store. The man had dark skin, bald, and a noticeable eye patch covering his left eye. Although I hate to admit it, the man looked very cool; almost seems like a secret mafia boss.


    They discussed the legacy of Stark''s father and something about making a group of superheroes. (Good grief, it''s finally happening.)


    Another surprise was that Natalie Rushman, who I previously knew as just Stark''s assistant, was actually an agent sent by Nick Fury, the man with an eye patch. Nick Fury addressed her as Agent Romanoff.


    After that, Fury left the property and legacy of Stark''s father in Stark''s hands.


    Using his father''s research, Stark discovered a message from his father that led him to examine the original 1974 diorama of the Stark Expo: in reality, a disguised diagram for the molecular structure of a new element. Stark hand-built a Particle Accelerator with the aid of his computer AI J.A.R.V.I.S and synthesized a new element, creating a new, perfected Arc Reactor that cured his palladium poisoning.


    Unfortunately, I don''t understand any of this either so I can''t explain it to you too. I don''t really become a science freak even if I casted [Parallel Thoughts], cause all it did was to quicken my brain processing, not making me a genius.


    One thing is for sure though: This man''s life really feels like it was taken from a movie somewhere.


    I''m not really a fun of stalking, and I can''t say that I enjoy watching/spying the life of a middle-aged man. But so many extraordinary things were happening around him that I can''t help but be aware of his existence.


    As I mull over these things, I realized that I''m already near Lynn''s working cubicle. This girl has been cheerful since yesterday because even though we didn''t get a Stark interview like what Robertson wanted, we did get news-worthy scoops. (Ms. Potts promotion to CEO; Stark and his friend''s fight.)


    "Finn! We''ve got a new assignment! Guess what?"


    "''We''ve been assigned to go to the Stark Expo because we couldn''t get the Stark interview in the end''-- something like that?"


    "What?! How did you know?!"


    "How would I not know when it''s written all over your face? Besides, I''ve already heard that you''ve been boasting about it ever since you arrived this morning."Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "Hehe, thanks~"


    "It''s not a compliment, you blockhead." I sighed.


    "Good grief. Lately, I get less and fewer hours to play video games or watch animes because of work. I wonder how long I can last..." Mumbling for the last time, I followed Lynn out of the office.


    --------------


    Night of the same day.


    The Stark Expo is an exposition located in Queens, New York City that brings minds together from around the world and combines them to try and develop new inventions to improve quality of life for mankind and the world in the future. According to Lynn, it was created by Tony Stark''s father, Howard Stark. The Expo ran from 1943 to 1974, until it was revived by Stark just this year.


    The Expo is a gathering of tech-savvy people hoping to present their new inventions; so naturally, there would be plenty of investors attending and the media too.


    There were many amazing inventions this year, but the one that shocked them the most was the presentation of a guy called Justin Hammer, president of the Hammer Industries.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, today I present to you the new face of the United States military. The Hammer drone!"


    After his speech ended, in one corner of the stage, a line of combat-looking robots rose out of the floor. The robots were not unlike that of Iron Man, albeit with a bigger frame and it''s remote-controlled, not a suit.


    "Army!" Justin Hammer pointed at the 8 Hammer drones equipped with shoulder-mounted tank guns and wrist-mounted machine guns. A military song started playing.


    "Navy!" What came out next was the same 8 Hammer drones with only a slight difference in design from the first ones. It was equipped with two shoulder and wrist-mounted missile launchers, and a wrist-mounted machine gun.


    "Air force!" The next to appear was a line of Hammer drones not too dissimilar to the Navy ones, the only difference is that the Air force drones are equipped with a back-mounted machine gun. It also appears slimmer and lighter than the other two.


    "Marine Corps!" And lastly, a line of Hammer drones with a camouflage interior and is equipped with wrist-mounted machine guns and missile launchers.


    On stage, Justin Hammer appeared ecstatic as he showcased his creations.


    "Yeah! Yeah! Woo! That''s a hell of a lot better than some cheerleaders, let me tell you. But as revolutionary as this technology is, there will always be a need for man to be present in the theatre of war."


    Suddenly, in the middle of the Hammer drones, a single robot came out.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, today I am proud to present to you the very first prototype in the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit and its pilot, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes!"


    It was the man who fought Stark on his mansion, and the one who took one of his armor. The silver Iron Man suit that we saw a few days back completely looked different now. It was repainted with a much darker color and it was obviously weaponized, the evidence being the machine gun mounted on its shoulder and wrists.


    Rhodes made a salute, and all Hammer drones followed.


    Just when Justin Hammer was about to continue his speech, in one corner of the stadium, Stark''s iconic Iron Man suit of red and gold suddenly appeared. He flew directly to the stage, landing with a loud thud.


    Stark walked up to Rhodes and pretended to give the cheering audience a friendly wave. They seemed to be talking about something, so I used my [Clairvoyance] to peep in.


    "We got trouble."


    Just that one sentence from Stark and I was instantly tempted to cancel the magic.


    "Tony, there are civilians present. I''m here on orders. Let''s not do this right now."


    "All these people are in danger. We gotta get them out of here. You gotta trust me for the next five minutes."


    It seems like the guy, Ivan Vanko, who attacked Stark at the Grand Prix last week escaped in prison and was working with Justin Hammer, the man currently standing on stage.


    Stark suddenly approached Justin. "Where is he?"


    "What?"


    "Where''s Vanko?"


    "Who?"


    "Tell me."


    Panic can be seen in Justin''s eyes, but he still tried his best to deny Stark''s accusation. "What are you doing here, man?"


    "Whoa, whoa, whoa." But then, Rhodes suddenly exclaimed. The machine gun mounted on his shoulder moved and pointed at Stark.


    "Is that you?" Stark asked.


    "No, I''m not doing that. That''s not me. I can''t move. I''m locked up. I''m locked up!" Rhodes warned. "Get out of here. Go! This whole system''s been compromised!"


    "Then let''s take it outside." Stark suddenly flew upwards as the Hammer drones started shooting at him, breaking the glass roof.


    I covered Lynn''s head from the falling glass shards. The audience stirred up, panicking at the sudden gunfire, causing a stampede. I grabbed Lynn''s hand as we followed the crowd out of the stadium.


    Meanwhile, Rhodes'' suit and 8 Hammer drones followed Stark to the skies, quickly vanishing in sight.


    Just as I was relieving over the fact that it''s finished, the remaining Hammer drones on the ground started to move. They began firing on the surroundings.

 Volume 1 Chapter 6.1

    Naturally, Lynn attracted quite a lot of astray missiles. I became busy as I tried to protect her with the barrier magic while making sure that no one will see it.


    "Save them!" Lynn suddenly shouted, pulling my sleeves as she pointed at the people being caught up in the explosions.


    "Why?" I don''t understand what she meant, so I had to ask.


    "Wha--" Lynn was astounded. "Is there supposed to be a reason just to save them?!"


    I looked around.


    True, some people are being caught up in the explosions. The 24 Hammer drones targeted and destroyed all the things they see in sight, not sparing anything. The unlucky ones that get caught up in the explosions suffered a mild to intense injury or burn. There are kids, there are elderly people; all women and men, regardless of age and gender, wouldn''t get spared from a robot''s calculated missile.


    Nevertheless, I still failed to notice the essence of why I needed to save them just because they''re ''humans''. Just because humans are intellectual beings, it doesn''t give them the right to be spared at all times. During my time as a Demon Lord, I killed indiscriminately, humans and beasts alike. For me, humans are no more than just slightly better thinker than other animals. It goes on without saying that that mindset has been engraved in me for the past thousands of years.


    "I still don''t get why I need to save them." I honestly stated my thoughts to her.


    Lynn''s eyes widened. "You..."


    I blocked a missile headed her way by discreetly casting barrier magic around us. The explosion engulfed both me and her, but the barrier kept the fire out. As the explosion subsided, I can see the resolution in Lynn''s eyes.


    "If you don''t want to save them, then..." Lynn ran off, not finishing her sentence.


    In the distance, an elderly woman is having the trouble of moving her wheelchair. There are no people around her that dared to help as they cared for themselves first before others. Just this scene proved that even the kindest people cower in the face of death.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    But suddenly, out of nowhere, a blonde girl appeared to help the elderly woman. It was Lynn. She helped the woman push the wheelchair out of harm''s way. However, before she could do so, an astray missile fired by a Hammer drone went straight towards them. As Lynn witnessed it, instead of running, she embraced the elderly woman instead.


    *Boom!* They were engulfed by the fire.


    When the spectators were sure that the two were dead, Lynn and the elderly woman appeared unscathed. Naturally, it was because of my barrier magic; or else, even if Lynn has 9 lives, she would still get blown to bits by the missile.


    I sighed. Lynn looked at me with a smile for a moment before proceeding to push the elderly woman. Only after finding the woman''s family did she came running back towards me.


    "Finn, thank you!" Lynn ran up to me with wide open arms. I know where this is going so I immediately put a stop to her by grabbing her head.


    "Yeah, yeah. Whatever." I shrugged her off. "I didn''t do it for you so don''t be thankful. I just remembered that my salary came from yours, so the work that I did for the last week would''ve been for naught if you suddenly died."


    "You can have my salary then! Just let me hug you--"


    "No thanks, you can have it."


    ''You can''t die until I solve that mystery of yours. Or at least leave a body for me to dissect.'' I thought in my mind.


    Of course, I didn''t say it out loud.


    Lynn finally stopped struggling. Standing up straight, she looked at me with cute puppy eyes. She repeatedly blinked her long eyelashes. "Finn, please? Just this once..."


    "As I said, I don''t see the reason why I must help. It''s not like these people--"


    "Ahhh man, the upcoming Xbox 360 S will be released in 20 days huh. I heard there''s also a game called, what is it again? Call of Duty: Black Ops, right? Yeah, that game. It sure is nice to have those sets huh. If only there''s someone who''s willing to help..." Lynn said while glancing at me.


    Hmph, you think that can entice me?


    "Consider it done." Replying curtly, I took a quick stride to a nearby Hammer drone and touched it on its back. Immediately after, electric sparks ran over the course of its entire body. The next thing that happened was; the drone fell into several pieces, turning it into useless junk.


    Tier 3 magic, [Disassemble]. It simply returns back the item''s original state before it was modified or made. A simple magic spell that all craftsman can cast.


    I continued doing that to the drones before the manipulator noticed something amiss. After I disassembled the 6th one, the remaining 18 drones finally targeted me. The missiles and machine guns focused their fire in my direction.


    "Finn!"


    I can hear Lynn''s worried voice outside of the fire zone that engulfed me. I transmitted a message through telepathy magic. <Don''t worry, I''m fine.>


    She was surprised at first, and then I heard her voice again. <Okay, just be careful alright.>


    ''Isn''t she getting the hang of it really quick?'' I silently thought to myself. ''But then again, it''s just Lynn. So maybe she just did it on impulse...''


    I shrugged these useless thoughts out of my head and focused on the situation. The short moment they reloaded, I immediately seized the chance.


    "How about you get a taste of your own medicine? [Magic Missile]."


    A hundred magic circles surrounded me, giving an ominous light. The most basic tier 3 magic filled the sky as they blasted all the drones into nothingness.


    "[Erase magic trace]"


    Finally casting that unique Dragonian magic, I left the place with Lynn in tow.


    On the way to the parking lot, where Lynn''s driver is, a speeding Stark in his Iron Man suit passed us by. He flew towards the direction of the stadium. The previous shiny suit is now ragged and full of scratches.


    A little while later, I heard several muffled explosion. I used [Clairvoyance], wondering what''s happening.


    Then I saw the drones that I had not destroyed, those I disassembled, exploding in flames. Oops, it looks like those drones have a self-destruct mechanism. Thankfully, I destroyed most of them.

 Volume 1 Chapter 6.2

    The next morning, Lynn visited my house. She held a big plastic bag as she entered the living room. Putting down that bag, she proceeded to sit on the table where I and my mom were eating. The girl with no shame helped herself to some toast like it''s her own house. Mom lightly chuckled at her actions, clearly amused.


    As I finished eating, I can''t help but notice her motives.


    "It must be no good if you directly come to my house early in the morning."


    "How rude. I already brought your new Xbox, you know."


    "Really?"


    I stood up and opened the plastic bag. It''s true; it''s the new Xbox 360 S game console that was newly developed by Microsoft. Although, it was only supposed to be released on June 18. There''s still more than 2 weeks remaining before its public release...


    But suddenly, I recalled that this girl might be insanely rich, so it''s not a strange thing for her if she gets something before it is released to the public.


    However, this means... I squinted my eyes at her.


    "In exchange..."


    I knew it the moment Lynn''s eyes sparkled.


    "... I found these on the web and thought that maybe we should take a look? I already booked the flights, so don''t worry... Please don''t glare at me like that!"


    I sighed, taking the phone from her hands.


    ''Hammer challenge: Lift the hammer in the crater and win old Harry''s old collection of toys. 100% Impossible Challenge.''


    After reading it, I looked weirdly at Lynn. She was grinning from ear to ear, showing me two rows of white teeth.


    "If you want the toys that badly..."


    "Tha-that''s not it! Read it carefully! See? See? It said ''impossible to lift''. You know what this means, right?!"The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Someone glued it there?"


    "N-noooo... please, just agree, okay? I already called the driver..."


    In the end, it was up to me again to decide. I sighed, knowing full well that she won''t stop giving me those looks until I agreed. I was forced to join her antics again.


    "Good grief."


    --------------


    7 hours later, we arrived in a town called Puente Antiguo in New Mexico. It has a semi-arid climate, a small town in the middle of nowhere with only a rough road connecting it to the big cities.


    We are in an off-road vehicle, a white Lamborghini LM002. The driver''s still the same butler. Then from the town of Puente Antiguo, we continued heading west, traveling nearly 50 miles until we finally saw the crater. It was a really huge crater with a depth of approximately 2-3 meters. Surrounding it were the cars of merry locals participating in the said challenge.


    Our vehicle stopped just outside the crater, Lynn and I got off respectively. Not wasting any more time, Lynn immediately jumped to the crater. I had to secretly cast [Feather Fall] because of it. I followed after her.


    In the center of the crater was a single hammer stuck on a protruding stone.


    We watched as the locals wrapped it in a chain connected in an old pickup truck. After that, the truck suddenly accelerated, pulling the chains into a full stretch. However, the hammer didn''t budge in the least. Instead, it was the truck that crumbled; its rear end gave up as it was ripped apart.


    "That is one strong hammer." Lynn exclaimed.


    "Or a lot of superglue."


    "Shh. Now, do your thing."


    "What thing? What are you talking about?" As I gave a half-hearted answer, Lynn glared at me.


    "Your magic! Come on, work your magic!"


    "Alright, alright. Don''t shout. Good grief."


    I carefully observed the hammer. On first glance, it looks like a typical war-hammer used by the barbarians in the magical world. But the thing is, the hammer contained a lot of magical power visible even without me using mana observation magic.


    "Interesting."


    Despite stealthily casting a tier 5 [Mana Seer] magic, the most I can observe is the massive amount of magical power imbued on each writing on the hammer. I deactivated the magic, and then I switched to unique tier [All-seer eyes], mainly used by the dragons. It was this magic that I used when I previously inspected the whole world along with [Clairvoyance]. (see on prologue)


    "Shit. This really is interesting."


    What I saw through the magic was the tiny amount of God-powers imbued on the hammer itself. What is God-power, you ask? In simplest terms, it was a restriction. A divine order, so to speak. It was an unbreakable type of magic that can only be broken by the same God-powers or stronger. The reason why Gods doesn''t directly meddle in human affairs is that usage of God-powers can potentially harm that world in the process.


    I smiled bitterly. No matter how powerful I can be, even if I can destroy this Earth single-handedly, I am still no match against God-powers. It is my limitation as an ordinary being.


    I might''ve had a chance if I would perform a Godhood ascension ceremony right now, but I choose to refuse. I don''t really want to have a huge responsibility (burden) just because of some ''God'' title. I don''t plan on ascending right now.


    Nevertheless, I would lie to myself if I said I am not curious about this thing at all. I mean ffs a God just dropped a hammer from the sky and left no one to watch it (although he sealed it). For what reason? What is he possibly trying to achieve? Is this some kind of a sign for world invasion? I would like to meet this spunky God if possible and tell him to go f*ck off another world instead. I''ve already got my hands full with just one Lynn, good grief.


    "Hey, it''s time to go. I can''t do anything with this thing."


    "Eh? There''s something you can''t do?"


    ''Oi, oi. Don''t just assume that I''m omnipotent like a God. I just said that I''m still not a God, didn''t I?'' I shrugged in annoyance as I pulled Lynn away from the crater. But before we completely leave, I stopped on the edge of the crater.


    "?!"


    Just as I tried to cast marking magic to monitor the situation day and night, I instantly canceled it. I frantically looked around, trying to find that penetrating gaze that I felt a while back. Seeing no one suspicious, I casted my gaze downwards.


    ''You can see me, can''t you?'' I spoke in my mind.


    I waited for a reply while disregarding Lynn''s calls.


    After a few moments, a short reply was transmitted in my mind.


    <Yes. Yes, I can.>

 Volume 1 Chapter 7.1

    <What a frightening ability for a mortal of Earth.>


    ''What frightens me more is that you''re just using your senses to see me, am I right? You''re not even using magic, you freak.''


    <...That is correct.>


    My lips twitched as the deep voice honestly admitted. I recalled again the unfairness of the world. While I suffered for hundreds of years just to acquire my power, some people are just naturally born with it. ''Luck, skills, techniques: all is nothing in the face of unrivaled talent.'' I learned it the hard way.


    <But you need not worry, human. I will not meddle in your affairs so long as you don''t meddle in ours.>


    ''Don''t worry, I have no reason to. But can I ask something?''


    The voice took his time before giving a reply. <What is it?>


    Curving my lips upwards, I asked the question I have in mind ever since he spoke.


    ''You''re... not the God who is behind this thing, am I right?''


    <Indeed. I am not.>


    He admitted it instantly.


    ''And I take it that your God doesn''t have any other ulterior motives in sending this thing?''


    <Yes. The All-father banished that hammer along with his son in that world.>


    Banished? Son? Sounds like a family problem to me. A trouble I''d like to avoid at all cost. But as a test, I asked a slightly daring question.


    ''If so, you wouldn''t mind at all if I steal this hammer, would you?''


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The voice went silent for a long time this time. Then, a resolute reply came.


    <The Mj?lnir is a semi-sentient treasure. Should one be worthy to wield the Mj?lnir, he shall possess the power of Thor. However, you are not worthy. Your soul is tainted by the lives of countless beings, enough to be the equal of the Ruler of Hel.>


    ''Don''t casually throw in foreshadows like that. Besides, I''m just kidding. I knew it the moment I saw the hammer that it won''t accept me... Oh, and one last thing.''


    <...>


    The voice waited for me while I prepared to cast a special magic.


    "I don''t like getting monitored."


    Unique tier space magic [Perfect Barrier of Interference: Dragonian].


    The Dragon species, which are known to be detached from the world, especially made this barrier to avoid Gods'' eyes. Adding to that, magic spells that have an adjective in their names are not only there for show. The magic''s name is the essence of the magic itself. Meaning, creating a magic spell with the word ''Perfect'' attached in it is considered one of the greatest achievement a sorcerer can achieve.


    In short, it is safe to say that that guy couldn''t monitor me or my surroundings ever again, no matter how strong his senses are. Of course, I was curious about the ''banishment'' of the son too. However, it''s not the reason why he was banished I was curious about, but the ''process'' of his banishment.


    I mean come on, from that guy''s tone and all, it already screams of the word ''otherworlder''. Or else, how can you explain a being that can see me and talk to me without using magic at all?


    In the end, what I''m trying to say to you is: they must''ve used a teleportation magic strong enough to travel through worlds, am I right? My past life''s failure is just on the other side of that world...


    I am lying to myself if I said I''m not curious even one bit on how they managed to do that. But despite all of that, I chose to ask less; because the less I know, the less chance I''ll get involved in their matters.


    ---------


    Somewhere else; where the planet isn''t round, and it doesn''t revolve nor rotate.


    A lone figure can be seen standing inside what seems like an observatory. The observatory is made up of some sort of gold-like metal. It was round in shape with a pointed cone on top. Weirdly enough, it was also connected to a rainbow-like glass bridge.


    Inside the observatory, the said figure was equipped in an expensive looking armor. The armor was a gold metal chest plate that extended into shoulder guards, worn over simple brown clothing. He also had a golden horned helmet. The figure wore black pants, gold boots and arm-bracers.


    The colors of his eyes were glowing in a mysterious bright orange.


    "He''s gone."


    The man mumbled with a deep voice. He held a massive sword in front of him.


    "A mortal who can hide under my watch..."


    It was the deep voice that Finn heard earlier.


    "I suppose there''s always a thing for a first."


    The man closed his eyes.


    When he opened them again, it was no longer glowing in bright orange. It turned back to its normal amber color.


    ---------


    Lynn''s POV


    Finn said that he failed to find anything weird about the hammer, but I didn''t believe him. I mean, he stood for an entire 20 minutes just standing there, you know? Who can stand for an entire 20 minutes staring on a hammer? He''s absolutely not being honest, you know?


    But being a wonderful and understanding girl I am, I agreed to go back to the town. Reluctantly, okay?


    On our way back, we passed by a convoy of several black cars heading towards the crater. It''s the typical black cars=secret agents clich¨¦!


    As I pulled the driver''s sleeves to make a U-turn order, Finn stopped me. He said that "the car doesn''t have enough gasoline, so we''ll just check it tomorrow. Good grief"


    Apparently, the car won''t have enough gasoline if we''ll make a U-turn towards the crater again for another 25 miles and another 50 miles just to go back in town.


    I reluctantly agreed again. No choice. Even though Finn is supposed to be my assistant...


    We chose the town first and planned to go and check the crater before we return to New York tomorrow.

 Volume 1 Chapter 7.2

    June 2, 2010. Early in the morning.


    I was woken up by a disturbance in the surroundings. We''re currently staying in a cheap hotel, still in Puente Antiguo. I looked out of the hotel''s windows and stared blankly at the sky.


    Up ahead, about several miles away from this town, spiraling down from out of the clouds is an enormous tornado. Suffuse with the strange rainbow light, it roared like a thousand freight trains as it touches down. In the middle of the enormous glowing funnel cloud, a huge pillar of light beam struck down the center with a terrifying intensity.


    A few moments later, it subsided. Gone like it was never there in the first place.


    "Good grief, it''s finally happening."


    Sighing, I used my [Clairvoyance] magic to observe what came out of that storm. One thing I know for sure: whatever needs that amount of massive energy can''t be something ''normal''. And there''s already a candidate in mind.


    Ah, just like I thought. It was those guys-- residents from another world.


    In the middle of the desert, 4 silhouettes can be seen coming out of the dust. A guy with the girth and figure of a sumo wrestler; a nattily dressed charismatic guy with a neat mustache; an Asian-looking guy holding a large mace; and lastly, a beautiful woman clad in armor with a sword and shield by her side. I''m guessing that they came from the same place as that voice that I talked to yesterday.


    They were all wearing armors and weapons that are obviously out of this world. And most of them also contained a noticeable amount of magic power in them.


    Behind the four, what''s left of the teleportation storm was a set of runes not unlike a magical circle. As I inspected it, I realized: it was not too dissimilar to the magical circle used in summoning heroes. I instantly noticed it because I did intensive research on this kind of magic to develop a teleportation spell capable of traveling through another world, which I failed to, of course. But that didn''t mean that I forgot the tens of years I spent examining the summoning circles used by the human kingdoms to summon heroes.


    Unfortunately, no matter how I sliced and diced the summoning circles, I still cannot develop the magic spell. And this time too-- as I examined the set of runes, I can understand it quite a bit, but I cannot just magically create an entire magic spell just from it. Obviously, I needed the theory behind it too.


    I discarded the thought of pointlessly heading there, and continued to observe the guys that came out from it. They were currently headed for this place.


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    .....


    I''m eating breakfast with Lynn when suddenly, another teleportation storm occurred. I didn''t even care this time and continued eating like nothing happened. Lynn, however, felt something amiss.


    "What was that?" She asked.


    "Just some magical spell from another world that can teleport people into this world."


    "Oh, okay."


    Lynn then resumed eating.


    .....


    ''I should''ve gone to that second teleportation storm.


    I should''ve stopped that ''thing'' that came out from it.


    I should''ve taken it more seriously since the start.''


    I thought as I gazed at the ''thing'' that came out from the second teleportation storm.


    Striding down the street of Puente Antiguo is a figure of a giant robot. The giant robot was made up of otherworldly metal, its structure not too dissimilar from an Iron Man suit; the only difference is that this one''s finer and closely resembles a giant man instead. A red, fiery energy is glowing from within it.


    Apparently, its name is the ''Destroyer'', according to the four ''Asgardians'' trying to stop it. It was more like a living armor than a robot, it seems.


    A part of the Destroyer''s facial structure retracted downwards, showing a hollow structure. In the next moment, it unleashed a blazing hot beam from its face, blowing up cars and setting storefronts aflame.


    The four Asgardians from earlier fought to stop it, while some of the residents helped others evacuate the town.


    Meanwhile, Lynn and I were currently standing a little far away from it, observing as the Destroyer wreaked havoc. Naturally, I already casted a tier 5 [Barrier of Resist Fire] around us in preparation for astray heat blasts attracted by Lynn. The girl in question is busy taking a good shot of the battle.


    On the other hand, after the residents evacuated, 4 people remained watching the battle as it unfolds. Three of them were humans; two women and a guy nearing his 60s. The last one; an annoyingly beautiful man. Yes, beautiful. He is magnificently handsome, long blonde hair flowing around his classically sculpted features. Sure enough, the man is not of this world too. I just overheard him calling the Asgardians as ''friends'' quite knowingly.


    The hammer, another world, All-father, Asgardians. I suddenly remembered the Norse mythology that was taught to us during my high school days. (Wow, I can actually remember what happened thousands of years ago like it was just yesterday.)


    ''Ah. Then this crisis should be solved even if I don''t interfere, right?''


    As though I jinxed it, the four Asgardians crumbled before the Destroyer. They couldn''t damage it in the least, the best they could do was stall time. Even after the woman in armor pierced it to the ground with a lance, the Destroyer easily rearranged its body parts to get out of the situation, managing to even fire a return blast to the woman.


    When all four of them was about to die, the blonde guy stepped in. One of the human woman called out his name, Thor, but to no avail.


    Thor proceeded to help his friends before walking unarmed towards the Destroyer. In one glance, it looks like he was talking to someone who''s controlling the Destroyer if there''s any. The Destroyer ceased its action, while Thor continued walking closer to it.


    Just when it looks like his talking works, the Destroyer suddenly hurled out its enormous arm, swatting away Thor for a couple of meters.


    The human woman stared blankly for a moment before dashing straight to Thor, disregarding her companions'' calls. The Asgardians looked on with anguish as Thor breathed out his last breath.


    However...


    "Is he dead?" Asked Lynn.


    "Gods are not easily killed."


    The moment I finished speaking, a blinding bolt of lightning struck down on Thor''s body, creating a huge cloud of dust. Thor, who they thought was dead, suddenly raised his hand and caught something from above-- it was the Mj?lnir.


    As the cloud dust dissipated, Thor, clad in his full battle armor, holding Mj?lnir in his hand appeared. Lightning ran over the course of his entire body.


    Thor then swung the Mj?lnir around, taking off straight up into the air. The Destroyer looked up as Thor summoned a tornado of gale and lightning. Debris from the battle began to rise up into the sky, some hitting the Destroyer.


    Eventually, the storm got strong enough to lift the heavy Destroyer off of its feet. The Destroyer tried to fire heat blasts at Thor, but he easily blocked it with his hammer.


    High up in the sky, it was easy to tell that the aerial battle belongs to the one who has the ability to fly, in this case-- Thor. The Destroyer was easily defeated by Thor with his hammer, its massive body falling to the ground with a loud explosion. With that, the battle ended.

 Volume 1 Chapter 8.1

    The other objects and debris pulled into the air by the gale winds dropped down from the skies, burying the Destroyer''s unmoving body. Thor walked away from it, heading towards his friends.


    Suddenly, black cars appeared out of nowhere. A man in a black suit walked out from one of the cars.


    "The secret agents! It''s the secret agents!" Lynn cheered like a little girl.


    ''Wait, isn''t this the guy who guarded Stark when he was grounded by Fury?''


    I suddenly recalled the time when Stark is researching the method to create the new element. At that time, this man, Phil Coulson, was ordered by Nick Fury to guard Stark. I naturally sighed.


    ''It looks like these agents are bigger than I thought.''


    Since there was nothing else to see, I pulled Lynn away even if she wanted to take more pictures. I wanted to avoid more trouble than necessary.


    Before the day ended, we arrived at JFK airport at approximately 5:00 pm. Lynn appeared incredibly exhausted, directly sleeping once we entered their limo. They dropped me home before sunset.


    "See you tomorrow... at work... Finn...*snores*"


    "Yeah, yeah. Get a good sleep."


    I closed the door of their car and watched as they drove off. I sighed.


    "Good grief."


    As I turned around, I can see my mom grinning widely.


    "What?" I asked, irritated.


    "Nothing, nothing. I''m just thinking what name would be good for a grandson..."


    She put a hand on her chin while giving me a ''knowing'' glance. I shrugged my shoulders, completely ignoring her antics as I entered the house.


    I began to mull over some things when I entered the bath.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The battle earlier. The might of the full powered Thor. A glimpse of the teleportation method to another world.


    As much as I''d like to study this stuff, I knew that once I get involved, it would be hard to back off from it. I would have to completely discard my normal, everyday lifestyle. Maybe even leave the house just so my mom could live in peace, away from troubles. I don''t like that.


    It''s been thousands of years that I lived with the mentality of someone who doesn''t have anyone he could call a companion, a friend, nor a loved one. And now, suddenly given a new chance, I would naturally try to protect my daily life just so I could live in peace with my loved ones. If the need arises, I would even create a sub-dimension similar to Earth just to protect my mom.


    However, one person suddenly appeared in my life and threatened to destroy my peaceful life. She retorted to blackmailing, dragging me everywhere there is trouble. It was absolutely detestable.


    But despite that, I couldn''t hate the person herself.


    Stuck with this reasoning of thoughts, I exited the bathroom. I opened the new Xbox 360 S as I started yet another sleepless night.


    -------


    June 4, 2010. Evening.


    I and my mom is quietly eating dinner, watching the TV news, when suddenly, a phone rang.


    I continued eating without raising my head up.


    "Mom, your phone is ringing."


    "It''s not my phone. It''s yours, son."


    "..." I forgot that I indeed have a phone.


    Fishing my phone out from my pocket, I looked on and saw the name ''Lynn''. My expression instantly soured. It''s been days now since the Thor incident, I wonder what trouble she has gotten herself into this time.


    <F-Finn...! Save me..!>


    "Yeah, yeah. What is it this time? Did you get attacked by a giant monster or something?" I half-heartedly replied, uninterested.


    <Yes-! I''m stuck inside the car... Please help me!>


    "Yeah, good joke. Like that could happe--"


    "Son?"


    I was interrupted by my mom. Looking at the thing she was watching on TV, I abruptly froze.


    Standing 14 feet tall, gray skin, as heavily muscled as 5 combined bodybuilders with strange bones protruding like spikes at its ankles and wrists. A horrible, snarling face that could scare a child miles away; an abomination wreaked havoc on the streets of New York.


    At first, there was only one thing on my mind: when did the government decided to breed Orcs? I mean no matter how you look at it, that thing very closely resemble my Orc general.


    But then, my mind suddenly jolted. I just remembered Lynn''s still on the phone.


    "Where are you right now?"


    <I''m... still stuck on the limo. It was blasted away by the monster... I can''t unbuckle the seatbelt!>


    "Wait for me."


    With that as a signal, I ended the phone call. I took my coat and headed to the door.


    "Son, where are you going at this time? It''s already night..."


    "Uhh, gotta buy something."


    "Oh... Then, buy me an ice cream on your way back."


    "... Sure"


    I closed the door behind my back and went on a deserted alleyway. When I made sure that no one''s watching, I casted a ''simple'' magic spell. Tier 7 [Space magic].


    "[Instant Teleportation]"


    My surroundings blurred for a moment, I felt my head splitting from the wrenching sense of dislocation. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer on the dark alleyway. In the middle of the streets, overturned and flaming cars littered the ground.


    From a distance, constant explosions and gunfire can still be heard.


    [Search Magic] + [Clairvoyance]


    I inspected all the overturned cars on the street, finally finding Lynn a little far away from where I stand. I ran after I casted acceleration magic on myself when I saw the gas tank leaking. But despite my speed, I was still a little late.


    "[Ice Freeze]!"


    I barely stopped the explosion from happening by turning the surroundings of the limo into an icy ground.


    Opening the frozen door, I took out the unconscious Lynn and her driver and laid them a little away from the limo.


    I checked Lynn''s pulse and noticed that it hasn''t stopped or anything. The same goes for her driver. They were just unconscious.


    It was a relief.


    I don''t know what I will do if she was fatally wounded or something similar happened. I don''t know any healing or regeneration magic. In the first place, I was a Demon Lord; a destructive demonic aura naturally envelops me. The light and nature elements are my bane.


    Secondly, I am an immortal. I didn''t need magic to heal myself because of my strong innate regeneration as a Demon Lord.


    Thus, I neglected healing magic in the past.

 Volume 1 Chapter 8.2

    Now, seeing that I and the people around me have a normal flesh, vulnerable from the littlest cuts, I started to regret the fact that I didn''t get to study that type of magic.


    "You''re a little strange. Why aren''t you running?"


    A deep voice interrupted my thoughts. I sighed. I already knew he was coming, yet I couldn''t just teleport away.


    I looked up and saw the hulking gray monster.


    "If you walk away right now, I''ll pretend that I saw nothing." I said.


    "You talk big for a weak human."


    The gray monster''s hand balled up into a fist, his bones producing crackling sounds.


    "In your next life, make sure you know your place before speaking!"


    The gray monster threw a punch with its enormous arm.


    "[Absorption Barrier]"


    A muffled thud echoed out.


    "Good grief, this is why I hate muscleheads. All they think about is violence; punching things first before talking."


    I can see the gray monster''s bewildered expression behind the rippling transparent barrier.


    "Oh well, since you didn''t mean any real ''harm'', I''ll let you off easily this time. [Force Rebound]"


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    As my last words resounded, a terrifying force suddenly struck the gray monster, hurling it away for at least tens of meters.


    "Yeah. Enjoy the body ache when you get up tomorrow morning."


    I grabbed the two unconscious people with me and teleported away while the gray monster roared in anger.


    I watched him vent his anger towards the cars while I stood from the top of a building, blocks away from the gray monster''s location.


    Then out of nowhere, a body landed heavily in the middle of the street. A few moments later, on the crater where the body fell into, another hulking monster came out. It was different from the first one though; because this one has green skin, without bone spikes growing from his body.


    I watched in amusement as the green guy and the grey monster fought each other. Quite obviously, the gray monster which has a bigger physique than the green guy emerged superior in the battle. The gray monster looked trained too.


    I remember the times when I was bored; I would conduct a fighting tournament amongst my Orcs, with the championship prize of having the honor of becoming my temporary servant. Good times.


    Back to the battle: the gray monster overpowered the green guy by a huge margin.


    Quite unexpectedly, the green guy managed to turn the tides of the battle by ingeniously using a chain to knock his opponent out. The gray monster lay there unconscious, while the green guy bolted away.


    Since there was nothing else to watch, I proceeded to teleport to the hospital.


    At that time, I didn''t know. That the small action of forgetting to erase the traces of my magic would cause my daily peaceful life to change forever.


    ---------


    Fury''s POV


    "Sir?"


    I raised my head up from the pictures in response to my subordinate''s call. It was Agent Phil Coulson.


    "Is this confirmed?" I asked.


    "Affirmative, sir. The guys from my department double-checked it. Agent Romanoff can testify."


    I looked again at the pictures sprawled on my desk.


    Monaco Grand Prix incident; Stark Expo incident; Puente Antiguo incident; and last night''s battle in the streets of Harlem, New York. On the last picture, a car can be seen frozen in ice.


    All of them were the events involving the subjects in the ''Avengers Initiative'' project. But that''s not the issue right now. The problem is; they all have something similar.


    The figure of a man, who appeared nothing out of ordinary, is present in all of these events. Moreover, last night, he was not just present. He was ''involved''.


    "Finn Mertens. 22 years old. Drop out in Columbia University''s Business School. When he was 20, he went into a deep coma lasting for 2 years. After he woke up, he started working in Daily Bugle as an assistant journalist."


    After Coulson recited the man''s bio, he played a videotape on a laptop.


    On the blurred satellite footage, during the battle in Harlem, the gray monster stood before the man in question, Finn. In the next moment, the gray monster was suddenly thrown away for several meters.


    I played the video repeatedly, trying to figure out what happened but to no avail. I rubbed my temples in annoyance.


    "What''s the status of the report?"


    "Nothing strange happening at the moment, sir. My guys are still following him."


    Just at that time, a knock was heard on the door and Agent Romanoff came in.


    "Stark is ready to meet you, sir."


    "Be right there."


    I closed the videotape and gathered the pictures on a folder. I walked to the door and gave it to Coulson.


    "In the meantime, continue to follow him. Report anything unusual the moment you see it."


    "Understood, sir."


    Yet another freak appeared.

 Volume 2 Chapter 9.1

    Several months after the Harlem incident, or ''Orc fight'' as I''d like to call it.


    Lynn was currently lying on my bed while I played the newly released CoD: Black Ops that she just gave me. (It was released on November 9, 2010, so that should give you a rough idea of what date it is.)


    "*sigh*"


    I sat by the mat as I excitedly held the controller. The introduction scenes played out.


    "*sigh*"


    The games'' graphics are amazing, one of the best I''ve seen this year. The starting location was in a bar of some sort, and the action instantly started.


    "*sigh*"


    "Can you stop sighing?" I turned to Lynn, annoyed. She wouldn''t stop sighing ever since earlier so I had the urge to throw her out of the room. If not for the fact that my mom would throw me instead if she knows of it, I would''ve done so already.


    "I can''t help it, you know. Ever since that incident, nothing exciting happened since then." She sighed once again.


    "Your definition of ''exciting'' involve the possible deaths of humans. How shameful of you."


    "I didn''t mean it that way, you know! I really didn''t!" She fumed out of anger as she sat up from the bed. "*sigh* It''s just that, no matter what we do, we can''t find any leads anymore."


    "If you sigh one more time, I swear..."


    "*sigh*"


    A vein bulged in my head as I pacified my inner anger.


    Lynn stood up and walked to one of my shelves. She browsed the games there as I spoke. "It''s not like we can find superheroes every day, you fool. It would be weird if that happened."


    "I know, I know." Lynn shuffled some new games in her hand while I still played CoD. With [Parallel Thoughts], I can focus on the game even while talking to Lynn like this. It''s an ingenious way of playing, I know.


    I can see her eyes twinkling as she held the Minecraft game in her hand. It was there only because I got curious about its popularity, but once I played it, I realized it was not to my taste. I mean, I already got sick of trying to build/destroy something when I was in the magical world, which was the core essence of the game. So it was shelved there along with the others. Now that I think about, it was really popular among teens even now.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    But before she could beg to play the game, I abruptly stood up. She got surprised by that and fell on her back. "Hey!"


    Instead, I ignored her and casted [Clairvoyance]. When I confirmed something, I grinned widely.


    "Lynn, want to go underwater diving?"


    "Huh? Sure, I guess?" Lynn cutely tilted her head while answering.


    Under her surprised gaze, I held her hand. [Continental Teleportation]


    A foreboding dark magic circle appeared beneath our feet. It emitted lightning sparks as the magic circle seems like it''s about to explode. When I thought Lynn would be scared, she instead cheered like a little girl while clinging to my arm. The next moment, we disappeared from the room.


    --------------


    *blurgh* Lynn instantly vomited as we arrived on the destination.


    Meanwhile, I looked around. Not even a minute has passed and we''re now in Monaco. Traveling for 4000 miles in a matter of seconds undoubtedly caused Lynn''s stomach to churn. Although this is not her first time experiencing teleportation, this is the first time that she experienced it while she was awake. I patted her back as I checked the state of my magic.


    Unique tier Dragonian magic [Presence Carpet]. It has indeed had a reaction a couple of minutes ago, which triggered the [Alarm] magic to inform me. Just to fill you in, [Presence Carpet] is the magic spell used for detecting presences, as its name suggests. I just needed to specify which presence I''d like to seek and laid out the massive carpet. It was the magic that I used before we leave Monaco last time in order to find that culprit who attacked us. I was 100% sure that he will come back for his trident, so I set up a trap in advance.


    But why bother finding that culprit even after several months has passed, you ask? Just as I told you earlier, I hold grudges. I at least wanted to greet him a little bit, you know? Just a little friendly reminder to never attack me ever again and maybe a tier 10 [Inferno Blast] to his face.


    "W-where are we...?" Lynn asked while wiping her mouth. Gross.


    "In Monaco."


    "Monaco?!" Her eyes widened.


    "Hold tight for a second." I told her as I held her waist.


    "Eh? Eh? What are you doi-- uwaooahh!"


    Lynn got interrupted as I quickly flew towards the Mediterranean Sea with the magic [Aerial Drive] used by the dragons. At first, she was scared, but she eventually opened her eyes wide at the scene. The view from the sky overlooking the principality of Monaco is indeed a nice view to behold, causing Lynn to smile from ear to ear. It would be a beautiful scene if Lynn didn''t stick out her tongue like a dog while saying she wanted to try it at least once.


    After a few minutes, I was already above the target who''s still on my [Presence Carpet]''s scope. I hid my and Lynn''s presence with magic and stealthily followed him as he speedily swam like a boat using only his four limbs. Even if he was tens of meters below sea level, I can still clearly see his blue skin, not something you expect from a normal human. But then again, he already stayed underwater for more than 20 minutes now while still going fast so he''s probably not human. His speed almost reached up to 30miles/hour.


    It piqued my interests a bit so I continued following him for a while.


    .....


    We probably traveled for hours now and he''s still continuing, taking several stops on the way. Lynn already got bored and started counting my facial hairs instead. She even had the idea of capturing a dolphin and taking it for a quick ride. Other than that, I was amazed at the culprit''s ability to travel on such distances.


    By the time the culprit has finally stopped traveling, I measured that we were at least in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean or something. That''s a long way from the Mediterranean Sea, even for me. I gotta admit too, flying for hours isn''t the best idea when you have Lynn''s presence. Either she will annoy you to death or irritate you to death.


    When the culprit suddenly dived deeper, I lost sight of him. I hesitated whether to follow him deeper or not, but since we already got this far I decided to see the end at least. I casted [Astro Suit] on both Lynn and me.


    This magic allows us to breathe on a vacuum, breathe underwater, and even breathe under your classmate''s foul odor. It also gives protection against physical attacks and at least tier 4 and below magical attacks. Heck, it even has an add-on that lets us speak underwater. It''s a Unique tier [Space magic] so it gives us the image of a violet underwater diving suit. It''ll remain forever unless of course, I remove it.


    Although Lynn begged me to make her suit become pink instead, I ignored her and dived underwater, following the culprit''s presence.

 Volume 2 Chapter 9.2

    We dived deeper than I expected so I casted [Illuminating Orb] to provide a source of light. I guess it must''ve been the reason why great white sharks attacked us a couple of times, to which the [Astro Suit] proved its usefulness. Even the great whites cannot pierce through the suit, so I lightly threw an [Electric Bolt] to scare them away.


    Lynn got mesmerized by the deep sea creatures that she witnessed as we dived down, but it paled in comparison when we saw the magnificent and glorious city of...


    "Atlantis?" Lynn murmured.


    "I guess so, look." I pointed my finger to the 7-8 shadows that were quickly getting larger, approaching us. With my enhanced eyesight, I can see that they all have blue skin, not that much different from the color of the sea. They also wore futuristic power suits and even equipped with either bidents or tridents.


    As they approached us, they swiftly made an encircling formation and pointed their weapons at us. They''re clearly not very welcoming towards guests.


    "Who are you?!"


    "What?! A human?!"


    "What! How can that be!"


    Ah, they can tell we are humans? Oh, maybe it''s because we don''t breathe underwater like they do because of the gills on their necks. Yeah, that''s probably it.


    They murmured among themselves for a while, before a leader-like existence took a step forward. He has a different helmet than the others so it''s easier to notice that he''s a named character. The peanuts gallery even chanted his name, Captain Arkus, while he made his way here.


    "Humans! How did you find us here?!"Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "We followed one of you, obviously." I pointed at the guy I followed earlier. But instead of them glaring to that guy, their gazes towards me intensified even more. My lips twitched. "Oi, oi, oi. I''m actually a victim here. That guy was the first to attack--"


    "Silence!" Captain Arkus raised his trident. I had the notion to blow his head off while Lynn was busy playing with the cute little sea creatures but I suppressed it.


    Captain Arkus turned to look at the guy that attacked us a couple of months ago and asked grimly. "Is it true?"


    The guy timidly nodded, but in the next moment, he nervously stuttered a response. "B-but, they neared me, a-and I got scared! I thought they were going to--"


    *supak!* A crisp slap resounded, scaring away the sea creatures that Lynn was playing with. I held her neck as she was about to complain to the Captain.


    "You insolent fool! Not only did you initiate an attack to the humans, but you also led them here! You deserve a week of punishment in eater-corals'' prison! Get him out of here!" Captain Arkus declared mercilessly despite the guy''s begging. I pitied the guy and decided to let him off as eater-corals sounds like more gruesome than what I would do.


    Captain Arkus then turned to me. "Humans! I must warn you, you cannot speak of this city to any other being and divulge its location. Once you do, we will find you and kill you! Now, leave and never come back!"


    *katcha*


    Just as his voice resounded, a flash of camera lightened up their comical faces. Lynn smiled cutely as all attention gathered on her.


    "You..." Captain Arkus trembled. However, in the next second, he thrust out his trident towards the direction of the waterproof camera and an energy beam shattered it.


    "Ah!" Lynn didn''t even get a chance before the camera shattered. Good thing that the [Astro Suit] perfectly worked as her hands didn''t get a single scratch despite that powerful blast.


    "My camera..." Lynn mourned for her camera before pointing at Captain Arkus. "How dare you! That camera was handpicked by Finn himself!"


    It''s true, I chose it for her. I didn''t want to see her bringing a retarded pink camera full of childish stickers every time we interview someone.


    "That camera is priceless! At least pay compensation so I can buy a new one!"


    Oi, oi. You just contradicted yourself there.


    Lynn berated him for a full minute before Captain Arkus finally blew off. He roared as he thrust out the trident a second time to shut Lynn up.


    Obviously, I wouldn''t just stand there to watch her get attacked so I created a barrier between the two of them. The energy beam that hit the barrier dissipated to nothingness like it was absorbed. Then, a similar energy beam blasted out of the barrier as it headed towards Captain Arkus. He blocked it using his trident despite being pushed 3-4 meters backward. It was the combination of [Absorption Barrier] and [Force Rebound].


    After positioning himself in the water, he glared at me like I killed his whole clan. "Attack!"


    The rest of the sea dwellers attacked at the same time, thrusting out their weapons as energy beams shoot out repeatedly.

 Volume 2 Chapter 10.1

    There were several things that I noticed while battling them:


    First is that they are really called Atlanteans, residents from Atlantis just ahead of us, and that they''re at least 10 times stronger than a normal human. They have the capability to shatter my tier 2 barriers if they attacked simultaneously while focusing on one point.


    They are also very adept at sea battles as it can be seen from every formation they took and their swift but precise movements. It even seems like they aren''t even bothered by the ''low temperature, high pressure'' of the deep sea as they move without something hindering them.


    Secondly, their weapons are more advanced than the human weapons above. Those bidents and tridents seem like magically shooting out energy beams, one at least as powerful as Stark''s. Their powered suits are even on par or a little lower than Iron Man''s. However, up above, only Stark possesses this kind of technology, while these guys are only grunts. It is clear that the myth of Atlantis being an advanced civilization is true.


    And lastly, despite all of that, they are still absolute garbage in front of me.


    "Kuh...! How?! How are you so powerful?!"


    I shrugged my shoulders at Captain Arkus.


    "[High tier Death Curse]"


    A black magic circle appeared on the ground. It covered all the Atlanteans present on the battlefield.


    "W-what is this?!"


    "Uwaaahh!!"


    Just as the Atlanteans were panicking, the black magic circle dissipated. It turned into a black mist and forcefully entered the Atlanteans'' bodies.


    A magic spell that will bring 100% death. It will corrupt your insides; turn your brains into mush, and slowly corrode your organs. Although, for the first few days, you will not notice a change in your body. It will just suddenly appear before you know it and boom. Dying without knowing how. Good luck with that.


    Because no signs will appear on your body, it would only look like nothing happened. I don''t want to see Lynn get traumatized, you see. I think blood and gore are still too much for her.


    Just as I said, the Atlanteans failed to notice any change in their bodies. They made a body check on themselves, and finally concluding that my spell ''failed'', they regained their arrogance.


    However, I''m already done with them. My excitement was short-lived.


    "I''ve already accomplished my goal, I guess I''ll leave now. Lynn, let''s go." I turned around and beckoned to Lynn.


    "I wanna play more though..." Lynn visibly sulked.


    "We can go here anytime we want. I''ll take you some other time again."Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    For now, I wanna go home and continue to play CoD instead. While thinking of such, I decided to go up but the Atlantean soldiers refused to let us go instead.


    "Where do you think you''re going?!" Just as Captain Arkus finished speaking, reinforcements came from the city of Atlantis.


    Three futuristic aquatic crafts hovered before us. It''s a two-man piloted ship the size of a school bus with open cockpits. On each of its sides appeared what seems like a ray cannon or something similar. It started charging.


    Naturally, I stopped advancing. "If you fire that cannon I swear--"


    "Fire!"


    6 thick energy beams were simultaneously fired at us. A simple [Absorption Barrier] cannot stand this one and might crumble. So instead, I casted a [Reflecting Mirror], a shield with the ability to bounce off any incoming projectiles. Although, it cannot reflect physical attacks, which is one of its shortcomings compared to the [Absorption Barrier].


    The 6 thick energy beams were deflected to different directions because of the round surface of the shield.


    "Hey, why are you trying to kill us?!" Lynn finally realized the dangers as she fumed at them instead of being scared. I really admire her courage at times like these. Other people might have had shit their pants already when the ships appeared. Instead, I can see that she fully trusts me as she acts without care of getting hurt.


    "She''s right; you can''t just shoot people."


    Sigh. They asked for it.


    "[Glacial Spears]"


    The water surrounding us condensed and slowly took the form of ten 5-meter long ice spears. The ice spears have a sharp point from end to end with the thickness of a leg. I shot the three aquatic crafts with two spears each. It exploded, but I couldn''t care less even if the drivers died. Fortunately for them, all six survived albeit with a deep injury.


    Some of the Atlantean soldiers raged upon seeing it, some of them stood stupefied, and some of them hurried to rescue their comrades. Captain Arkus was especially trembling not from anger, but from fear. It was close to the phenomenon where herbivores fall into panic and their bodily functions seem to come to a stop under the stare of a large predator that they have completely no chance of winning against. Yes, it was that kind of trembling.


    "Just what... are you...?"


    "''The guy who just wanted to go home and play some video games but was kept getting interrupted'' guy. And guess whose fault do you think it is?" I squinted my eyes at him.


    He took a step back while still trembling, and just when he was about to order a retreat, an Atlantean soldier shouted excitedly. "Reinforcements!"


    I guess the explosions were too loud.


    From afar, several gargantuan turtles with the diameter of at least 5 meters carried many more Atlantean soldiers on their backs while hastily approaching us. One of them called it the Turtle Transports. What a creative name.


    As they got down from the turtles and surrounded us with a formation, I can see that they have different weaponry than these soldier grunts. They''re equipped with futuristic ray rifles, ray pistols, and more powerful-looking tridents. They also have grander powered suits compared to these soldier grunts.


    "We are the Atlantean Royal Guards. Surrender now or prepare to die." One of them pronounced monotonously. It seems cool and all except for the fact that we''re being pointed at with ray cannons and guns.


    "Finn, couldn''t we just teleport back? I want to eat now. I''m hungry." Lynn pulled me and whispered.


    "I agree. However..." Before that, I wanted to teach these guys a lesson first. Just as I initiated a magic spell and separated the remaining 4 [Glacial Spears] into dozens of mini-spears, an imposing voice suddenly resounded at the back of the pack.


    "Halt."


    It came neither slow nor fast, arrogant nor carefree. The voice imposed an unseen grandeur that can make you unconsciously follow it. It was a hypnotic voice usually used by a great King or an overbearing Tyrant.


    The Royal Guards parted in the middle and the one who spoke monotonously earlier suddenly exclaimed proudly while kneeling. "Namor the First, King of Atlantis, Emperor of the Deep, Lord of the Seven Seas and Supreme Commander of the undersea legions! Kneel under his presence!"


    That''s a lot of titles.


    A man in a golden powered suit suddenly walked on the path that the Royal Guards created. He''s more than 6 feet in height, black hair, pointed ears, and blue-greyish eyes. He wore a majestic golden crown on his head. But the surprising thing was: he had the skin color of a human being, different from these blue-skinned Atlanteans.


    "I''m Namor, current King of Atlantis. My soldiers sincerely apologized for their unwelcoming behaviors." King Namor said as he urged his soldiers to bow.


    It was easy to discover that he''s the kind of person who wouldn''t easily bow down to others just from his earlier words. If he really was sincerely sorry, as their King, he should''ve known how his subordinates'' mistakes are his mistakes as well.


    However, instead of committing it, he blamed it to his soldiers rather than shouldering the blame with them. In short, he''s the kind of King who prioritizes his interests first before others; the type that I detest the most.


    "Yeah, no. I couldn''t care less. Can we just leave?" I uttered in pure annoyance.


    "How preposterous! You--"


    "Silence." King Namor raised his hand to stop the Royal Guard from speaking further. He then turned to us and smiled, "My friends, it''s been a long time since I met fellow humans. I sincerely offer you a chance to witness the city of Atlantis in exchange for your forgiveness. There''s also a banquet too if you''d like."


    "Banquet?!"


    As expected, the moment Lynn heard the word banquet; she turned to me with sparkling puppy eyes.

 Volume 2 Chapter 10.2

    According to the myths, the city of Atlantis is an advanced city that once flourished on lands but was sunk during the Great Cataclysm/Great Flood. The people living in the advanced city sunk with it, and their God, Neptune, bestowed them the ability to breathe and live underwater. Seeing it closely, it was no different than what the myths told us. Or it is possible that there was someone who already discovered this city before, thus, creating the myth from it.


    The city of Atlantis is covered by a dome-shaped glass barrier that retracts whenever it senses the Atlanteans entering. Beyond it was the futuristic city of Atlantis. Although I said futuristic, that only applied to the tall buildings. Some buildings were a hybrid of coral reefs and their architecture.


    Atlantis has a monarchy government. So as we reached the Royal Palace, guards and maids started to greet the King. The Royal Palace is made up of pure white marble. Its insides are decorated with pearl and gold chandeliers. It was the very definition of wealth.


    Inside the palace, a grand feast is already waiting for our arrival. I don''t understand why King Namor, Lord of the Seven Seas, prepared a feast just for us but there''s definitely something fishy going on here. (Did you get the joke? Is it fishy enough for you?)


    "Welcome to our humble city of Atlantis." King Namor suddenly raised a wine cup. "Let the feast begin. But first, here''s to our friends from above."


    I imitated his gestures and raised a wine cup too. "Cheers."


    Meanwhile, Lynn already started eating. What is she eating? Well, since we''re on the sea, naturally it would be seafood. Lots of lobsters, shrimps, tunas, and even shark sushi. It''s all seafood and seaweeds, huh.


    "Our country can only offer sea creatures as supplements, so I apologize for any inconveniences." A gentle voice of a woman was suddenly heard from afar. The woman appears to have blue eyes and auburn hair. On top of her head lays a slender crown.


    "My Queen." King Namor beckoned as the woman approached us.


    "My King." The Queen greeted back. It must be a tradition or something.


    Facing us, King Namor introduced his wife. "This is Dorma, my wife, and my one and only Queen."


    "It''s very nice to be your acquaintances, humans from above." Queen Dorma smiled at us.


    "Yeap." I replied while tossing a shrimp in my mouth and delighting in its crispy texture.


    The King and Queen pair appeared to not mind my rude behavior as they were still on full smiles. My suspicions quickly went up a notch.


    After that, the banquet was quickly over. There were some dancers, acrobats, and comedians who performed to keep it lively. It was an open banquet, to which the civilians can participate, so the food was quickly gone. We didn''t even manage to taste all of it, although Lynn was the only one concerned.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "Well then, I guess it''s time to go." I said as I stood up.


    When I was about to call Lynn who was playing with some Atlantean kids, the Queen suddenly spoke. "Why don''t you guys stay for the night? Coincidentally, tomorrow is the Festival of Corals. It is only done once every 4 years, and only one human has ever witnessed it. We don''t mind other humans participating."


    "What a good idea." King Namor nodded in agreement.


    "No thanks. We''d like to go home if possible." I flatly refused. But despite that, the pair still insisted.


    Noticing that my decision wouldn''t budge, the pair turned to persuade Lynn. Crafty bastards.


    "What say you, Young Lady?" The Queen smiled beautifully at her. Obviously, Lynn was no match against the Queen; especially when the Queen is emitting a natural-born charm. I cannot accuse her of using magic because there is no magic in play. She was just born with it.


    "Finn! I''d like to see the Festival!" The airhead girl said.


    "Alright. Whatever you say."


    There was something on my mind.


    Although the reason why I agreed like that is partly because of Lynn, there was something more important. I have a feeling similar to playing a detective role in those detective games. It''s the feeling that can keep you awake.


    I''ve noticed lately that no matter how many games I played, it no longer brings me any excitement anymore. Since I cannot sleep ever since coming here, I''ve been using games as my escape path. But as I said, it was not a solution; it was only a temporary escape.


    If the only thing that keeps me awake is taken away from me, I don''t know what I might do. I realized that my thousand years as a Demon Lord would never fade away from my history, no matter how many changes I''ve made. Even until now, I still unconsciously believed that everyone has an ulterior motive against me.


    For several months now, I''ve been holding it back. From the Stark Expo, Puente Antiguo, and the Harlem incident. If I wasn''t holding it back, obviously it could''ve gotten a lot worse, and it could''ve also caused massive destruction of human lives. Thus, I became an active volcano that is ready to explode anytime. I think that if I can''t find an outlet soon, I might really explode. I don''t want that. I don''t want to see the people around me get hurt.


    However, here in the deep sea, where there are no eyes that can keep me in check, I can do whatever I want. It''s the perfect place for me.


    It was not flawed reasoning, nor a reckless behavior. It''s just the whim of someone who tried to become something that he''s not. And now, that someone just might want to loosen up a little bit.


    I''d like to see how things would play out starting from now on.


    ------


    Night of the same day.


    Since we''re staying the night, we''re naturally given the guests'' room. My room is a little farther away from Lynn''s though, the reason being the male guests and female guests rooms are separated. It was a fair logic just like the dormitories in colleges.


    *boom!*


    I am lying in a soft seaweed bed while stubbornly trying to take a sleep when suddenly, a very loud explosion resounded. It was so loud that the fishes sleeping in my seaweed bed were disturbed. However, I still closed my eyes and pretended to sleep.


    *bang!*


    A little while later, the door to my room was blasted open by an energy beam. I opened my eyes as I sat up in bed, pretending to be surprised. Several Royal Guards marched in and pointed at me with their Power tridents and Ray guns. The one leading them was an Atlantean with distinct white eyes and a bald head.


    "Human! How dare you lead an army here! You should be punished with death!" The leader said while pointing his charged Power trident to my face, ready to fire at any time. He did not even ask a question as he directly accused me.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about." I honestly said.


    "Silence! You still claim innocence? Fine, let''s see how long you can last after I blasted off your nose!" The Royal Guards prepared to shoot with his lead.


    "Halt!" Just as when he was about to fire and I was about to cast an annihilation spell, King Namor appeared out of nowhere and stopped them. "He''s not the one who caused all of this. I can assure you that."


    "But my King! He--"


    "I stand as I claim! Or are you saying that I''ve gone senile?" The King glared at his subjects.


    Naturally, they all cowered and kneeled on the ground in fear of their King''s wrath.


    King Namor then apologized to me and finally got to the point.


    "The attack was orchestrated by the Lemurians, which is currently on war with my country." He said in a grim tone.


    Although they said he''s the Lord of the Seven Seas, in reality, he does not control/govern all of the undersea cities. There were some that waged war on his alliance; like for an example, this undersea country Lemuria, which is situated in the Pacific Ocean. That''s a long way from Atlantis which is in the Atlantic Ocean.


    "My Queen Dorma has been kidnapped. And we found out that they also kidnapped your woman."


    Now then, I guess I''ll play along with you for a bit.

 Volume 2 Chapter 11.1

    Lemurians, residents from the city of Lemuria, looks no different from Atlanteans. They all have blue skin, pointed ears, and gills on their necks. If I would have to differentiate them from Atlanteans, it''s probably their more advanced technology that stood out most. Aside from that, they also have bodies that are buffer than most Atlanteans and their movements that clearly showed their war-trained nature.


    A total of 15 Lemurians equipped with advanced weaponry ''mysteriously'' bypassed the Atlantis barrier. 10 of them bombed the palace as a diversion and fought the Royal Guards, while the remaining 5 was said to excel in sneaking.


    They kidnapped the Queen resting on her personal chamber and spotted Lynn in the process. As usual, her luck ran out as she witnessed the kidnapping while she was supposed to go to the bathroom. (Is there a bathroom underwater?)


    When the assailants couldn''t destroy the [Astro Suit] no matter what, they kidnapped her along with the Queen instead. It''s to prevent anyone from knowing their plot.


    I sat in the corner of the room as I listened on the report of the attack. A big round table made up of white marble was situated in the middle of the room. On the top-most chair was naturally King Namor. Surrounding him were the ''Council of Elders'', the second-in-command aside from the Royal family. There''s also the war generals and of course the high-ranking nobles.


    On the other corner of the table, opposite of King Namor is a captured Lemurian guarded by two Royal Guards. He ''obediently'' told us their whole attack after going through some torture I''d rather not know.


    "T-that''s it... that''s all I know..." The Lemurian powerlessly concluded his report.


    "Mm-hmm." King Namor nodded as he gestured the two Royal Guards to take the Lemurian out.


    After that, the Council of Elders spoke out, starting the discussion.


    "My King, this is a serious matter. We''re currently at war with the Lemurians. This attack proved that they found a way to disregard the barrier and even made their way to the Queen''s chamber without being noticed. I''m afraid..."


    "This time, only 15 individuals attacked. However, there''s no saying that they would bring an entire battalion and terrorize the citizens the next time this happens."


    "This isn''t the first time that the barrier was bypassed, but this is indeed the first time that the assailants got as far as the Queen''s chamber. Even managing to kidnap her without our knowledge."Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    King Namor listened to them one by one, nodding at each of their statements. When the Elders all finished speaking, he finally spoke.


    "Your worries are unfounded. The assailants this time have indeed bypassed the barrier, but I can assure you that it won''t be the cause of our demise. Their numbers are as such maybe because of the restrictions of the method they used to open up a hole in the barrier."


    It''s true. No matter how tight and strong their barrier is, I can indeed open up a hole or even destroy it entirely. Though I won''t say that, of course. But for the Lemurians, they must''ve had a method to open a similar hole to get inside the barrier. However, the hole was only big enough to support a dozen or so people from entering, hence their small number.


    King Namor continued. "As for the kidnapping of the Queen, we cannot deny the fact that the intruders are highly skilled not only in assassination but also in infiltration. They managed to destroy several alarms while they infiltrated the Queen''s chamber quietly. Even quiet enough to not cause suspicion among the Royal Guards. It can even be said that they somehow have an intensive knowledge of our palace."


    To the last of his statement, the seated on the round table shook from surprise.


    "M-My King! Are you saying that there''s a traitor among us?!" One of the Elders said.


    "I''m not accusing, it is merely a conjecture at this time. But yes, we cannot neglect the possibility." King Namor''s eyes sharpened as he observed the whole room. He then called out a name. "Colonel Dakkor."


    "Yes, My King."


    One of the war generals stood up in response to King Namor''s call. He emitted a strong bloodlust even while doing nothing.


    "You will lead the mission to rescue the Queen. You can select a battalion and set out immediately this morning. Lt. Folma, follow him."


    ""Your will is our command!""


    Another guy, Folma, whose looks is much closer to a fish than a demi-human replied with Dakkor. His skin is green with scales on some part of his body. Two mudfish-like whiskers formed like a mustache on his face.


    "And finally... Sir Finn. We apologize again for your woman. If not for the negligence on our part, your woman wouldn''t have been captured."


    How many times would you say ''your woman, your woman''? I was too lazy to refute him so I stayed quiet instead.


    "However, now that this happened, we ask for your cooperation in rescuing the two ladies. I''m afraid that our soldiers lack experience in this kind of mission, so we need your help."


    ''No, how can you be so sure that I know these kinds of things too?''


    I pretended to think about it for a long time, before finally nodding. In truth, I was already prepared to butt in and volunteer myself in case King Namor ordered a rescue mission. However, I instead made it look like I was deliberating hardly. There was a reason, of course. I just used global magic to search for Lynn''s presence, and I indeed confirmed that she was no longer in the Atlantic Ocean, but somewhere in the Pacific instead.


    In just 3 hours since the attack has concluded, the Lemurians have already brought the Atlantean Queen back to their city. They traveled for approximately 6000 miles per hour or Mach 8, in the very least. It''s even faster than the North American X-15 jet that traveled for 4600mph (Mach 6), the world record holder for the fastest manned aircraft in history. The Atlanteans explained that Lemurians are more developed in transportation because of their home location, which is in the Pacific Ring of Fire.


    While King Namor did send out a pursuit, it was still no match for the Lemurians'' technology. Thus, the pursuers were left to dust.


    Don''t get the wrong idea though. I''m not participating because I was forced; it was because I wanted to. You can say it''s partly because of Lynn. You can also say I''m just a little deranged in the head. But the most important reason of all was: this is the first time that someone dared to play a game with me. A dangerous game, if I might add.


    King Namor turned around and left the room, smirking evilly.


    With all in that place, the meeting concluded.

 Volume 2 Chapter 11.2

    "Atlanteans! Set off!"


    With Colonel Dakkor''s shout as a signal, 5 Transport Turtles swam with their maximum speed. Each of the gargantuan turtles carried 10 Atlantean soldiers equipped with war weaponry. Their powered suits are bulkier than usual and all of them carried Power tridents and Ray rifles of their backs. Our number totals 53: the 50-strong battalion, Colonel Dakkor, Lt. Folma and me.


    Since our destination is the city of Lemuria, which is in the Pacific Ocean, naturally we''ll take the fastest transportation method while considering the number of troops. Although their fastest vehicle can travel at the maximum speed of Mach 6 or even 7, it can''t carry more than 2 people at most. On the other hand, Transport Turtles can travel as fast as an American jet when on water. It can also carry up to a maximum of 15 soldiers. As a result, we took the Transport Turtles and rode the currents.


    Our route started somewhere in the North Atlantic Ocean straight down to Panama, where lies an underground tunnel. According to the pursuing Atlantean pilot, he saw the Lemurians pass through this tunnel to get to the Pacific. When he investigated it further, he noticed the mark of the tunnel being excavated not too long ago. This means to say that the Lemurians especially dug this tunnel so they can secretly pass through it.


    Next, when we passed through the tunnel, we will then ride the North Equatorial Current to get to Lemuria faster. They said that the current was no different than that of the current that Nemo''s father rode with the turtles in ''Finding Nemo'' movie. It will considerably boost the turtles'' speed without exerting much effort. Thus, it took a total of two days until we finally saw the city of Lemuria.


    "We will rest here for today. As we do so, we will also formulate the plan to rescue the Queen. Don''t let your guards down!"


    ""Yes, sir!""


    Colonel Dakkor issued a command as he took the lead in entering a cave. We traveled nonstop for two whole days so their fatigue must''ve been accumulated. Hence, even if we attack now, the soldiers won''t be in their perfect state. Colonel Dakkor started formulating a plan after we sat down.


    "Alright, listen up. Unlike the Atlantis, Lemuria doesn''t have any barrier that prevents anyone from entering. They''re an open book."


    Saying so, he drew a big circle and wrote Lemuria on the middle. Next, he put 5 small pebbles representing the 5 squads of the battalion a little far away from the city. Then, he drew 2 triangles beside those pebbles. I don''t think I was included but let''s hear his explanation first before complaining. He continued.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "However, that doesn''t mean we can just attack them freely. They have a lot of Patrol craft circling the perimeter around the city 24/7. And their Patrol crafts have better ray cannons than ours so that would be a huge problem."


    Ahh, so the aquatic crafts that I blew up with [Glacial Spears] are called Patrol crafts.


    After that, Colonel Dakkor continuously delegated their positions for the rescue mission. Four squads would act as a diversion led by Lt. Folma while the remaining squad, led by Colonel Dakkor himself, would be the rescue team. Similarly, we would use the tactics that the Lemurians did to rescue the Queen. Although we don''t know where they put the Queen and Lynn, the four squads should buy enough time until Colonel Dakkor''s squad locates the hostages.


    "That''s all. Remember your roles! For the glory of Atlantis!"


    ""For Atlantis!""


    I knew it. He wasn''t including me in the plan. He didn''t even take a look at me to ask if it was okay. Ah, I guess he wasn''t there when I blew up their Patrol crafts, huh. And he must''ve thought that I would just be a burden because I''m an ordinary human.


    "As for you, because you''re just an ordinary human, you would just be a burden so please just stay here inside the cave and wait for us."


    See? As I said, Colonel Dakkor wasn''t even considering me at all.


    "All right. Good luck"


    I bid them farewell as they finished resting and set out.


    In truth, I already knew where Lynn is because of my magic. I used [Clairvoyance] and saw that she was fine so I took my time humoring King Namor. [Astro Suit] is a really strong magic spell, you see.


    If my guess is right, King Namor plotted with a group of Lemurians to specifically capture Lynn while making it look like their true goal was the Queen. He then sent me out with the rescue team to accomplish his goal, which is to destroy Lemuria. He must''ve calculated the depth of my magic and plotted to incur my wrath by kidnapping Lynn. In addition, he even separated the Queen and Lynn to make it look like the Lemurians killed Lynn when the rescue team comes back with only the Queen. He''s a crafty bastard, that guy.


    With that, Colonel Dakkor''s rescue team should come back successfully rescuing the Queen sometime later. Consequently, King Namor thought that I would rampage the moment they returned without Lynn.


    The Queen was currently sitting on a sofa while sipping tea somewhere in Lemuria. While Lynn was a little far away from the city. They sure made it look like she was really killed so that when I search Lemuria, I wouldn''t find her even if I turn every rock in the city.


    However, King Namor failed to include the extent of my search magic in his plans, which is why he ultimately failed.


    I watched with [Clairvoyance] as the Atlantean soldiers commenced their rescue mission. Their powered suits are equipped with a jet propeller to make them faster on evading. With Lt. Folma''s instructions, they made the Lemurian Patrol craft a target practice. He''s surprisingly good at commanding, eh.


    Although the Lemurians'' reaction time is fast, the Atlanteans can actually hold out really well. Four squads were all it took to destroy 3 Patrol crafts. Then, they faced the reinforcements as the Lemurians continued to respond to their attack.


    Meanwhile, on Colonel Dakkor''s side, they have already located the Queen and are preparing to escape. Naturally, they already knew where the Queen was ahead of time since this is King Namor''s plot. Although they met some ''trouble'' on the way, I reckon that that too was on his plan to make it look less suspicious.


    "That guy''s so meticulous yet he still failed. Lol" I muttered while overlooking the Atlanteans retreating to this cave. In the end, his biggest mistake was still underestimating me. I''ll make sure he''ll pay for trying to use me.

 Volume 2 Chapter 12.1

    Quite naturally, the Atlantean rescue team came back with crestfallen expressions.


    "I apologize. It was my fault. I couldn''t do anything as they separated me from her."


    Queen Dorma splendidly apologized with an award-winning Oscar. The soldiers couldn''t help but bow their heads along with their Queen.


    "We couldn''t find her anywhere. We even asked the Lemurians who took her away, but we didn''t get any response. I''m afraid..."


    Queen Dorma halted Colonel Dakkor''s sentence. She shook her head to indicate not going any further in consideration of me. It was a kind gesture.


    However, since I already knew their evil plot which I explained last chapter, I know that all of this was just to make me attack Lemuria even more.


    "Is that so..." I muttered while pretending to hang my head down. "Please leave me alone for a moment."


    "As you wish." Queen Dorma apologized once again and retreated with her soldiers. That smirk on her face when she turned around didn''t escape my [Clairvoyance]. Like husband, like wife. What a rotten couple.


    ...


    An hour passed and I finally decided to face Queen Dorma.


    "I heard that you would go back to Atlantis a little while later."


    "Yes, that is right. I cannot worry the citizens much longer. And there''s a possibility of the Lemurians finding this cave too. So we cannot stay here for long." Queen Dorma adopted a regretful expression while explaining in a soft voice.


    "I see." Nodding, I pretended to make a resolute face. "In that case, please go back without me. I can''t leave yet. I''m going to find Lynn no matter what."


    The Atlanteans were bewildered as I threw in that statement.


    "That''s suicide! What if the Lemurians found you? You can''t face them alone while finding her!" Colonel Dakkor was the first to respond.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Finn, please think this carefully. No matter how powerful you are, you can''t do it alone. Let''s go back to Atlantis first and I promise you, we''ll come back to find Lynn." Queen Dorma supported him.


    Ahh, I know all of you were just pretending, so let''s just get to the point.


    "It''s either you help me or leave. I will find her even so."


    Queen Dorma and Dakkor fell silent when I said so. Well, if this was just a normal scene, they would obviously choose to go back no matter what. They can''t risk the life of the Queen just because of some humans that they met a couple of days ago. However, since this is their plot, they would naturally do whatever they can to succeed in destroying Lemuria.


    At last, just when I turned around, Queen Dorma finally raised her head from pondering.


    "Alright. Since this is your choice, I cannot do anything to stop it. However, we are in this situation because of me so I can''t help but feel responsible." Queen Dorma glanced at Colonel Dakkor so he nodded. "We will lend you our whole battalion to make sure you return safely. This is the best that we can do. I hope you the best of luck."


    "Yeah. Thanks."


    After that, Lt. Folma and 4 Atlantean soldiers were left behind to guard the Queen. It is noon right now, and before dusk, if I still fail to come back with Lynn, they would go back to Atlantis no matter what. I guess this is their countermeasure in the case that I failed to destroy Lemuria.


    With Colonel Dakkor in the lead, we rode the 4 Transport Turtles to Lemuria. Because their attack was not too long ago, the Lemurians were still alert as we instantly got intercepted by four Patrol crafts.


    However, just before the Atlanteans could do anything, I used a flashy explosion magic and blew up the Patrol crafts. The explosion reached the ends of the city, that''s for sure. Colonel Dakkor and the soldiers were surprised and looked at me like I''m a monster.


    "Wait..! It''s too loud, I''m afraid--"


    Before Colonel Dakkor could continue his complain that it''s too flashy, a battalion of Lemurian soldiers in a similar Transport Turtle is already making their way here.


    All is still according to plan, I see.


    Mixed in with the Lemurian army were several Patrol crafts and a new craft that looks like a crab. It was shaped like a tank with two crab pincers on front. The craft was also heavily armed like a walking fortress.


    I destroyed those Pincer tanks first with [Glacial Spears] since it looks troublesome. The Atlantean soldiers recovered their composure a little bit seeing that they were still no match for my magic. The two armies then clashed.


    Approximately 50 Lemurian soldiers rained down their ray beams at us while we did the same. On a careful observation, this battle looks like Star Wars in underwater instead of space.


    I made sure to take my time eradicating the army with ice spears in excuse of my magic being limited. Colonel Dakkor was a little disappointed hearing it so he proceeded to take the battle more seriously and ordered his soldiers.


    "Scatter! Target the Patrol crafts first!"


    They first targeted the troublesome Patrol crafts all the while dodging the Lemurians'' ray rifles. It''s a good thing that there are so many reefs to hide in here.


    A little while later, the Lemurians were all defeated with a little casualty on our side. Colonel Dakkor seems like he just ate a bitter bug as he looks at the fallen Atlanteans.


    However, just before they could sigh in relief, a bigger Lemurian army appeared on the horizon. It was at least several battalions with more Patrol crafts and Pincer tanks. The Atlanteans paled at that sight.


    "Hey, human! Use your strongest magic! Now!" Colonel Dakkor screamed at the top of his lungs.


    However...


    "...Human? Huh?! Where is he?!"


    I was already far away from them, using my [Clairvoyance] as I observed them clash with the Lemurian army.


    "No way..." Colonel Dakkor muttered as all strength left his body.


    Directly killing them would be too kind of me. That''s why; I planned to watch them fall to despair first before watching them die.


    "I hope you would be pleased with my gift." I adopted a smirk crueler than the smirk King Namor and Queen Dorma made.


    With that, I teleported once again to where Lynn was.

 Volume 2 Chapter 12.2

    "Finn! You''re here!"


    That was the first line that Lynn said when she saw me. Even in these circumstances, she still has the same composure just like when taking a walk in a park.


    "We''re going home."


    "What? No way! I wanna stay!" Lynn flatly refused.


    I just noticed the trembling children surrounding her. They all have light blue skin, pointed ears and gills on their necks. Lemurians. I took my eyes off of them and turned to Lynn while looking annoyed.


    "What are you talking about? Let''s go home already! Besides, we''ve been missing for quite some time now. I''m sure our families are getting worried."


    Lynn took a deep breath to calm herself down. Looking at me resolutely, she said. "Follow me."


    She turned around, not waiting for my response. I have no choice but to follow her even while complaining. We entered a hidden cave just ahead of the reefs that Lynn and the children were playing at. The cave was so hidden that you wouldn''t see it no matter what unless you stop and carefully observe the place.


    Inside the cave, was a row of seaweed beds. Tens of Lemurians laid there with bandages all over their bodies. Some are even on the process of getting their treatment.


    "This is the rebel army, Finn. They couldn''t take their ruler''s cruelty anymore so they decided to abandon their city and raised an army to replace the current King."


    Lynn faced me and explained with a bitter look on her face. I didn''t know why but I felt a prick on my chest even though I have no wounds. She continued.


    "Every day, there is no less of soldiers being brought here to get treated. No matter what the rebels do, they still cannot defeat the King''s soldiers. That''s why..."


    "That''s why we made a deal with the King of Atlantis in return for their help."


    A voice cut Lynn in the middle of her sentence. It came from a Lemurian woman entering the cave from another entrance. She wore a battle-oriented powered suit that''s a little different from what Lemurians wore. If I recall correctly, I think I saw a similar armor being worn by a high ranking soldier earlier when Colonel Dakkor got attacked by the Lemurian army.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Her figure imposes a strong sense of valiant aura. Despite all of that, the woman doesn''t lose one bit compared to the beauty of the elves. I think the armor even accentuated her looks.


    "I am Mara, leader of the Rebel army." She bowed as she introduced herself. "Just like I said, we made a deal with the King of Atlantis to keep a certain girl. In return, he would help us replace King Merro, the current King of Lemuria."


    It seems that a long time ago, approximately 500 years ago, the empire of Lemuria was ruled by a king called Naga. Normally, an ordinary Atlantean or Lemurian can only live up to a maximum of 150 years. However, King Naga lived for 500 years.


    Using the Serpent crown, he ruled the Lemurians without aging. He waged war with various undersea cities and pillaged the passing boats/ships in the Pacific. As a result, the Lemurians continuously experienced a nonstop war with other tribes. Naturally, wars fueled the advancement of technology, but at the same time, causes massive casualties.


    This went on until the crown was lost and Naga died because of a guy named Karthon. It was said that Naga killed Karthon''s wife so Karthon killed him in revenge, earning the throne in the process. Under Karthon''s wise and just rule, the Lemurians finally achieved a peaceful civilization and were even allied with Atlantis. But this did not last long.


    The son of the deceased King Naga, Merro, killed Karthon in revenge of slaying his father. He reclaimed the throne afterward and continued his father''s cruel methods. He slaved away the citizens in order to increase his army and built more fighter crafts. He attacked small settlements and likewise, made its residents join his army to attack bigger settlements.


    Because of this, some of the Lemurians instigated a rebellion to replace their cruel King. Mara is a high ranking official in the King''s army. Under her command, several mistreated soldiers defected and they robbed the empire''s armory. They rescued some of the suffering civilians and hid away from the King''s grasp. Right now, they were still bitterly resisting the King''s army.


    Then, a couple of days ago, the King of Atlantis offered them help. In return, they would kidnap a specific person and hide her away until King Namor says so. That''s King Namor''s plan.


    "I apologize to the two of you. We couldn''t help but be tempted by his offer, so we followed his instructions to kidnap Lynn." Mara bowed to Lynn and me.


    "I told you it''s fine, really. I understand that you had to do it for your people. Besides, even though you kidnapped me, I didn''t feel one bit that I was kidnapped, you know? No need to apologize~" Lynn grinned while raising Mara''s head up.


    "Thank you, Lynn." Mara also smiled at her.


    I am really touched at your exchange, however...


    "So what? We still need to leave now. Good luck on your rebellion." I turned around to leave. "Let''s go, Lynn."


    "No. I won''t leave." Just when I was reaching the cave''s entrance, I heard Lynn''s resolute reply. I faced her again with an annoyed look in my face.


    "Do you know what you''re doing right now? You''re telling me, you wanted to help these people that kidnapped you. Is that it? Are you being serious right now?" I glared at her.


    However, she remained unfazed. Taking a deep breath, Lynn replied. "Even so, I still wanted to help them!"


    "I''m telling you right now, you''re making a really stupid decision. Why can''t you just follow me? Let''s go back."


    "No!" Lynn shouted agitatedly.


    With that, my patience snapped. "You stupid girl! I told you, let''s go back--!"


    When I looked at her again, she was no longer agitated. Instead, she wore a gentle expression as she stared straight up my eyes. It almost seems like she was looking right through my soul.


    "Yes, I''m a stupid girl. I even wanted to help them even though I just met them two days ago. Even though they kidnapped me. I still wanted to help them..."


    Lynn clenched her hands.


    "But, you see. I''m not like you. I don''t have any powers or any magic. I''m just an ordinary human. But because I''m an ordinary human that I wanted to help them even more. I''m sorry, but I will stay. This time, I won''t ask you to help me."


    Lynn and I stared at each other''s eyes for a long time. I can see that she has indeed made a resolute choice, to which I cannot change it no matter what. She was not influenced by anyone, nor was she forced to comply. It was because of her curse. The curse of the ''Saintess''.


    "Whatever. Suit yourself."


    Since I cannot change her decision no matter what and since she''s not forcing me to do anything, I decided to leave even without her. Thus, I went outside the cave.

 Volume 2 Chapter 13.1

    I had a hunch who Lynn was ever since I met her. And now, I confirmed who she was.


    She literally dragged me everywhere just to find other people with superpowers. Starting from the Monaco incident up to the latest, which is the Harlem incident. She would order me around like an assistant. I obviously don''t like it at first, but I started to get used to it.


    But now, she suddenly said that she won''t force me to do it.


    Lynn is a very childish girl. She is unprofessional when it comes to work, only wanting to find superheroes. Sometimes, I''m even amazed that she even survived in this world full of evil. Lynn stayed pure and innocent, always true to her desires. She would eat whatever she wants, and do whatever she likes. No one can stop her, not even me.


    Outside of the cave, I saw the same Lemurian children that were playing with Lynn earlier. Taking a closer look, they appeared rather malnourished with their ragged clothes. The children meekly looked in my direction.


    Noticing that I don''t pose any threats, they slowly walked towards me. They handed me a necklace made out of assembled corals, with an assortment of rainbow colors. Next, they strangely cupped their hands in front of me.


    Just as I was wondering what it means, the kid on the front pointed at her mouth. Ah, so they mean food.


    I looked around and found a group of fish in the distance. I carefully casted ice magic so that it won''t reach the children. They were scared at first, but then noticed that it was not pointed at them. They raised their head to see the dead fishes floating about. Then, I watched as they happily munched the fishes one by one.


    I stared at the necklace they made once more and found myself irritated.


    "Ahh, f*ck it! Let''s finish this quickly so I can play my video games." I headed inside the cave once more.


    ...


    "Really?! Thank you, Finn! I knew you would help!" Lynn flew to my embrace the moment I told her I''m going to help.


    "Hey, get off me. I said get off me!"


    "Just a little more...ow!"


    I flicked her forehead, causing her to rub it in pain.


    "Stingy" Lynn muttered as she stuck out her tongue. "Now it''s certain that it will be a success!"


    "Uhm, I appreciate your help, but what do you mean when you said it will be a success?" Mara raised her hand and asked.


    We''re not in a classroom so please don''t raise your hand and just ask away.


    "Fufufu. You see, Finn here is a strong magician. He can defeat that King Maroon-whatever and be done with it!" Lynn boasted while puffing her chest.


    It''s King Merro, not Maroon.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Eh? King Merro has an army though..." Mara still seemed unconvinced.


    "And we have a Finn!"


    Oi, don''t automatically label me as strong as a whole army. Well, you''re not wrong on that part though so I guess it''s fine.


    "Oh, okay. Uhm, thank you for your help...?"


    It seems Mara just gave up refuting and just went with the flow instead. You can''t stop Lynn anyway so good choice.


    After that, I told Mara to get her army ready because we''re gonna set off first thing tomorrow morning. I was surprised that she fully trusted us and immediately notified her people to get ready. Since I don''t know any healing magic at all, the injured ones can''t do anything but sit this one out even if they wanted to join. That''s okay too. In the first place, I don''t need their massive number to win this thing. I, alone, am enough, though I won''t openly admit it.


    ...


    "Stories! Lynn, tell us stories!"


    3-4 kids cheerfully pulled on Lynn towards the seaweed bed. After eating a small dinner, these children of the rebels urged Lynn to tell them bedtime stories. I heard that for the past two days, Lynn has been taking care of these children. Although no one told her, one of her duties is putting them to sleep.


    "Alright, alright. Do you wanna hear the story of the Frog Prince?" Lynn smiled cheerfully.


    The kids shook their heads. It seems like they already heard it before.


    "The Sleeping Princess?" Lynn thought for a moment and said. But the kids still shook their heads.


    "How about the Beauty and the Beast? Still no? Hmmm..."


    I was worried for a moment that we''ll get sued by a certain company, but I suddenly remembered that this is a fan fiction anyway.


    After that, Lynn really listed all the Disney movies she knew of but the kids already heard of it.


    Lynn looked at me in frustration. "Finn, help me..."


    "Don''t bother me. I don''t know any stories."


    At the same time that I said that, Lynn and the children looked at me with teary eyes.


    Seriously? Well, whatever.


    I sighed. "Alright, listen up, you brats. After this one, make sure you sleep."


    ""Yaaayy!"" Lynn cheered with the children.


    I coughed. Well, since it seems like the kids already knew most of the stories above, I guess I''m just gonna made up a story.


    "Long time ago, there lives a little boy in a peaceful town. The boy was loved by his parents and friends, but the Gods somehow hated the boy. The Gods made an accident to kill the boy and sent his soul to a hell-like world. In this world, the boy was powerless. He was tormented by the people around him. No one loved the boy.


    Except one.


    The Elven Princess, the Saintess, the Holy Maiden. This one girl had many outstanding titles which made her the treasure of the country. She was supposed to defeat the Demon Lord, along with the heroes. But the boy knew nothing of this. He just knew that the girl was kind to him. Even though he was shunned by everyone else, the girl was the only one who kept talking to him. He would sneak out at night to meet with the girl and they would talk all night long.


    But this did not last for long.


    One day, the King was informed of their relationship. That her daughter, the Princess, was secretly meeting with this boy. The King forbid her daughter to meet this boy ever again and sent her out along with the heroes, on a conquest to defeat the Demon Lord.


    The boy waited for the Princess to come back, but she never did. He was left waiting.


    Until, the Demon Lord destroyed the country the boy was in. He was taken and became the Demon Lord''s slave. Tormented again and again. The only thing that kept him alive was the curse of Immortality given to him. And the hope of somehow finding the girl again.


    Finally, after unknown years of torment, the boy inherited the Demon Lord''s position. Given a new power, what the boy did first was to look for the girl, his Princess.


    Sadly, he never found her; but he did found out what happened to her. She was killed by the previous Demon Lord. The heroes, her companions, abandoned her when the Demon Lord struck their country. Until her end, the boy never heard her voice ever again.


    This left the boy devastated, causing him to lose his mind. The boy raged at the cruelty of fate. With his power, he destroyed everything in his sight. The boy hunted the girl''s companions who left her and killed them. He massacred the people that did nothing to protect her.


    The boy knew.


    That even with his vast power, he cannot bring her back. No matter what he did, all that''s left of her was her bones. Her soul already entered the cycle of reincarnation.


    For countless years, the boy rampaged. He only came to his senses when there''s nothing left to vent his rage on. Then one day, the boy sought the one who gave the powers to him. He asked, ''How can I meet my Princess again?''


    He was given no answer. No matter how many times the boy asked, there was no response. That''s why; he gave an answer to his own question.


    He will follow her soul. The boy vowed to find her even if she''s light years away from his current world. With this in mind, he utilized all his resources to create a gateway that can take him to other worlds. To find her again.


    However, fate played with him once more.


    He died without accomplishing his goal. He died full of regrets. Till his last moments, all he remembered was the warmth he once felt. He regretted that he wasn''t given this power much earlier so he can protect the girl. He regretted the fact that he was powerless back then. Drifting in space for an unknown number of time, he was left thinking by himself.


    And then, he was given another chance. He came back to his original world. He met his mother again. The boy found a place he could call home. And...


    He met the girl once more. His Princess. Although the girl never remembered him, he swore to protect the girl with his life. Whatever it takes. Because he has power this time.


    The end."


    After I finished, I realized that all of them are already asleep, even Lynn.


    I stood up with the intention to leave. But a hand was pulling my sleeves.


    Lynn fell asleep while clinging to me. She''s drooling with a stupid smile on her face.


    "Good grief." I removed her hands and tucked them in bed.


    Leaving the room, I closed the door.

 Volume 2 Chapter 13.2

    (Third-person POV)


    Royal Palace, Lemuria.


    The Royal Palace of Lemuria can be said to be grander than the Royal Palace of Atlantis. This is because Lemuria is a much wealthier country than Atlantis. A tyrant king ruled for 500 years, so it can be surmised that he''s a man with ambition. All he cared about was making himself richer and more powerful, by raiding the other undersea cities and declaring war to them.


    Naturally, his tyrant attitude incurred the wrath of some abused citizens, who later formed a resistance army. They rebelled against their king, so they were hunted and vanished to the city. But that is not what the topic is right now.


    Currently, on the throne of the majestic Royal Palace, an arrogant-looking Lemurian gazed down at the informant in front of him. This Lemurian seated on the throne is wearing a full armor made up of golden metal. His elegant bearing was amplified even more by the ornamental pearls and the golden crown that he wore. He was the son of the tyrant ruler, King Merro.


    "Repeat that again." King Merro lazily picked up the golden grapes on a plate and ate it.


    "Y-yes..! The captured Atlantean who attacked us yesterday finally spoke. He said that they were plotted against, and all they wanted to do is to negotiate with us in terms of peace..." The informant kneeled with his forehead kissing the ground. He''s visibly shaking in fear.


    Hearing the report, King Merro snorted. "Hmph. Those Atlanteans thought I am a fool? I knew what they came here for. They came here for their Queen captured by the rebel army. A plot of that bastard for a reason of attack."


    King Merro heard the full report from his spy in the rebel army. The rebel army made a deal with the King of Atlantis, to instigate a war with the Lemurians.


    In truth, King Namor lied to Finn about the Atlantis being at war with Lemuria.


    King Merro still hadn''t broken the peace treaty they have with the Atlantis. Atlantis is a big city, almost on par with them. His father, King Naga, has been repelled by Atlantis a couple of times. Even with his father''s powers, King Naga still failed in capturing Atlantis. That''s why, they entered a non-aggression relationship.


    However, now that the Lemurians have been continuously advancing their technologies by leaps and bounds, and their population booming, the King of Atlantis finally felt the threat. He created this plot to start a war with Lemuria.


    King Merro disdainfully spat out the grape seeds. "Since war is what you want, war is what you get."


    At that time, a flustered Lemurian soldier suddenly opened the door with a bang. Before the Royal Guards could shoot him, he already prostrated on the ground. King Merro squinted his eyes.


    "Y-your Majesty! It''s an attack, it''s an attack!" The soldier said.


    "The Atlanteans are faster than I thought..." Even with the threat of attack, King Merro still attained his nonchalant attitude. After all, he was confident that he can defeat the Atlanteans even if they launch a surprise attack like this.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    However...


    "Your Majesty... It''s, it''s not the Atlanteans..." The still prostrating soldier suddenly looked at his King. Fear dominated his eyes.


    "It''s the demons... The demons have come to attack us!"


    ------


    (Finn''s POV)


    We stood about half a kilometer away from Lemuria as I gazed at the city. On my side, Mara and the rebel army gulped in nervousness. Naturally, since this is war, Lynn was left in the rebel camp while looking after the kids. No matter how many times she begged to come with me, this is the only thing that I can''t yield on.


    "Uhm, Finn? Can I ask you something?" Mara suddenly asked.


    I nodded at her so she continued.


    "Please leave King Merro in my hands. He killed my betrothed. I would like to avenge his soul no matter what."


    Looking at her resolute face, I cannot help but be amazed. Mara has been leading the rebel army with her fianc¨¦, but he was killed by the King. Since then, Mara alone handled the burden of feeding and protecting the rebel citizens. For years now, revenge was the only thing that drove her forward.


    "Do what you want." I nodded at her request. In the first place, there was nothing that I could gain in killing the King. If there''s someone who would gain something, it would be Mara.


    She gratefully looked at me. "Thank you. Aside from that, everything is yours."


    Disregarding her slightly foreboding words, I took a deep breath and faced the undersea city once more. In just a matter of time, blood will fill the ocean, so I engraved the mystical image in my mind now that it''s still beautiful.


    I stretched my arms widely as if to imitate the scene in the Titanic.


    "Gather their ashes.


    Form their bones.


    In the depths of the seas,


    Here lie countless bodies.


    Bitten, shredded, torn to pieces!


    Creatures of the blue,


    Black and white be your hue!


    Arise, and hear my words!


    Arise, my army, destroy them in hordes!"


    [Last Verse of the Dead]. Unique tier Demonic magic, an undead summoning spell.


    It is my favorite magic. Why?


    Because as its name suggests, it will be the last verse you will hear before you die.


    This spell is usually used depending on the place the caster is on. Let''s say for example; if the caster is on a desert, all he needs to do is to revise the 2nd and 3rd stanza of the chant. Since there are not much of human bodies here or even Lemurian bodies for that matter, I cannot just use an ordinary undead summoning spell. That''s why; I used this particular spell to create an army of undead out of the creatures who died here.


    Great white sharks, hammerheads sharks, tiger sharks, killer whales or orcas, humpback whales, narwhals, and even the harmless dolphins. All their carcasses and bones gathered to give birth to a massive undead army. Their bodies were made up of white bones and some leftover flesh; a foreboding dark mist covered their body. Their eyes glowing an ominous red.


    The army of thousands of undead sea creature really filled the view black and white.


    Not only that; the bones of the small fishes and other aquatic animals were also not spared. It was gathered to one place and formed a figure of a gigantic beast.


    A beast that is always called a myth with a length of at least 50 meters and a height of 20 meters. It snarled with its more than 300 sharp, triangular teeth arranged in six rows; each of the tooth with a size of 15-20 inches. Red, menacing eyes. An undead Super Megalodon was born.


    Even though I''ve always used elemental and physical magic, never forget, I''ve been a Demon Lord for two millenniums. Dark magic, demonic magic, undead magic. These are my specialties. Even if you take away every magic I have, these will always be mine. Because they became a part of me a long time ago. That''s an undeniable fact.


    I shrugged off these thoughts and focused on the upcoming battle. The Lemurian rebel army still cannot believe what was happening in front of them, so I had to nudge Mara to wake her up from her daze.


    "Eh? Ah, ahee? Huweehhhh. Ehaa?"


    No good. She completely forgot how to speak. At her current state, can she still exact her revenge?


    Since nudging didn''t work, I tried slapping her at once to fully wake her up.


    *supak!*


    A crisp slap resounded. It was only then that she came to herself while squealing in pain. Although, she quickly forgot the pain and pointed at the undead army and the Megalodon in front of her.


    "W-w-w-w-what is that?!!" Mara stammeringly said.


    "A little trick of mine. More importantly, you should charge now. The Lemurian army is already on their city walls."


    Mara seemed to have realized our critical advantage and yelled while charging. Right, our biggest advantage is that we came here by surprise. Naturally, I used concealing magic on the whole rebel army while they''re unaware. Because of that, it was not only until my undead army showed up that the Lemurian army was informed of our existence. Their reaction time can also be called fast, even while considering the fact that they were attacked by Atlanteans just yesterday.


    Speaking of Atlanteans, I wonder what happened to them yesterday. I left them after attracting a whole bunch of Lemurian army so big that it can be said that they''re doomed. Since they plotted against me, I should pay them back twice as much, right? It''s a common courtesy even in the magical world.


    I watched as the rebel army, numbering no more than a hundred, charge with my thousands of undead sea creature army. I miss this magnificent sight which I often witness in the magical world. Back then, I would raise the dead and attack cities with the combined forces of orcs, goblins, and other monsters.


    However, it was just a thing in the past now.


    Since I now live in a peaceful world, I tried to keep it peaceful. Hiding my powers, hiding my urges, hiding the demons inside. It can be said that I did well until now.


    Yes, until now.


    Because right now, I''m gonna let loose for a little bit.


    I''m sorry for this, King Merro. Blame your luck for it ran out.

 Volume 2 Chapter 14.1

    As I thought, the battle quickly led to bloodshed. My undead army relentlessly pursued and attacked the Lemurian soldiers. Even if the undeads were shot with ray cannons and power tridents, more bones would quickly replace it and they would continue to move forward like a mindless robot.


    No matter what the soldiers do, there''s only one conclusion to them. They were chomped, crushed, and eaten whole by the undeads. Intestines and brain matters floated about, painting the sea red. Even after the soldiers die, their bodies ended up being supplements to the undead.


    Even the rebel army couldn''t help but shudder at the sight. The city of Lemuria was quickly consumed by chaos.


    Of course, the undead army is only ordered to attack the soldiers. The innocent civilians were spared from their ruthlessness. Obviously, it would be pointless to win this battle if all the citizens of Lemuria were to die. In the first place, the rebel army started their cause to free the citizens from King Merro''s cruel hands.


    Ah, but King Merro''s army also didn''t give up that easily. After the undead army and the rebel army reached the city wall, their aquatic crafts started to appear one after another. Hundred patrol crafts and pincer tanks; 20 heavily armored Transport Turtles with huge ray cannons on their backs; and finally, two 20-meter war submarine.


    The submarines were equipped with a particle-beam cannon that can wipe out the undead on its path. I said ''wipe out'' because the undead literally turned into nothingness. It spared nothing in its path, be it undead or Lemurians.


    Deeming it as a threat, I ordered the undead Super Megalodon to bring it down. The Megalodon roared and went straight towards one of the submarines. The submarine, in retaliation, successively fired particle beams at the Megalodon. The submarine was also not dawdling while firing. It was retreating backward, away from the Megalodon. More critically, its speed is almost on par with the Megalodon.


    By the time the Megalodon reached the submarine, it was already riddled with holes. Its grandeur appearance earlier turned slightly awful. Nevertheless, it opened its massive jaw and chomped the submarine in half. The submarine exploded.


    Feeling the danger, the other submarine started charging all of its particle-beam cannons. It didn''t move in its place like the other submarine. It seems like it converted all of its energy in this one shot.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    The Megalodon faced it without fear. In the first place, undead doesn''t feel any fear. So it opened its jaws once again while charging towards the submarine. In no time at all, the Megalodon reached the submarine.


    The two met.


    At the same instance that the Megalodon closed its jaws, the submarine fired the overcharged particle cannon. Both of them exploded in flames. No matter how hard the Megalodon''s bones were, it was still, in the end, a product of smaller creatures'' remains. Naturally, it was not invincible.


    "And I thought that Megalodon was cool too. What a shame..." I sighed at the loss and observed the actual battlefield.


    The undead whales and great sharks engaged the aquatic crafts. They gnawed and tackled the aquatic crafts until it turned into pieces. Some of the bigger undead even directly swallowed some patrol crafts. It took no time at all to reduce their numbers to none.


    Meanwhile, the rebel army hid behind the walls and corals while shooting at the Lemurian soldiers. Mara led the army while inching slowly towards the palace. However, their pace in advancing is rather slow. I noticed that while they indeed have sufficient weapons, their number is not enough compared to the soldiers and their aquatic crafts. Thus, I have no choice but to speed things up a bit.


    Earth magic''s [Create Magical Golems: Sand]


    At that moment, the seabed shook. 3 gigantic elongated heads popped out, all of them made out of sands. Their body''s at least 20-meter long with a girth of a school bus. The golems'' mouth occupied 90% if its head. Thousands of grinding teeth filled its abyss-like mouth. It''s the golems of the Devouring Sandworms.


    The 3 sandworm golems wiggled its way into the ranks of the Lemurian soldiers. The screams and the sound of bones being crushed mixed, creating a beautiful harmony. Standing on top of the city wall, every swipe of my hand resulted in the deaths of Lemurian soldiers. It was no different from an orchestra; with me being the God of Death as the conductor and their screams as my symphony.


    After that, it only took 30 minutes of time until the rebel army finally reached doors of the Royal Palace with the littlest casualties. Even though they''ve been battling for almost an hour against an army ten times their size, they look even more invigorated than before. Their morale hit its peak. All because the goal that they''ve always wanted, was right in front of their grasp.


    However...


    Just before the rebel army could enter the Royal Palace''s doors, a figure in glittering golden armor stepped out on the Palace''s balcony. He stood there grandly while overlooking the rebels like ants.


    "That''s King Merro..." I heard Mara''s mutter.


    At the same time her voice resounded, King Merro spoke.


    "You''ve done well advancing until here, rebels of the Empire. However, this is as far as you can go. No matter whom you seek help with, you cannot defeat me."


    While wondering where his confidence came from, I saw him taking out an object from his back. The object had a peculiar shape and writings, its insides were clearly hollow. King Merro took out a spiraling bugle-horn.


    The moment it appeared, a chill ran up my spine. I wanted to stop it at all cost, but King Merro already blew the horn. A loud but deep sound was heard. After that, the earth trembled greatly. Outside the city of Lemuria, a deep crack was formed. The crack slowly widened, and then finally, "it" came out.


    A creature that is much bigger than the Megalodon. It had eight tentacles, each one measuring about 50 meters in length. The tentacles have hundreds and thousands of suction cups. The creature''s yellow eyes glared right at me.


    The embodiment of despair itself appeared.


    "The Kraken..."


    I don''t know whose trembling voice it was but yes, it was a Kraken that appeared.


    "Rejoice! For you have seen the grandeur of the mighty Kraken! Consider yourselves blessed to die under its hands!"


    While King Merro shouted in frenzy, the rebel army shook from fear.


    At that moment, a thought flashed in my mind.


    "I wonder what deep-fried Kraken tastes like..."

 Volume 2 Chapter 14.2

    "Oi, Mara! You guys sit this one out. Get that King Merro and I''ll deal with this one."


    "Huh? What?" Mara absentmindedly replied.


    "I said finish your business while I handle that thing!"


    "Eh? Ah, y-yesh! Be careful..." Flustered, Mara bit her tongue.


    She then led the rebel army inside the Royal Palace where King Merro fled to. In the first place, I don''t need any help. They would just be burdens if I fight that Kraken with them. Also, I don''t think the rebels can do anything to those massive tentacles. (Sorry bois, no tentacle h-scenes today)


    After that, I used the Devouring sandworm golems to engage the monstrous beast. It''s not that I can''t kill it, but an idea suddenly hit me. For that to happen, I would need a sufficient amount of time so I used the golems to distract the Kraken for a bit.


    However, no matter how tyrannical the Devouring sandworms were to the aquatic aircraft, if compared to the massive Kraken, they would appear like tiny new-born snakes instead. Thus, I have no choice but to modify them first.


    [Magical Golem Enlargement]


    [Unbreakable Steel Body]


    [Corrosive Body]


    [Paralysis Saliva]


    [Unlimited Regeneration],


    [High Physical attack Resistance]


    [Greater Hardening]


    [Enhance Speed]


    [Enhance Strength]


    [Enhance Intelligence]


    After that, a massive change occurred on the Devouring sandworms.


    The originally 20-meter body of the golems suddenly swelled up and doubled its size. Their sand-colored skin produced a metallic sheen. Even from afar, you can feel that their defense increased tenfold. With this, the Kraken cannot crush them with one strike anymore.


    Next, the golems'' bodies excreted a black gooey substance. The black substance melted and corroded everything that touches the Devouring sandworms. It''s the effect of the [Corrosive Body]. The sandworms also produced yellow saliva. I made sure that the [Paralysis Saliva] is potent enough to take effect on the Kraken.


    Lastly, the overall abilities of the golems increased. Speed, defense, intelligence, and strength. It is also made to be able to regenerate its body in case the Kraken somehow destroys it.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    However, despite that entire enhancement, the golems still can''t beat the Kraken no matter what. That''s the difference in their ''class''. Even enhanced, lower creatures can never beat a legendary creature. I fully know that; that''s why they''re only supposed to buy time for me to finish my magic.


    With that, the golems are ready.


    The Kraken turned its attention towards them as I started my preparation.


    The golems charged. The 3 enhanced Devouring sandworms attacked the Kraken in 3 different directions. Outnumbered, the Kraken can only defend. Its 8 massive tentacles wrapped around the golems, trying to restrict them. It must''ve thought that the golems would be crushed...


    However, that was a mistake.


    Because the golems were enhanced, the Kraken''s tentacles produced sizzling sounds as it touches the golems. The suction cups that were supposed to stick to the golems were met with corrosive substances that were oozing out of the golems'' bodies.


    The Kraken shrieked in pain.


    Even the tentacles'' crushing force cannot fully destroy the golems'' bodies in one go as they have many defense enhancement. The only solution that the Kraken could think of was to slap the Devouring sandworms away and then slowly chip away their bodies. It relied on its super regenerative abilities to resist the corrosion on its tentacles.


    After some time, the Kraken finally destroyed one golem. That said golem, however, immediately started regenerating itself while the Kraken was busy with the other two. When one golem was destroyed again, the first destroyed golem is already fully recovered as it charged to the Kraken once more.


    The battle became a cycle of destruction and regeneration.


    While all of that was happening, I never stopped forming the magic circle in my mind. With [Parallel Thoughts], I can construct the magic circle while still commentating on the battle.


    Normally, I would always cast magic by reciting the chant or forming the magic circle. Chanting is easy. I just need to recite the words and the internal mana inside me would work things out.


    Meanwhile, forming the magic circle is a much harder method. You would need to construct the magic circle in your mind first; by combining the structure, the form, the use, and the runes that you wanted.


    However, since I already remembered most of the magic circle in the magical world, it comes without saying that all I need to do was to think of that magic circle and voil¨¤: it would automatically form without me having to do anything.


    Now, however, the circumstances are different. I would need to form a new magic circle that would produce results in accordance with what I was thinking. It''s basically like creating a new magic spell by combining the properties of other magic circles.


    Right now, what the magic circle needs are: to ensure the effectiveness of the spell, to cover the size of the Kraken, to make sure the spell last for an eternity, and finally, an undying loyalty.


    After a few adjustments and enhancements, the new magic spell is finally finished. I named it...


    "[Curse of Complete Subservience]"


    At that moment, a new legend occurred.


    Thousands of black magic circle hovered around the Kraken''s body.


    After that, countless black chains shoot out to bind the Kraken. No matter how much the Kraken struggled, it cannot free itself from the chains that bounded it. The Kraken roared as if to condemn the heavens.


    After that, a white magic circle appeared. It clearly stood out from the rest of the black magic circles. The white magic circle then embedded itself on the head of the Kraken.


    After that, starting from the head of the Kraken, white runic symbols appeared one by one. It slowly crawled until it covered the Kraken''s whole body; until the tip of each of its tentacles.


    After that... there was no more after that.


    The Kraken swam towards me. In the next moment...


    It brought its massive head down to greet its new master.

 Volume 2 Chapter 15.1

    I rode the Kraken towards the Royal Palace and made it wait outside. On my way, I saw that the Lemurian citizens are quite frightened by the Kraken. Whenever I pass them, they would kowtow on the ground while trembling. Well, I guess this Kraken has quite a reputation.


    Inside the Palace, the first thing that greeted me was a crowd of people. The rebel army made a ring-like formation. Further in, I can see Mara and King Merro fighting to the death. Mara has a few cuts and is slightly panting, while King Merro is half-kneeled to the ground with a crazy look on his eyes. The fight was nearly over.


    "No... Don''t kill me... P-please don''t kill me..! I''m begging you! I''ll do anything you want!! Golds? You want golds?! I-I''ll give you all of it...! Please.!!" King Merro''s madly begged for his life.


    However, it didn''t work.


    Mara suddenly struck forward with a trident, dealing the finishing blow to King Merro. He died unbefitting of the title ''King''.


    The rebel army roared victoriously at Merro''s death.


    "My comrades! From now on, we''re free!!" Mara raised her trident and shouted loudly.


    ""OOOHHHH!!!""


    Since they''re celebrating in ecstasy and all, it took a while for Mara to notice my presence. She dispersed the rebel army and ordered them to take care of the aftermath of the battle. Finding any injured soldiers, healing them, pacifying the citizens, etc., etc. Only after ordering her soldiers that Mara came running towards me.


    "Finn. I thank you once more for helping us achieve this victory." She bowed her head.


    "Whatever. Is it over now?" I asked, disinterested.


    "Yes. Like I promised, everything is yours."


    However, I was given a reply that was a little out of my expectations. For a moment there, I thought I was hearing things.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Can you repeat that?"


    "Yes, My King."


    Hearing it for a second time, it seems like it''s not my imagination playing a trick on me. I wanted to laugh it off. But after a while, I confirmed that she''s quite serious and possibly not joking around. Mara continued.


    "Even if you''re a human, there''s no saying that you can''t rule the Empire of Lemuria. For example: the King of Atlantis is half-human, but even so, he was still accepted by his people because of his abilities. In this environment, only the strong have the right to speak. Besides... t-that... that..."


    Looking at where she was pointing, I can see the Kraken waving its tentacles in my direction. Ah, I see. I think I know where this is going.


    "The Kraken is a sacred creature, you see. So a man who the Kraken obeys is more than worthy to be the King. While the previous King Merro did indeed summon it, the Kraken never listened to any of his commands."


    After saying so, Mara half-kneeled to the ground and put a hand on her chest. "Hence, from this day forward, I plead my full allegiance to Your Majesty King!"


    Thus, I became the King of an underwater Empire. Sort of.


    ...


    Naturally, I turned down their offers to make me a King quite a few times and even tried to leave immediately. I don''t want to have another responsibility resting on my shoulders, so it''s only obvious that I would try to avoid it at all costs.


    However, after their begging and crying in front of me, I found it hard to deny their offer. Thus, what I proposed was that I will only help them recuperate for a few days before finally leaving.


    The people at the rebel camp were called back to the city, including Lynn. They reclaimed their old homes and reunited with their families and friends. After that was naturally stabilizing Lemuria.


    First of all, the recognition. Since only the previous King Merro was involved in this war, he was the only noble that died. He was also the last descendant of his family, so no need to think about what will happen to his family.


    Then, what comes next was naturally confronting the remaining nobles. However, it seems like I wouldn''t need to work any further with this. The majority of them immediately pleaded their allegiance towards me when they saw the Kraken knocking on their front door.


    There were some nobles who are instigating a rebellion but were quickly shut up by the Kraken. They wanted to escape after knowing that they can''t win against me but how could I let them go? I brutally ordered the Kraken to feast on these nobles to make an example out of them. If I can''t rule them with wiseness, I will rule them with fear.


    With the nobles'' acceptance, the citizens quickly followed suit.


    As for the government structure, I adopted a Constitutional Monarchy and Absolute Monarchy hybrid system. It means that I and my decrees weight above the laws, while having the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers take all the work. It definitely suits my style so I cannot wish for more.


    I gave the position of the Prime Minister to Mara. As a former commoner/rebel, some nobles voted against it at first. To shut them up, I just needed to raise my hand and order the Kraken for another feast, so all objections quickly vanished to thin air. I declared Mara as a new noble and as the new Prime Minister.


    Then, for the Council members, I let the nobles vote amongst them on who will take what department. It''s not good to always rule with violence, you see. I always believed in balancing the carrot and the stick.


    The Ministers are as follows:


    Minister of Military and Defense, a war general named Gahor.


    Minister of Agriculture and Fishery, a nobleman named Yeroki.


    Minister of Architecture and Technology, a nobleman named Dustap.


    Minister of Science and Knowledge, a noblewoman named Maliya.


    Minister of Human Resources, a nobleman named Fioste.


    After that was the delegation of tasks.

 Volume 2 Chapter 15.2

    Truthfully speaking, I''m only here to resolve their issues. After that, I can leave them to fend for themselves when I''m done. That''s why I picked such government structure. I have no problems with kingcraft as well. I''m a ruler for 2000 years in my previous life, after all.


    Right now, we''re in the throne room of the Royal Palace. I am sitting on a golden throne chair with engravings of a golden dragon. The five Council Ministers half-kneeled in front of me.


    This is the first delegation of tasks, so I better handle this properly.


    The first in turn was the Minister of Military and Defense. A war general of Lemuria that somehow survived the previous war. He stood up, bowed, and put a hand on his chest as he greeted me.


    Gahor: "My King, about my new department. The majority of our soldiers werekilled during the previous war. I''m afraid we don''t have enough manpower. Please give us your instructions."


    "Hmm, I see. Well then, I''ll give you the permission to appoint the Royal Guards in the Palace to command and train a battalion. With the Kraken guarding the Palace, I don''t think anyone will have any funny idea. Also, hire more soldiers from the citizens, but don''t force them. I will later increase the soldiers'' average salaries and the newcomers will be prioritized in food distribution for their family. If that is still not enough, I will summon undeads later to fill in the gaps."


    "Understood, My King!"


    ...


    The next one is the Minister of Agriculture and Fishery. He''s a nobleman who governs most of the fish farms that supports Lemuria, so he was naturally voted as the fittest one for the job.


    Yeroki: "Your Majesty, I''m afraid that our main fish farms in the north are running out of resources. Although the previous war has lessened the number of consumers, there are quite a lot of rebels--*cough*, pardon me. What I meant to say was, there are quite a number of citizens that are coming back from various settlements. As such, I reckon that the food will sooner or later run out."


    "Mm-hmm, I see. How about establishing new fish farms in the south and the east?"


    "Your Majesty, with all due respect... The south and the east is the house of giant carnivorous monsters. As for the west; it was currently occupied by the human countries above. Thus, we have no choice but to settle for the north."


    "Ah. So the monsters are the problem, correct? That''s simple then. I will create several Devouring sandworms later to help you reclaim the south and the east. After that, I will station them there to guard for the fish farms. All you have to do is follow them and occupy the place. There should be a lot of fish accumulated there, enough to support this country for several years at most."This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Your Majesty is wise!"


    ...


    Then after him, a nobleman and noblewoman stood up in pair. They were the Ministers of the ''Architecture and Technology'' and ''Science and Knowledge'' respectively.


    ""Your Majesty King."" (Dustap and Maliya)


    Ah, so you guys were married, huh. That''s neat, it makes things much easier.


    Dustap: "Your Majesty, the reparations from the previous war is more than enough for us. However, we severely lack manpower and resources. I humbly ask the King for instructions."


    "Mm-hmm, in that case, I will summon elemental liches later to provide assistance. They can control various elements and modify terrains, making them perfect for building things. I will also create builder golems to fill in the gap in manpower. Aside from that, you can ask the elemental liches to create any metal that you need in your constructions."


    "Understood, Your Majesty."


    Maliya: "Your Majesty, there are currently no problems in my department that need immediate solutions. However, when the city stabilizes, the children''s education will need to start again. The previous King neglected education before and only used the citizens for military purposes. As such, we lack direction of where to go from now. Please give us instructions."


    "I see. Well then, first of all, talk to your husband about the reconstruction of the school and its facilities. After that, I''ll give you references from the school systems above so you can create a system that suits our current situation later. The culture and technology here are very different from above so make sure to carefully think about it. Do not rush."


    "Thank you, Your Majesty."


    ...


    Lastly, a young nobleman who looks to be in his teens stood up. He''s the type of guy who would get flocked by women wherever he goes. He''s the Minister of Human Resources, responsible for handing out jobs and managing the citizens.


    Fioste: "My King, I''m honored to be in your presence."


    "Mm-hmm. State your business."


    "Yes. Reporting in: a total of 578 refugees came back from various settlements since yesterday. In my assumptions, that number will continue to rise for a few days before finally stopping. This is great news, as the manpower right now is severely lacking especially in Architectural departments. However, here comes the problem..."


    Hmmm, there''s not enough houses because some were destroyed by the previous war, and the food is only enough to go around for at most few days. The food problem has already given solution earlier, but if not given a proper fast reply, the citizens might revolt again.


    "Alright, I get it. For the time being, make temporary camps in the north of the city. Make sure that hygiene and law are properly implemented, and they''re guarded against the carnivorous fishes. I will create golems later so make sure to also tell the citizens not to panic when they saw it. As for the immediate food supply, I will order a hunting team later to hunt several whales enough to last until the new fish farms are established."


    "Your will is my command!"


    ...


    After I addressed all of their problems, they left one by one.


    Then, I suddenly found myself grinning.


    "As expected, I feel more at ease when ordering people around..." I muttered as I rested my hand of the throne.


    Oh, by the way, where''s Lynn, you ask? Well, she''s currently in the temporary school teaching children basic knowledge. She''s surprisingly good at handling children and teaching them. Because I was so absorbed in playing real-life Sims, I didn''t notice that we already stayed for more than a week underwater.


    It''s okay for me to even stay here for a decade, but I don''t know if Lynn''s fine with it. After all, she stayed most of her life above ground where you can see the sun and breathe fresh air. Staying here for longer would not be a good idea for her, mentally and physically speaking.


    While I was indulging myself in thinking, the Prime Minister arrived in front of me. Mara was now dressed like a real noblewoman. She wore a cocktail-like dress that resembles the sea. It is blue in color with many frills. The dress touches the ground so it kind of creates a wavy image. I think that this suits her more than her battle armor.


    "Fin--Ah. Your Majesty."


    It seems like Mara is still adjusting. Well, I don''t really mind.


    "I''m here to ask about a certain matter. We cannot decide for ourselves so we seek your consent."


    I nodded so Mara continued.


    "What will we do about the captured Atlanteans?"


    Oh? This is quite a surprise. There are survivors, huh.


    When I thought about what to do with them, I cannot help but leak a malicious grin.

 Volume 2 Chapter 16.1

    When I ordered Mara to bring me to the prisoner, I was brought to the underground dungeon of the Palace. The dungeon is a prison with 5 floors, with the prisoner''s criminal offense higher as it goes down.


    I was specifically brought to the 3rd floor of the dungeon. In there, I met the Atlantean prisoner that they were talking about. It was surprisingly Colonel Dakkor that survived amongst his soldiers.


    "Yo, Colonel. A little out of shape, are we?" I jokingly said as I strolled towards his cell room. He was no longer healthy and full of strength just like when I first saw him. Instead, he was now a scrawny; full of bruises beggar with a few of his tooth missing.


    "Y-y-you... How... can you..."


    "It''s rude to point fingers at people, you know. Long time no see, I guess? Hahahaha"


    Colonel Dakkor trembled. I can see fear forming in his eyes as I laughed gleefully.


    "I''m the new King of Lemuria now. Surprised? Well, I am too."


    "Wh...at...?"


    "Oi, oi. Did you guys hit his head too hard? Why can''t he speak straight?" As I turned to the soldiers behind me, they furiously shook their heads in denial. I sighed and faced the Colonel once more.


    "Anyways. Let me ask you."


    Colonel Dakkor''s gulped resounded in this cold, underground prison.


    "Do you want to go home?" I smilingly said to him.


    --------


    (Colonel Dakkor''s POV)


    "Remember to tell your King, alright? Well, even if you forgot, it doesn''t matter. You will still deliver the message whether you like it or not." The demon said as he waved at me. "Best regards~"


    At that moment, a blinding flash engulfed me. I felt my head split into thousands of pieces. I have the urge to throw up, yet I cannot spit anything as my stomach is empty. Instead, I spat out the gastric juices left in my stomach.


    When I thought that I was gonna die, I suddenly found myself in front of a familiar dome. I instantly knew that I was in front of the Atlantis barrier.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I rubbed my eyes to confirm that I am not seeing things, pinched my arm to make sure that I am not dreaming. When I confirmed that all of this is real and I have not died, I smiled bitterly. In my opinion... dying is a hundred times better than my current situation. Especially in front of that monster...


    "Oi! There''s someone here!"


    I heard a voice from a distance. I wanted to shout. However, no voice came out.


    With that, my consciousness was engulfed in darkness.


    ...


    When I came into consciousness, the first thing that I saw was King Namor. He was sitting on the white marble throne chair as he gravely stared at me. Queen Dorma was safely by his side, with the row of Council Elders a little farther away.


    "Are you awake now? How about you tell me what happened in full detail?" King Namor slowly said.


    When I heard him, my memories came flooding in. That cruel smile which spared nothing. That cold gaze which looked down on everything. With every fiber of my being screaming in fear every time he moves. I remember now.


    "We... we shouldn''t have¡­ done it..."


    "Speak clearly, Colonel. You''re in the presence of the King!"


    "We shouldn''t have done it...! It was a mistake! A big mistake!! From the start... from the start, we were wrong... We... we..."


    "What is it that you''re trying to say, Colonel?" (Namor)


    "We awaken a monster! That guy is not a human, it''s a demon!! We should''ve--"


    ------


    (Namor''s POV)


    Colonel Dakkor suddenly stopped speaking. He collapsed to the ground and convulsed. The Royal guards rushed to check his condition. However, it''s already too late. He died without finishing his sentence.


    Just when the Royal Guards were about to take away his corpse away, something changed. An explosion occurred!


    The surroundings were suddenly engulfed in a black miasma cloud. So black that I wondered if it is what death looks like.


    Anyone who touches or comes in contact with the black miasma died. They just collapsed to the ground, never to wake up again. The Royal guards rushed to protect me. They blocked the miasma so it wouldn''t reach me but...


    "Aaackk!!"


    "W-what is this?!!"


    No matter what the guards do, all of them still ended up dying. They didn''t even know how they''re killed.


    Death. Pure death. That is what the black miasma signifies.


    When I was about to flee with the others, the black miasma suddenly stopped spreading. It then gathered in one place: Colonel Dakkor''s corpse.


    Then, the previously dead Colonel Dakkor stood up. His bones cracked as he stretches his whole body, seemingly uncomfortable at the new sensation he was feeling. He was clearly not ''Colonel Dakkor'', but someone else.


    I tried to compose myself as much as possible in front of my subjects.


    "Who are you? Or rather... what are you?" I asked.


    Colonel Dakkor--no, the creature who''s occupying the body of Colonel Dakkor spoke.


    "Ah~ How rude of me. I should''ve introduced myself much earlier." The creature scratched its head in embarrassment. Its voice was no longer that of Colonel Dakkor''s, but it was akin to the sound of a respected gentleman''s voice.


    The creature bowed as it formally introduced itself.


    "Greetings, water fleas. I''m a summon of the Great Lord. You may call me however you want, but I am more commonly known as a Soul Eater. Forgive me, for I am not yet worthy enough for the Great Lord to bestow me a name." The Soul eater adapted a regretful expression as it raised its head.


    "Y-you!! How dare you call us fleas! Preposterous! What ''Great Lord'' are you talking about? There is only one Lord! Tell your self-proclaimed ''Lord'' that he should regret opposing Atlantis!" One of the Elders raged out.


    In response, the Soul eater turned to that elder as it smiled. "You''re noisy."


    With just that, that elder... just died.


    He suddenly looked like he aged for tens of decades in just a blink of an eye. His hair fell, his skin dried out, and he slumped to the ground. In the end, he ended up as a shriveled corpse, kind of like a squeezed out lemon.


    "What...?"


    "D-did anyone saw what it did?"


    "Monster..."


    Disregarding the Elders'' clamoring, the Soul eater spoke with a smile.


    "Now then, please refrain to ask any questions until I am finished delivering the Great Lord''s message."


    Without waiting for my confirmation, the Soul eater continued speaking.


    "The Great Lord has declared. Consider yourselves blessed, for the Great Lord has offered you two choices: commit a bitter struggle and die, or submit to his greatness. You only have little time to decide."


    After the Soul eater finished speaking, a black mist suddenly came out of Colonel Dakkor''s body.


    "A few hours from now, the Great Lord will personally grace you his presence. Think about your choices wisely~"


    Along with the voice, the black mist dissipated.


    The Council of Elders all wore different expressions. Some were terrified, some still can''t believe what was happening, and some were even denying reality. But they all have one thing in common:


    Absolute Fear.

 Volume 2 Chapter 16.2

    "The mood here is a little heavy, don''t you think? King Namor." As I said that, I smiled at King Namor in front of me. I am currently standing inside his throne room, with Mara dressed in her battle armor right by my side.


    Meanwhile, King Namor is wearing full golden battle armor while gripping a golden trident with his right hand. At first glance, you would instantly notice that it was not a simple trident. The slender shaft and the three-pronged head of the trident were perfect in balance, not a single excess part can be seen. It is a simple-designed golden trident.


    Yet, it emits a little bit of God aura, so it can be said that it might be on par with the Mj?lnir of Thor. However, I know for sure that it was not created in the same place as the Mj?lnir. Thus, it can only be surmised that it is created by another God. And I''m putting my bet on their God, which is Neptune (Poseidon) that created it.


    Yeah, that thing is dangerous. But the one wielding it is not. That''s why; I can still be carefree in front of him even right now.


    Mara, on the other hand, is so tensed that her gaze never left the trident. She was fully on guard and ready to act whenever King Namor uses it. In fact, she''s so tensed that I tried calming her down through telepathy magic, telling her that it was okay. It was only then that she calmed down a little bit, although she never dropped her guard. What a trustworthy subordinate.


    I turned my attention to King Namor with Queen Dorma by his side and smiled.


    "By the way, I''m glad that the Queen is safe. You never know what will happen during a rescue mission, am I right?"


    "You!!--"


    King Namor stopped Queen Dorma from speaking by raising a hand. He glared at me without hiding his hostility.


    "I refuse to pick in any of your choices. Atlantis will never bow to the likes of you. If war is what you want, war is what you''ll get!"


    Saying so, he stood up and readied his golden trident. I see, so he refused, huh. He chose to stand up and fight even though he knows he will lose (or maybe not). Maybe he even resolved himself to die while maintaining his pride rather than bow down to me. A noble gesture, if I might say.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    However, I''m not accepting any other answer. On the contrary, I want to avoid a war at all cost. A few days from now, I''m leaving Lemuria with Lynn for a while to get back home, you see. Starting another war means prolonging my stay.


    Although I can finish it in just a day, there''s no saying that the Atlantis will give up that easily. They will surely call their alliance and team up against me. Again, it will prolong my stay. And by the time I defeated all of them, I still needed to think about what to do to their countries, making me stay even longer. After that, a rebellion might crop up again. Thus, it''s a never-ending cycle.


    To avoid all of that, I needed to settle this once and for all right now. Though I could just leave Atlantis alone and go home, how could I after they plotted against me? I want them to pay even a little bit. Mm-hmm, that golden trident might be compatible with Mara.


    "Alright, I''m taking that trident. I''ll give you a chance to bow and offer it to me." I smiled at King Namor while saying so.


    "What? Hahahahahaha! You? Take this from me? You''re free to dream whatever you like. You will never make me bow!" King Namor charged straight towards me.


    I stopped Mara from getting in front of me as I erected a tier 10 barrier, [Perfect Aegis]. A trident from Neptune (Poseidon) vs. the magic shield of Jupiter (Zeus). The golden trident stopped one foot away from me.


    However, instead of stopping, King Namor continued to hit the barrier.


    "I don''t believe that I can''t destroy this! Haaaappp!!"


    He slashed horizontally and vertically; he stabbed twice, thrice, multiple times; and even charged again while striking. The clash of the barrier and the trident even caused space cracks around me.


    Nevertheless, I stayed standing still while my barrier protects me. Not even a speck of dust can get past my barrier. King Namor entered a berserk state after his pride was crushed.


    After a few hundred strikes, which only amounted to at most a minute to the observers, King Namor finally stopped. He was left heavily panting with a bitter look on his face.


    "Ohh, well done. You actually managed to make a few inches of crack in my barrier." I praised him while clapping.


    However, it was not mockery. I am genuinely impressed that he can cause a crack on my highest tier barrier (though the crack disappeared almost instantly). There''s no need to say how strong this barrier is if I said that it was currently the strongest one that I can cast. It also has the word Perfect, which signifies its absolute defense. On top of that, it is named after a Greek God''s legendary shield.


    Although, part of the fact that King Namor caused a crack was because he also had an artifact from the same faction of Gods. King Namor''s strength was also on par, if not greater, than the green monster in Harlem, New York (Hulk). Despite having a human body, he can actually exert a much greater strength. I applaud him for that.


    But, it seems like King Namor thought I was mocking him. He mustered up his strength again as he charged once more. The golden trident in his hand emitted a rainbow glow. King Namor''s body was also covered in this glow. He appeared much stronger than before like it was a sort of enhancement. I guess it was one of the abilities of the trident.


    Since it seems like this is taking too much time, I intended to finish it once and for all with my next move. Tier 10 space magic.


    "[Hypergravity]"


    Before King Namor reached me, a strong gravitational force stopped him on his tracks.


    "Whaaattt... is thisss...? GgAaArggHhh!!"


    Not giving up, King Namor took a step.


    Step by step. I increased the gravity once more.


    Only after increasing the gravity tenfold, King Namor was finally on his knees.


    "I said bow, didn''t I? See? This is what happens when you don''t listen to others."


    "Im... po... ssible..." With that, King Namor fainted while still kneeling.


    I released the magic and King Namor fell to the ground.


    Crouching down, I picked up the golden trident and stored it in my Storage magic.

 End of Volume 2

    My business in Atlantis was quickly finished. After defeating King Namor and stealing his trident, the Royal guards brought him to safety. I then discussed some matters with their Council of Elders and the Queen. Of course, no one dared to ask about the golden trident anymore. They know what they''ll end up in if they do.


    This is the result of the discussion:


    1. Lemuria will enter the Deep sea alliance with the Atlantis'' recommendation. Atlantis and Lemuria will enter a peace treaty. If a side disrupts this treaty, know that that side will be deemed as a traitor and would be banished in the alliance.


    2. Every year, Atlantis will send a tribute to Lemuria. The tribute will be a variation of metals, golds, or any kinds of resources.


    3. If the safety of Lemuria is threatened, Atlantis should, without a second thought, offer assistance. If Atlantis failed to do so, they will offer reparations equal to the loss of Lemuria.


    Basically, it can be summed up that the Atlantis now served as a subordinate kingdom of Lemuria.


    Of course, Atlantis isn''t the only one on the receiving side. Lemuria will, in return, share the knowledge of our current technology, which is more advanced than Atlantis. Sharing our knowledge will not only benefit them, but also us. If by chance, they managed to upgrade it higher, we will also benefit from it.


    Secondly, we will offer our help if Atlantis is attacked, although this is optional. If the Atlantis is indeed attacked, I secretly instructed Mara to only send the undeads that I will be summoning later. I am reluctant to see my underlings die, you see.


    Finally, we will give them a supply of food in exchange for the tribute every year. This can be said to be a win-win situation to both sides. Lemuria, at the moment, severely lacks resources, especially the minerals. On the contrary, I reckon that the newly created fish farms in the north and the east will gain us more food than necessary. We will only need to give those excess foods while taking their precious minerals in return.


    With those conditions, the Queen and the Council of Elders finally agreed. They said that they''ll be the ones to explain to their King so that''s good news for me. I can go home much earlier than planned.


    Although their side suffered a loss, they still benefited from it.


    You see, if all I did was ''take, take, take'', sooner or later, the alliance would gang up on me. The Atlantis would not take it while lying down if they''re blatantly being robbed every year. That''s why; I also gave them some small benefits that can pacify their loss. It''s a coexistence that I''m looking for, not the destruction of either side.


    After two more days of staying in Lemuria, I decided that it''s finally time to leave.


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    I only delegated some more tasks to the Ministers and told them to always listen to Mara as she will be in charge while I''m away.


    "Uhm, I don''t think I can really lead them like you do..." Mara said as she fidgeted around.


    After thinking for a moment, I replied.


    "You don''t need to do it like how I do. You should just do it like how ''you'' would do. Do it at your own pace. Got it?"


    "Mm-hmm, okay. If you say so..." She reluctantly agreed.


    Although it is more appropriate to leave it to someone who ''knows how to lead a country'', I think it will be best if I leave it to someone who ''knows the country itself''. Mara would be the best choice in that regard. She can choose what''s best for Lemuria without being biased towards the commoners or the nobles.


    "Oh, and Mara. Have this. Make sure you train with it well so when I come back, you can at least be of use to me." I gave her the golden trident that I got from King Namor while saying so.


    "Neptune''s Trident?!!" Mara''s eyes widened from the sight of it. Her hands trembled just from holding the trident. "B-but, but..."


    "I don''t need it. I''m a magic caster, not a fighter." I made it sound like that so she wouldn''t refuse it. She then bowed and promised to protect it with her life, although I gave it to her to protect her life in the first place. Well, whatever.


    However, Mara alone would not be enough. There would naturally be someone who would refuse to listen to her no matter what. And that someone might cause trouble for her and the country if left unchecked. That''s why; I''ll give her some assistants to help her make them ''listen''.


    "Krakie." I called out to the Kraken who now lived inside the Royal Palace. It guarded the rather vast treasury hall, which is as wide as a football field. The Kraken showed obedience whenever I called it, so it wouldn''t hurt anyone inside the Palace except the intruders. By the way, the poor Kraken was named by Lynn after she saw its appearance.


    After Krakie showed up, I ordered it to listen to Mara while I''m away and to always guard the Empire against intruders. If anyone refused to listen to Mara, I ordered Krakie to use any method to make them listen.


    After that, I called out another name. "Celes."


    "I greet the Great Lord." The Soul eater, now named Celes, materialized in front of me. He was a black mist before, but after being named, he acquired a form.


    Because of their nature, the summoned Soul eaters are free to choose any forms that they want after being named, and Celes chose a rather interesting form. He now looks like a butler of a rich family. Black butler suit, white gloves, and swept up hair. He can also breathe underwater because this form is only his material body. He''s still originally a black mist.


    "Mm-hmm. I''m gonna give you a mission, so complete it without fail."


    "I await the Great Lord for instructions." Celes half-kneeled in front of me and bowed his head.


    "From now on, protect Mara at all cost. Stay by her side and make sure she''s safe at all times. Do this until I return."


    "Understood!" Celes replied.


    "Hm? What''s with your red face?" I asked the fidgeting Mara on the side.


    "Eh? Ahh! N-nothing? It''s so hot in here. Hahahaha"


    Hot? This is the deep sea though?


    Disregarding the deranged Mara, I summoned the same amount of undeads that I used when I attacked King Merro. I stationed all of them inside the crevice that Krakie came out of so that they won''t scare the citizens while still guarding the Empire.


    Lastly, I casted a camouflage barrier and a protective barrier that covered the entirety of Lemuria. The camouflage barrier will help in hiding Lemuria in plain sight. While the protection barrier should be strong enough to withstand a tier 8 magic spell so they should be fine.


    I made it so that Mara can open and close a hole in it with a ring that I imbued my mana on. Should the mana run out, I can easily refill it even with a thousand miles of distance with [Mana Transfer]. Though, it would take at least 10 years for it to run out. For emergency purposes, that ring also has another function: which is to call me whenever a need arises.


    With that, all that needs to be done is done. They can only rely on themselves now for their own survival. Of course, I will come back from time to time. But they rather learn how to take care of their own if they want to serve under me. I don''t want to baby them forever.


    "Lynn, let''s go." I beckoned to Lynn who was still playing with the Lemurian children.


    "Yes~ See you guys later, okay? Be sure to eat well so when I come back, we can play longer!" She said her goodbyes to the children and ran to my side.


    "Finn, I''m ready!" Lynn said whole donning a helmet she took somewhere.


    "Idiot. Even if you wear a helmet, it won''t protect the inside of your brains." I laughed at her as I activated the teleportation magic.


    "Huh? Huh?! What do you mean--"


    With that, our trip to the deep sea finally concluded.

 Start of Volume 3

    Death is not the end.


    This is coming from someone who personally experienced death once, and is experiencing it once more.


    I have lived my life surrounded by death.


    I was there when the people around me died. I was also there when the one who killed my family died.


    And then...


    I followed the one who killed the killer of my family.


    I vowed to serve him with my life and my body for achieving the revenge I cannot exact until the day he dies.


    For thousands of years, I stayed by his side.


    I knew him better than anyone. Even better than I knew myself.


    I was there when he ruled the whole world. The fate of billions rested in his hands.


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    However, he''s not contented.


    He sought the presence of someone.


    Even so, I stayed by his side and helped him to the fullest of my ability.


    Until, a catastrophe struck us.


    This is when I first experienced death.


    But I do not blame him.


    Instead, I blamed my own weak self as I died without fully accomplishing my vow, which is to serve him until the day he dies.


    However, as I said.


    Death is not the end.


    I woke up in a new world with my memories intact. I believe it is what the monks called ''reincarnation''.


    As I arrived in this new world, there was only one thing in my mind.


    That is:


    To fulfill my vow in this life, no matter what.


    In order to do that, I will conquer the world.


    Before he arrives in this world, I will prepare the grandest gift. An accomplishment he once succeeded in doing.


    I thought that I have the ability to follow his footsteps.


    I was wrong.


    There are stronger people other than me who exist in this world. Some even much stronger.


    I was stopped by them.


    Just when they are about to kill me, I struggled.


    I refuse to give up on life. I refuse to die a second time.


    This is not because I fear what comes after death.


    But because I fear that I will die again without accomplishing anything.


    That''s why, as a last resort, I chose to seal myself.


    I sealed my soul in an artifact, so even if my material body is destroyed, I will still exist in this world.


    This time, I was not ''killed''. But I don''t know if I can call it ''living'' either.


    I am ashamed to meet my lord again. For I have not done a single thing worthy of praise.


    However, it is a hundred times better than not meeting him at all.


    Even in this trapped state, I wish to meet him once more.


    For many years, I waited for him to come.


    And then, one day.


    He finally arrived.


    I sensed his unique malevolent aura that is second to nothing.


    The aura that I will never forget no matter how many times I died.


    Thus, I beckoned for him.


    I released all the strength I have left.


    To call for him.


    To call for his love.


    And once I meet him...


    I, Morgana le Fay, will vow to serve him again in this lifetime.


    This time, without fail.

 Volume 3 Chapter 17.1

    "So, what are we doing right now?" I asked Lynn who''s busy with a laptop by my side.


    "We''re searching for a possible trace in any unnatural events that can lead us to find other superheroes." Lynn replied without raising her head.


    "Mope around and do nothing. Got it."


    We''re currently in a pop-up shop in New York Times Square that sells matcha drinks with churros. This has been our meeting place as of lately because of their amazing churros. Lynn especially likes this place; and as for me, it''s not half-bad either. I get to eat delicious snacks. For free. Lynn has a lot of money so it''s okay.


    By the way, I''ve been curious for a while now. So while we''re still doing nothing, I asked Lynn something I''ve thought of a long time ago.


    "Lynn. Where do you get all that money? What''s your parent''s business anyway?" I asked while taking a bite out of the sweet churros. Mm-hmm. Tasty.


    "Huh? I haven''t told you?"


    "Besides you being filthy rich, I don''t know anything."


    "Is that so?" Lynn then raised her head and sighed. "Well. It''s not a secret anyway so I might as well tell you first-hand."


    Lynn closed her laptop as she started speaking.


    "When I was a child, my parents died in a car accident. I was 6 at that time, I think? My parents are living far away from their families, so no other relatives came to get me. I ended up in an orphanage. The people were kind there. And the kids were all orphans like me, so I got along with them pretty well."


    Lynn also took a bite out of her sprinkled churros.


    "If waff untiw thiff maw--"


    "Don''t speak while chewing your food."


    After being reprimanded, Lynn obediently finished chewing first before speaking again.


    "As I said, it was until this man adopted me. At first, I thought that he was a bad man because of how he looks. But I found out that he was actually kind. Especially to me. He even supported me when I said that I wanted to be a journalist!"


    "Hoh? What''s his name?"


    "Wilson Fisk."


    "Fisk? As in Fisk Industries?"


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    While I asked in bewilderment, Lynn simply nodded. "Yep."


    "You own that huge ass building near the Empire State?"


    "Yep! That''s the one!" Lynn happily cheered.


    This might be the biggest shock I experienced yet. However, it did make sense if she''s affiliated with that company. She can dish out money like it was a normal paper so her father must be very supportive of her.


    By the way, the tower I''m talking about is the Fisk Industries tower that''s on par with the Empire State building and Stark tower in terms of height. It is located at 439 West 38th Street (on the corner of West 38th Street and 5th Avenue), just north of the Empire State building and a few blocks southeast of the Bank of America tower.


    And about her name; Lynn told me that her father allowed her to use her mother''s last name, so she hasn''t changed it since that''s the case.


    Hmmm. I think I need to somehow thank her father for all the games that she''s been giving me, so I put it in mind to pay a visit later. Also¡ª


    "Is that you, Finn?"


    My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a voice that called out my name. I looked at the source and saw a man in his early 30s. He''s a tall man with a scholarly look on him. His hair was mostly brown, but a strip of grey stood out on his temples. I searched my memories of him until something clicked.


    "Reed?" I asked.


    "Yeah, Reed Richards. You still remember me? Hahahaha that''s good. I thought you wouldn''t wake up from your coma."


    Lynn by the side asked who he was, so I replied with my hazy memory. "He was my senior at Columbia University, I think. He was always building these crazy stuffs while I sometimes drop by his lab to observe."


    "Right, right! I was studying for my sixth degree there when you''re pestering me to create those video game consoles. Hahaha but I''m really glad you woke up from your coma, Finn. You changed a lot these past few years, huh."


    I replied a smile from what he said. Yeah, you changed a lot too. The last time I saw you, you still didn''t have that unknown energy inside your body. You also didn''t have any superpowers. Just what happened while I''m in a coma?


    Reed suddenly exclaimed. "Ah, by the way. Let me introduce you to my wife, Susan Storm."


    Pointing at his side, a slender woman emerged. She is the perfect archetype of an American woman: long, blonde hair and blue eyes. She''s at least 5''6 in height.


    "Hello, nice to meet you. You can call me Sue, if you want." Susan introduced herself. Yep, this one too has the same unknown energy like Reed.


    Naturally, it would be rude to not introduce myself after they did; so I introduced myself first and then introduced Lynn.


    "Uh, this is my colleague at work, Lynn Walsh."


    After that, Reed and Susan also bought matcha with sweet churros and sat down with us. Lynn and Susan got along pretty well, while I and Reed talked about the college days. I told him that after I dropped out of college, I got into an accident and went into comatose for two years.


    Reed also told me what happened after he graduated. He was offered a job and worked in the megacorporation called Von Doom Industries, who specializes in technology research. Then, he strangely fast-forwarded his story to where he and Susan got married. I see, he was hiding the fact that he and Susan have powers.


    After conversing for an hour, Reed and Susan bid their farewells. Reed said they''re on their way to a doctor to see if Susan is pregnant. I congratulated them in advance and watched as they disappeared from the crowd.


    "Meeting old friends unexpectedly brings out the ''human'' in me, huh..." I muttered to myself. Well, it was maybe because Reed is the only friend that I made during college, so that''s probably it.


    "Huh? Huh? What''s that?"


    Lynn pointed at the middle of Times Square. A convoy of black cars suddenly surrounded a man. The man has a buff build, enough to call him the embodiment of muscle-builders. He has blonde hair and a face that looks like a perfectly sculpted Greek god. The man looks confused as he scanned his surroundings.


    Then, several men in black suits came out of the cars. They prevented others from entering the encirclement that they have made. In one of the cars, a familiar man suddenly walked out.


    ''Hmmm. Isn''t this Nick Fury?''


    Right, the man who came out was Nick Fury. Black skin, bald head, and a distinct eyepatch on his left eye. The man who talked to Stark about the Avengers Initiative, a project to band superheroes together. He approached the buff guy and talked about something. It seems like he was successful in convincing the buff guy about something as the buff guy entered the car.


    Before Fury entered the car, I met eyes with him for a second.


    I know what those looks meant. And I instantly knew I f*cked up.


    I remembered the Harlem incident in which I forgot to erase the trace of my ice magic in a hurry to leave.


    So that''s it. I suppose it''s safe to say that I''m being watched now. That irritates me somehow. I guess I''ll do something about it later on.


    I watched them leave as I sipped on my matcha drink.


    "?!?!?!"


    Crap. What is it now?


    I suddenly felt a very strong darkforce from a distance. It was not too far away from me, so my senses were greatly influenced by it. My head hurt for a moment before fading away.


    "Lynn, pack up. We have something to do."


    I stood up. I cannot neglect a darkforce this strong.


    More importantly...


    I felt that this darkforce is somehow connected to me. And it''s calling me...

 Volume 3 Chapter 17.2

    "Ah, there you are."


    I found the source of the darkforce in the basement of an empty house, not too far away from Times Square. It was a thick, black book with the name of the book engraved in the front cover: darkhold.


    I lifted it up not by my hands, but by using telekinesis magic. Whoever made this book was a certified novice in doing so. Not only did the maker not conceal its darkforce, he also didn''t bother to hide the fact that there''s a ''curse-upon-touch'' magic spell casted in this book. For someone who deals with magic, traps like these are considered as child''s play.


    As I examined the book closely, I was convinced that there is indeed a sealed entity residing in this book. I''m not sure how strong though, but I''m sure that it is somehow familiar with the darkforce that I am currently using.


    My curiosity got the best of me. There''s no way I''m not freeing this entity that may be related to me. Perhaps, it may also give the answers to my questions upon arriving in this world.


    However, being a little cautious would be good in times like these. I laid out the book on the floor and put a hundred of protective barriers and destruction spells around it. Even if the entity harbors malice towards me, it can never break through those layers of barriers, while one snap was all it will take to detonate the destruction spells to obliterate it.


    What I did next was simple: I supplied my darkforce to power up that entity inside. The entity will then be the one to break its own seal. It''s not that I can''t break it, but there''s no way to do it ''outside''. It was the kind of sealing curse that can only be broken ''inside''.


    After taking about somewhat 1/4 of my darkforce, I began to see changes in the book. Cracks started to cover its body like something''s about to come out anytime. From those cracks, violet lights came out. When I felt that violet light, I was sure of it. That the one sealed inside is not an enemy.


    *boom!*


    The seal was finally destroyed. Half of the hundred barriers that I placed were surprisingly destroyed along with an explosion. Then, the whole place was covered with a violet mist. Ah, I missed this scent.


    When the mist dissipated, the figure of a woman can be seen half-kneeling in front of me. The woman had an hourglass body, dressed in a slightly revealing green dress. Her hair is black while her eyes matched the color of her dress. This woman is without a doubt, a world-class beauty.


    However, she was only a soul. An astral projection, so to speak.


    "H-how I''ve waited for so long to meet you, My lord..."


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    Even though she was only a soul, she still shed tears as she said with a trembling voice.


    "It is nice to see you again, Morgana." I greeted her by her name thus, her body trembled once more. She sure was in ecstasy, huh.


    Morgana was one of the selected Generals that can order my whole army in replacement of me. She''s also the only one among the Generals that have the rights to live inside my castle, so she''s responsible for maintaining it along with the maids. You can say that she''s my most powerful pawn. That''s all in the magical world though.


    More importantly, I was curious about what happened to her after I blew up that world.


    "What happened to your body?" I curiously asked.


    "I''m very sorry to greet you like this, My lord. My material body was destroyed along with the plan of offering this world to you. Please punish me for failing your expectations." Morgana said while lowering her head even more.


    "Mm-hmm. Rest assured, I will not issue a punishment for what you did. For now, we should find a host for your soul first before we talk about what happened after you died in the previous world."


    Because her material body is destroyed, her ''link'' to this world was severed. If she did not seal herself inside that book, I guess she would''ve entered the cycle of reincarnation once more.


    "Thank you very much for your mercy, My lord!"


    "Alright. You can reside in this pocket dimension for now until I find you a host." Saying so, I opened a sub-dimension using space magic. This should prevent her soul from dissipating at least until I created a temporary homunculus body.


    "Yes!"


    Morgana entered without hesitation, showing her full trust.


    Not forgetting the darkhold, I stored it inside my Storage magic as well and left the basement. The maker might be a careless one for placing an obvious trap, or he''s just confident that it won''t be broken by any normal means. That''s why; the book survived even with an explosion that destroyed dozens of my barriers.


    ...


    After finishing my business, I went out of the house where Lynn is waiting for me. Outside, I saw Lynn playing with a dog that resembles a pit bull. I said ''resemble'' because that creature might look like a dog, but it is ''partly'' not.


    "Finn! Look at this! I found a talking dog!"


    "Who are you calling a dog?! I am Hel-Hound. A Hel-Hound! Not some lowly creature." The pit bull with grey skin and red eyes rebutted.


    See? No normal dog can speak. He also just said he''s a Hel-Hound. I don''t know about Hel-Hounds, but I know what Hellhounds are. They are mid-tier summons that can be used to either hunt something or guard something. I had a few back in the magical world as well.


    "You, human! Where did you hide that darkforce?! Speak, or be ready to be fried!"


    The Hel-Hound exuded fire from its mouth. It looks funny so I let him boast for a while.


    "What''s your name, dog?" Lynn suddenly asked.


    "I am not a dog! I''m a Hel-Hound!" The Hel-Hound snarled. "Hmph. I suppose your little brains can''t even distinguish something like that. Fine. Remember this, humans: my name is Thori!"


    After speaking with Thori for a while, I realized that he was not some evil creature. I found out that his speech was also normally in a threatening or grim tone. And actually, he was here to eliminate the darkforce that he followed with his senses, that''s why I said he''s not someone evil. Although, he has severe anger issues.


    "Out of my other litter mates, I am the only one with the ability to speak. I came here from Hel with the intention to seek destruction! That''s why!" Saying until here, Thori suddenly turned to face me. "I need to absorb that darkforce to increase my powers! Give it to me!!"


    Thori spat out orange flames in my direction.


    "Mm-hmm. That''s a cute fire." I casted a fire resistance barrier to shield myself from the fire. Lynn was in the opposite direction so the fire won''t reach her.


    "Im-Impossible! How can a human...!"


    "It''s magic. More importantly, how can a dog even breathe fire?"


    "I''m a Hel-Hound!" Thori snapped once more. But this time, he did not attack carelessly.


    "It''s magic, huh. So there''s a magic caster here too..." Thori pondered by himself. "However, a mere magic caster cannot beat the flames of Hel that easily!"


    Thori''s neck suddenly bulged up. In the next moment, he exuded black flames. This black flame obviously has a much higher temperature than the orange flames earlier. It is also a little similar to the tier 10 magic spell [Hell Flame], but Thori''s black flame is considerably weaker.


    "[Perfect Barrier of Fire Resistance]"


    With just that, Thori''s strongest attack was nullified.


    "Whaaddd..."


    "Okay. Are you done now?"


    The strongest flame magic an ancient dragon can use.


    "I''ll show you what real fire looks like."


    [White Inferno]

 Volume 3 Chapter 18.1

    "Give up?"


    "W-woof..."


    "See? You can bark like a dog if you try." I laughed at the trembling Thori in front of me.


    When he witnessed [White Inferno], he tried to teleport away, which was stopped with my [Space Field Control]. Seeing the strongest flame magic of the dragons and knowing that he can''t escape, he surrendered.


    "A-Are you the Sorcerer Supreme...?" Thori suddenly asked a question.


    "Sorcerer Supreme? What''s that?"


    "You''re not even the Sorcerer Supreme?!!" His eyes widened in surprise.


    Even though he''s a dog, he can display emotions really well.


    "You''re lying. You must be the Sorcerer Supreme!" Thori snarled at me.


    "Look. I don''t know what the ''Sorcerer Supreme'' is, but I know that you won''t get out of here unscathed after you attacked me first." I grinned at Thori.


    "W-what are you going to do?! Kill me?! Know that my mother will avenge me and hunt you down!!"


    "Relax. I''m not gonna kill you, momma''s boy. This is something much, much worse than death." Grinning, I activated a magic spell.


    [Curse of Complete Subservience]


    A black magic circle suddenly appeared below Thori. What happened next was as expected; a black chain came out which bound Thori in the neck.


    "I... can''t move?! What is this!!"


    Struggle all you want. At your current level, you can''t resist a curse of that tier.


    After that, a white magic circle appeared on top of Thori. He was kind of sandwiched between the black and white magic circles. In the next moment, the white magic circle embedded itself on Thori''s forehead. With that, the magic is complete.


    "Alright. Let''s go, Thori. I''ve got a lot of questions to ask." I smiled at Thori who''s still panting heavily.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "W-what have you done to me? Why is my body...?"


    "Oops. You''re mistaken there. It''s not your body anymore. From now on, I''m your master. So listen to me, okay?"


    "Like hell I would-- kaaackk?!"


    Thori didn''t finish what he''s saying because a black chain coiling around his neck suddenly appeared. The chain was actually an astral projection, connecting Thori''s soul and mine. It was the symbol that he''s under my curse. The worst part is that the chain directly damages his soul, not his body.


    "Every command disobeyed will tighten that chain. Until you die." I threatened him.


    Well, I can tighten and loosen it at will but there''s no need to let him know that. It''s more fun if he''s threatened like this, so he will show absolute obedience in the future.


    "Kuk! You damned human-- kuaakk!!"


    "Oh, I forgot to tell you. You can''t disrespect me, your master, from now on. So please be careful with your words~"


    I left Thori alone for a moment to let the despair sink in. He won''t realize his current position unless I give him time to think about it. Before I knew it, I was already starting to conform to my old habits.


    Up ahead, I can see Lynn with a rare serious look on her face.


    "What''s up? You think it''s too cruel?" I asked her.


    However, Lynn shook her head. "It''s not that."


    ''Then what is it?'' Before I can speak again, Lynn continued.


    "Finn, can''t I learn magic as well?"


    ...


    "Haaaahhh." I released an exhausted sigh after I slumped on my bed.


    It''s been a long day. Meeting a school senior, meeting an old subordinate, and then meeting a hound from Hel. After that, I even have to argue with Lynn about teaching her magic.


    Although in the end, I agreed to her request. In the first place, I can''t always protect her. Like that Harlem incident. If I was not fast enough, it would''ve ended in the worst case scenario. Since then, the notion of teaching her magic for protection has entered my mind.


    It is unavoidable, yes. Because until the ''Curse of the Saintess'' remains in her, trouble would always seek us. And it would always get worse each time.


    I really need to find a solution to this; the sooner the better.


    With that in mind, I just have the perfect ''guy'' to ask questions to. Or should I say ''dog''.


    "Thori. Who is the most powerful person that you know?" I asked Thori who''s similarly lying on his new doghouse.


    By the way, he said he would obey me willingly on three conditions: 1. Provide food, 2. Provide a house, 3. Provide an energy supplement, which is my darkforce. I don''t have anything against it as long as he remains absolutely loyal in front of me, so I agreed.


    Although I can still make him submit with the curse, I don''t think that''s a good idea in the long run. For a low intelligent creature like the Kraken, the curse was enough to make it obedient. However, for Thori, who might be smarter than most humans, it would be troublesome and time-consuming to make him completely submit to me. And time is what I lack right now.


    "Huh? Well, isn''t that easy?" Thori lazily looked up to me. "It is, without a doubt, the All-father. He rules all of Asgard, the home of the Gods."


    Yep, that''s what I thought. I don''t think I would want to associate myself with those Gods though. So as much as possible, I want to solve this on my own. I think my question was partly wrong too.


    "I''ll change my question: what is the most powerful artifact that you know which can grant wishes?"


    "What do you want to do with it?" Thori suspiciously looked at me.


    I thought for a moment on what to reply. "You saw that girl earlier, right?"


    "Yeah. That''s the first time I saw a death aura that thick on a normal human."


    Just like I thought. It was worsening as time passes.


    "Then you know that it can''t be removed by any normal means. Heck, even I can''t do anything about it with my current powers."


    "Hmmmm..."


    It seems he''s still wary.


    "Alright, how about this. I''ll give you half a month worth of darkforce right now."


    "Deal."


    How easy. He didn''t even know that that ''half a month'' would only take about half of my darkforce right now.


    After that, Thori spilled all the beans out.


    "Before the beginning of the universe, six different singularities existed. Soul, Time, Mind, Power, Space, and Reality." Thori slowly narrated.


    "Once the universe was created, they were scattered. The six singularities, which could be remolded only by powerful creatures, were first used by the Celestials, who used them to grant their race unknowable power enough to dominate several planets."


    These six singularities were then known as the Infinity stones.

 Volume 3 Chapter 18.2

    After hearing him, I couldn''t help but ask.


    "So, how do I get these stones from the Celestials?"


    Thori froze upon hearing my question. Knowing that I am asking a serious question, he sneered.


    "You? Hmph. I admit that you''re really powerful, and can maybe even fight individuals at the level of Gods. But you can only dream of defeating a Celestial with that mortal body of yours. You still know little of how vast this multiverse is."


    I was quite displeased after hearing him, but I indeed know too little in regards to this world''s power structure. My knowledge was limited only to the humans with superpowers that exist in this Earth and the Asgardians like Thor.


    Before I could ask how powerful the Celestials are, Thori spoke.


    "Don''t worry. The Celestials doesn''t have the Infinity stones anymore. It was once again scattered when the Celestials lost control of the stones. Right now, they''re only considered as a long lost legend, with few crazy people still searching for them."


    "I guess I will be one of those crazy ones, huh..." I muttered to myself.


    "If you want to save that girl, yes."


    With this new information at hand, I needed to figure out my next course of actions. I cannot just act carelessly starting from now, knowing that there are a lot more powerful entities other than me in this universe. After I resolve this damned curse, I swear I''m gonna get Lynn to provide me more video games. With that in mind, I meditated for the first time in a long while.


    ------


    After I contemplated for a few hours, I got up from the bed. I figured out what I needed to do first and foremost.


    I need to get a new body for Morgana first. Morgana is the only one who possesses the knowledge of this Earth''s power structure (Thori said he just got here on Earth a few years ago, so he''s not that much different from me). To converse with her, I would need to recreate her own body so she can transfer her soul in it.


    Naturally, I am not a God. I cannot just create a new body out of nowhere. Thus, I need ''materials''.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    It''s currently 11:00 pm right now, a perfect time for my plan.


    I closed my eyes and focused on the surrounding''s death elements. Next, I slowly expanded the range of my senses until it covered the whole of Manhattan. I waited for a few minutes before I found what I was looking for.


    "[Instant Teleportation]"


    My surroundings blurred for a moment before I found myself in an unfamiliar room somewhere. I scanned the room and was surprised at the scene that greeted me.


    A woman was lying on her bed. On top of her, a 9-year old child had a crazy grin on her face. This said child used the pillow that she was holding to suffocate the woman, who had the same hair and facial structures as her. I watched on with amusement as the little girl killed her mother.


    "You''re a feisty one, little girl." I said to her after she killed her mother.


    "W-who''s there?!" The little girl was surprised. Her eyes widened as she saw me approaching her. "Who are you? W-what are you doing here?"


    "Relax. I''m not into little girls." I shrugged my shoulders as I confirmed that the woman is dead.


    "What are you doing with my mother''s body?" The little girl asked. Wow, I''m surprised that she can recover her composure at times like these.


    "Hmmm. Let''s see. How about you call me ''Death''? Didn''t you just saw that I appeared here out of nowhere just when you killed your mother? I am here to get her dead body."


    She''s still a child, so a little trick like this should work. I''m gonna erase her memories later anyways.


    "Huh? But does Death collect bodies? Doesn''t Death only collect souls?" The little girl tilted her head.


    Crap, she''s too smart for her age.


    "U-uhh. You see, this woman offended me somehow? And I''m here to get her body as well as her soul as a punishment. Yes, that''s it." I hope she doesn''t see me as a necrophile.


    "Ohh, okay."


    After that, I stored the dead woman''s body on my Storage magic. Yes, the material that I''m talking about was an actual human body. I planned to acquire one using the death elements'' guidance, which led me to this. I expected that death elements would always flock dying people, and I was right.


    What I didn''t expect was to witness this scene of a child killing her own mother. I lifted my head up and saw the little girl curiously examining me.


    "Are you gonna erase my memories?"


    Isn''t she a little too smart for her own age?!


    "Yep. More importantly, how did you acquire your powers?"


    Like Reed Richards and Susan Storm, I can sense a foreign energy residing in her body. It was different than Reed''s, but it was just as strong, if not stronger.


    "I don''t know." The little girl answered honestly.


    If she didn''t know, then there''s nothing to gain here. I was hoping I could learn the source of these energies that transformed and gave powers to some humans on Earth.


    "Well then, before I erase your memories, do you know where your father is? I might accidentally erase it, so tell me in advance."


    "He''s dead."


    How can you say that without a change in your expression? Ah, well. She might have a screw loose in her head considering the fact that she killed her own mother.


    "Other relatives?" I asked once more.


    "I don''t know."


    "Then where do you plan on going after killing your mother?"


    "I don''t... know." The girl said with a lost expression.


    This is taking too much time. If I erase this girl''s memories of seeing me, there would be no explanation of how her mother''s body vanished. There''s also a chance that I''ll erase her memories of her killing her own mother. Either the case, the girl would be left alone without anyone to look out for her and without memories of what happened to her mother.


    Just as I started to think of other solutions, the girl spoke.


    "Mister Death. Can I come with you?" She said with an ecstatic look on her face.


    ''Of course not''--is what I was about to say. However, thinking about it carefully, this might be a chance to widen my knowledge of this world. If I can discover what or who gave her those powers...


    Just in time. I might need a new lab rat.


    "What''s your name, little girl?"


    "Karla! My name''s Karla Sofen." The girl smiled.


    It was the same smile that I wore when wreaking havoc in the magical world.

 Volume 3 Chapter 19.1

    I spent 30 minutes in acquiring the materials for Morgana''s new body.


    After I got home with Karla, I realized that the day was far from over. I faced my ''Mom'' who''s calmly sitting on the sofa while drinking tea. I sat opposite her, with Karla standing by my side.


    "My, what a beautiful pet you''ve found." My ''Mom'' said as she took a sip on her tea.


    "Thanks. Now then, mind explaining who you are?" I asked the one who''s pretending to be my Mom. Yes, that''s right. There''s no way I would mistake my Mom for someone else.


    The impersonator smiled cheerfully at my question.


    "Would you believe me if I told you I am Death itself?"


    "Maybe I would."


    Otherwise, I cannot accept any other explanation after seeing that vast amount of death elements surrounding you. It even looks like the elements are fawning over her.


    Damn. I never would''ve expected that there really is an actual embodiment of Death.


    "So, where is my Mom?" Even so, I composed myself while asking.


    "She''s in my realm, safe and sound. I''m keeping her for now." Death calmly replied.


    "Is the reason why you''re doing this is that I used your name?"


    "No. Of course not." She chuckled before continuing her sentence. "I''ve been watching you for a long time now. I''m especially overwhelmed at how you became a Demon Lord and destroyed a whole world all by yourself."


    Of course she would know my previous life, she governs death. Crap.


    "Then why kidnap my Mom?" I asked the most important question to me right now.


    "She''s the one stopping you, isn''t it? Because of her, you restrained yourself. Because of her, you..."


    A strong malevolent aura suddenly seeped out of Death. As soon as that aura burst out, Karla immediately fainted. I thought that she was dead but I realized that she was simply overwhelmed by the force that her mind instantly shut down.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    There''s no way that I can beat that. Even I myself am barely conscious just by relying on my pure experience in handling this kind of energy.


    When the aura got to the point of endangering Karla''s life, I continuously laid out defensive barriers to protect both of us. In just a matter of minutes, the barriers reached the number of hundreds. Only then that I''ve heaved a sigh of relief.


    However, note that this is only her aura we''re talking about. She hadn''t even started attacking for real yet.


    "You''ve grown weak."


    "It might be so." I smiled bitterly at the first insult I''ve received that is actually true. "But I promise you: I will get my Mom back and I''ll make you pay tenfold for what you did."


    "Yes, my love! That''s it!" Death suddenly cheered. It was not the reaction that I was expecting so I was quite surprised. "You need a motivation. A stimulant! Rule this world, and Rule death itself! Prove that you''re worthy! Worthy of my love!"


    "I don''t even want your goddamn love."


    Death chuckled at my sentence. At that moment, she finally revealed her true form. The illusion that she casted to look like my Mom was dispelled. She took the form of a female skeleton wearing a black mantle. ''Death'' is a really fitting name for her.


    Death slowly walked towards me. The barriers that I''ve erected all broke with just one swipe of her hand. She then stretched out both of her hands and grasped my cheeks. I couldn''t move even my pinkie fingers with the force that she was exerting.


    "You''re on the right path. Just continue what you''re planning to do, and you''ll eventually reach me. Remember, I''ll always be watching you." Death kissed my forehead.


    After saying that last line, she evaporated into a black mist and vanished. I finally took control of my body once more. I just realized that my back was already drenched in sweat a long time ago.


    .....


    After I thought deeply about it for a moment, the dots finally connected. The reason why I have the curse of Immortality in my past life was because of her. She deprived me of death, so that I could earn her love.


    When I blew up that magical world, I now know the reason why my soul didn''t enter the cycle of reincarnation immediately. Her curse at that time was still working. That''s why even though the world is destroyed; my consciousness is still alive while drifting in space. She must''ve removed it and sent my soul back to my original body here. That''s also the reason why I don''t have the curse right now.


    I tucked Karla in bed and opened my Xbox console. I need something to cool off my head without blowing things up and think carefully on what she said.


    -----


    Several months later.


    In a facility somewhere in Mojave Desert.


    [All workers on site, the evacuation orders have been confirmed. Proceed to your designated vehicles for all campus evacuation. This is not a drill. I repeat.] An intercom voice repeatedly announced.


    Scientists, agents, and workers can be seen busy evacuating the facility. The trucks are being loaded while the loaded ones have already left. On the building''s wall was the name of the facility: S.H.I.E.L.D/NASA facility, Joint Dark Energy Mission.


    .....


    On the lower levels of the facility.


    A perfect cube, emitting a blue light from its inside. Sparks are being produced around it from time to time.


    This is a room with several people watching the cause of the evacuation orders: the Tesseract.


    Nick Fury was one of the people watching this abnormality unfold. By his side was Agent Barton or more commonly known as Hawkeye. He was S.H.I.E.L.D''s best marksman, specializing in the arts of the bow.


    A scientist reported that the energy levels coming from the Cube reached a dangerous level. If Finn is here, he would notice that the scientist is somehow familiar. It was one of the human friends of Thor, Dr. Selvig.


    Dr. Selvig, Hawkeye, and Nick Fury watched as the Tesseract unleashed an unknown form of energy.


    Then, a beam of light suddenly shot out from the Tesseract. This powerful beam of light opened a portal to another dimension, showing a boundless space beyond it.


    However, the portal was proved to be unstable.


    Just a few seconds after being opened, the portal exploded.


    In the place where the portal was once in, a half-kneeling man appeared.


    The man was dressed in a way that can make you feel an otherworldly vibe. You will know that he''s certainly not cosplaying because his attire suits the aura that he was currently emitting.


    The man, Loki, held a golden scepter in his hand as he grinned sinisterly at the people in front of him.

 Volume 3 Chapter 19.2

    My plans have never changed. I just had a new motivation to complete it and an additional goal to go beside it. If Death really knew me well, she would know that I hate dancing on someone''s palm. As I said to her, I would return the favor a hundred times.


    What the first course of action I took after cooling off my head was to complete Morgana''s new body. Using Karla''s dead mother as a material, I recreated her body using her soul as a reference. Thus, her looks were no different than what is seen in her soul form.


    It took a few days before she finally got used to her new body and a few weeks more before she slowly recovered her magic. Morgana trained daily in the sub-dimension that I created along with Karla. Oh, in case you''re wondering, I gave Thori a ''special mission'' and I think he won''t accomplish it anytime soon. That''s why I focused my attention on Karla.


    Speaking of Karla; that girl developed her powers beyond my expectations. Her powers were Superhuman Strength, Speed, Stamina, Durability, Agility, and Reflexes to name the few. She can also fly at a speed that can put American jets to shame. Furthermore, she can also phase through things. She can turn herself and other persons intangible by reducing her or the other person''s body''s specific gravity.


    Lastly, she possessed the ability to manipulate light to a limited degree. She can generate a blinding luminescence from every inch of her body or generate blasts of concentrated photons from her fists that are powerful enough to blow a hole in a steel plate. We called it Photokinesis, the ability to shoot out photon blasts.


    Basically, she''s like an overpowered gifted child.


    "Mister Death. I think I can make myself stronger by absorbing a crystal called Moonstone."


    Well, isn''t that just great? By the way, I stopped trying to fix the way that she addresses me so it was currently stuck with ''Mister Death''. Her reason was: if Mistress Death visited you, doesn''t that make you Mister Death? I can''t argue with that logic so I just stopped bothering.


    "What is a Moongem?" I asked her, who''s punching a steel golem the size of a 5-floor building. She easily blew up a hole in the steel golem''s chest with her hands enveloped with photon energy.


    "I don''t know." Karla replied before facing another steel golem. There are a total of hundred steel golems, and Karla has only destroyed 1/4 of them ever since she started 10 minutes ago.


    "Then where did you get that information?"


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    After Karla destroyed another steel golem, she suddenly found herself surrounded in every direction. She quickly took action and curled herself into a ball.


    Just when I thought that she was preparing herself from an impact, she suddenly straightened her whole body in one fluid motion. Several beams of photon light burst out with her body as the center, immediately turning the steel golems into chunks and pieces. How clever.


    "It''s... in my dreams..." Karla replied while catching her breath.


    ''Another one, huh.''


    After weeks of using her powers daily, Karla started having these dreams. Sometimes, she would dream of her lying in an operating table with multiple silhouettes surrounding her. There was also this one dream where she remembers some words that cannot be found even on the internet; the Moonstone is one of these examples. The conclusion is: these dreams reveals how and where she got her powers from.


    As of now, we surmised that she was an experiment of some advanced civilization. She was also not alone as she sometimes sees other children in her dreams.


    "From its name, I''m guessing it must be a mineral that can only be acquired from the moon." Morgana appeared out of nowhere and interjected.


    "How''s Lynn?" I asked Morgana while taking a glance to Lynn who''s studying in a desk a little far away from here.


    "It took quite a lot of time to teach her the language and pronunciation, but it paid off in the end. She can now pronounce easy words with four syllables and below. Right now, she''s still learning how to combine two words in one magic."


    "It''s only a matter of time."


    "Yes, I believe so..." Morgana then slightly bowed her head. "My lord, can I ask an impudent question?"


    "Raise your head. What is it?"


    Morgana hesistated a little, before finally asking the question.


    "Why are you... focusing so much on that human? She''s just an ordinary girl. I believe she''s..."


    I stopped Morgana from speaking further by raising my hand.


    "She''s got a special background, so from now on; I''d like you to treat her with a little care. Don''t lump her in with those fleas, got that?"


    "Yes, My lord! Forgive me for questioning you." Morgana bowed and said out loud.


    "It''s okay. As long as you understand." I spoke again after she raised her head. "Back to the Moongem; how are you certain that it is from the moon?"


    "I am fairly sure." She then used illusion magic and projected a blue crystal. "This is a gemstone recorded in the ancient text I once read when I studied in the magical school of this world. The records said that it came from the moon, but the name was not precisely recorded. Thus, at that time, we called it by many names, with the most known one as the Moonstone."


    "I see." I observed the gem for a while before ordering a stop to the steel golems. "Karla, come over here for a bit."


    Karla flew towards us and I let her examine the Moonstone illusion. She confirmed that the gemstone in her dreams and the illusion was a little similar to each other.


    "Alright, after you''re done with the golems, we''ll go to the moon to check it out. I really wanted to know if it will really power you up."


    "Thank you, Mister Death!" Karla cheered and hugged me. I gently patted her back in response and told her to rest for a while before battling the steel golems again.


    Don''t get the wrong idea though. I''m not into little girls. It''s just that Karla''s a bit different from others. I''m guessing that it must be a downside of the experiment done to her that she''s become a little... odd.


    So, what''s wrong with her, you ask? Well, her mind is unstable. Very unstable.


    If a kid is left unchecked with a pistol in her hands in the middle of the street, what do you think will happen? Same case, same scenario. This child would be a threat someday. That''s why I chose to put a leash on her while she''s still a kid who can be easily manipulated and be molded into an obedient follower later on.


    I and Morgana watched as Karla fought with the golems once more while she was laughing crazily. She''s like a madman on the loose. I''m sure thousands of people will die if she lost her mind in the middle of New York City. I''ve been trying to fix that part of her so I can use her however I want in the future. She just needs time.


    In the future, I hope to see a Karla without a twisted mind. This is the most important part. I only use complete products, you see. Defective trash is not to my liking.