ACT ONE, CHAPTER TWO


Yeoman Village is the name of the hidden human village situated in the valley of Argland Council State. The village could barely call itself a village due to their very small population. Which is why, in this village, they treat themselves as one big family. They share their bounty, and ease one another's suffering.

A prime example of a community that thrives with socialism.

The reason they're numbered is, humans are rarely found in Argland Council State. In a demi-human kingdom such as Argland Council State, humans are minority. And being labelled as the latter is never a good thing. Being labelled as the minority would almost always lead to unfair treatment.

They could become slave labourers, sexual slaves, or a delicacy.

It is a well-spread information that some demi-humans treat humans some sort of exotic food.

So those who wanted to escape such maltreatment, Yeoman Village was born. All was well and good, until a few years ago.

Most of their working men and women were killed by a passing monster, leaving the village with the young ones and the elderly.

Thankfully, they were able to survive despite experiencing such devastating blow. This however comes with a steep price. They have to work harder than before.

And like everyone from the village, Malyk has a very busy schedule.

He always gets up before everyone does.

Malyk starts his day with some stretching, followed by a light jog, and then sciamachy. Upon finishing his workout, he'll fetch water from the nearby river.

Depending on how much water was spent, fetching water could either take a handful of trips up to dozens. And when finished drawing water, the sun has fully risen. That means he needs to eat before he'll head out.

Thankfully, he didn't need to cook. Because for some reason, he could never cook anything more complicated than grilling or boiling. Usually the result of those two are almost always overcooked.

Once he finish pouring the last bucket of water, he saw in his peripheral vision an elderly couple approaching him.

The elderly couple seemed to be carrying food. The old man held a bowl of soup, while the old woman carried a piece of hard bread.

Seeing the elderly couple, warmth bloomed in his chest.

When his parents had died, this elderly couple raised him. They taught him all he knew. It filled him with joy that they would go such length even their old body is already old and aching. Rather than waiting for the couple to reach him, he chose to close the distance to take the load from their hands.

"Seriously Gramps, I can get my own food. There is no need for you get it for me. You and Grammy shouldn't be—"

"Hey! I'm old not disabled! That doesn't mean I can't do anything around here." His grandpa cuts him off mid-speech. He then carefully thrust the bowl of soup to Malyk.

"His right deary. We can still help." Says his grandma, passing the hard bread she holds.

Malyk smiled bitterly in defeat. One thing he knew about his gramps and grammy is they're stubborn as a mule.

In fact, they always have the same dialog every morning. Almost like a part of their daily routine.

"Still—"

"No." His gramps cut him off once more, before leaving him in a huff.

"Are you going to hunt today, dear?"

"Yes, grammy."

"Do be careful on your hunt." His grammy reminded him while patting his cheek.

Her grammy was never good at hiding her thoughts. He could see through her eyes how worried she is for him. Even though he always return alive and well, her fear that he might never come back is always there.

"Always." Malyk answers as he gently squeezes his grammy's hand. Reassuring her that he will come back home safely.

Seeing his determined look, his grammy lets go and leave him to eat in peace. After thanking the elderly couple and watching them leave, he went inside his house to eat.

Like most times, today's breakfast is a hard bread and soup. It's not that he is ungrateful but:

"I just wish I could give them more." Malyk laments that he couldn't give a better life for his gramps and grammy.

He dreamt of becoming an adventurer so he could rake money by the dozens. Unfortunately for him, becoming an adventure also require a lot of money. With no money begin with nor have anyone to train him, becoming an adventure is close to none.

Banishing that distracting thought, he quickly ate his meal and prepare for his solo hunt.

Although everyone in the village has a task to do, the number of young men versus the number of young women is low. Which is why he has to hunt alone.

Sometimes, he brings along two children with him. He does this to teach and give them lessons on foraging. He drilled into them which plants can be eaten, which are poisonous, which could be used as medicine? He, basically teaches them everything he could possibly teach about foraging and hunting.

He does this to ensure that they have the skill necessary to survive. At such a young age, Malyk has come to understand his own mortality. He isn't afraid to die. He's more afraid that his people will die from hunger and suffering. A fate that he's trying to stave off.

Upon finishing the mean, he began gearing up. And as he does, thought about hunting ground location.

Malyk has always been a smart and observant person.

When he was a child, he mastered their alphabet in one sitting. And from the moment he became a hunter, his intellect and observation skills had greatly improved the quality of to the village.

Like for instance, he doesn't hunt on the same hunting ground every time. He deduced that overhunting in the same area, depletes food source. And in the nearby future, there won't catching in that place.

{I should visit the Mushroom Forest. Those mushrooms should have grown back by now.}

Cooking and eating mushrooms is a prime example of innovation introduced by Malyk into the village. He learned about this he saw a wild boar eating mushrooms. From then on, he experimented on feeding different kinds of mushrooms onto boars.

From there, he began drawing information on how to identify when a mushroom is edible or not. Inedible mushrooms or poisonous mushrooms that were snubbed by the boars while edible ones were eaten.

Like Malyk had said before, the forest that he'll be hunting on is particularly good at producing mushrooms. Which is why he named it Mushroom Forest in the first place.

From his observation, it takes a five to seven days before that forest will be crawling with mushrooms.

Once he's all set. He bid goodbye to his gramps and grammy before starting his journey towards Mushroom Forest.

[x]

Malyk's hike to the Mushroom Forest was peaceful. This was because the trail he always used was obscured. Although this route was more time consuming, it still better than being at risk of facing roaming monster or worse, monsters.

Following his usual path into the forest, Malyk was greeted by mushrooms scattered everywhere.

Like how he had anticipated, the forest had regrown its mushroom stock. Seeing the abundant amount of mushrooms scattered all around the forest brought a smile in his face.

Well, who wouldn't be? He just found them a lot of food?

Recalling how delicious was the dried mushroom soup his grammy cooks made him gulp in anticipation. He'll be able to have some again.

Extremely motivated, he quickly approached the nearest mushroom bunch. And with the help of his trusty knife, he begins the harvest. Once he collected most of the mushroom, he stops and move on to the next.

Malyk knew that most plants requires seed to grow. By applying the same concept to the mushroom, he leaves some behind so they could replenish themselves.

Besides, if there are no mushroom left, how is his grammy supposed to cook her delicious dried mushroom soup?

This went for a while. Approaching a mushroom bunch, harvesting, leaving some behind, moving on to the next one. Rinse and repeat.

It wasn't until someone who loudly cough that caught his attention.

"Ahem! Kamusta ka! Paumanhin kung ikaw ay nagulat. Okay ka lang ba? (Excuse me? Hello there! I'm very sorry if I startled. Are you okay?)"

Malyk was very shocked to see someone suddenly appearing out of nowhere. What's more, the man looks like he is the embodiment of the sky. The man's bright hair looks like the sun, eyes like the clear blue sky, and skin white as the clouds.

What's more is, the man radiates an aura of holiness. It feels like… like—

{I'm at the presence of a divine being.}

"Okay, ka lang ba? Kailangan mo ba ng tulong? Muli, humihingi ako ng kapatawaran para sa aking nagawa. (Are you okay? Do you need some assistance? I'm really sorry if I have startled you.)"

It finally registered to Malyk that the man was speaking in some strange language. What's weird about it is, Malyk could actually understand him.

Finding his voice, Malyk croaks:

"I'm alright. I'm just surprised to see someone in this forest." Malyk gaze moved to the man's clothing. "I'm guessing you are not from around here are you?"

Seeing at the man's unique style of clothing, Malyk could tell that he isn't from here. He could only assume that the man could either be a traveller or an adventurer. But he doubts if an adventurer would such clothing fighting monsters, so his money is on the first one.

An angelic smile bloomed in the man's face.

"Tama ka! Dumating kami dito kanikanila lang. Pano mo nga pala nalaman? (That's right! We just arrived. How did you know?)"

The man's answer confused him.

{Did he say we? So, there are more of him in the forest?}

"Your clothing is a dead giveaway that you are not from him. I have not seem anyone wearing such style of clothing ever in this region."

"Ah! Ganun ba? (Ah! Is that so?)"

"Sorry if I didn't catch your name? I'm Malyk by the way."

"Ay na saan ang aking manners! Di ko papala pinapakilala ang sarili ko. Paumanhin. Ang ngalan ko ay Hiron A. Bask, maari mo akong tawaging Hiron. Ikinagagalak kitang makilala Malyk! (Oh, where's my manners! I haven't introduced myself. I'm sorry about that. My name is Hiron A. Bask. But please call me Hiron. It's very nice to meet you Malyk!)"

The man, Hiron, offered his hand for a handshake.

Malyk was hesitant to accept Hiron's hand. Knowing that his hands are very dirty from harvesting mushrooms, he didn't want to smear dirt and grime into Hiron's hand. But seeing how eager the man is, he gave up and shakes the man's hand.

Hiron's gaze lands on his bag then back to him.

"Marami ka pa bang gagawin Malyk? Maari ka ba naming inbitahan sa aming kampo? (Are you busy Malyk? Can we invite you back to our camp?)"

Hiron's question left stunned him for a momentarily. When he regained composure, he tried to process why would Hiron invite back to their base.

{Hiron mentioned that they are not from here. He also said that they just arrived. I got it! Information! Hiron wants information from me!}

"Can I ask what do you need me to do?"

Hiron's smile deepened.

"Sa tingin ko, alam mo na kung anong kailangan ko sa iyo. (I think, you already know what we need from you. Don't you Malyk?)"

Malyk flinched before letting out an awkward chuckle.

"If you don't mind, I would still like to hear it directly from you."

"Nangangailangan kami ng inpormasiyon. Mas maraming inpormasiyon kang maibabahagi mas makakabuti sa amin. Syempre, ang iyong serbisyo ay bibigyan ng sapat na katumbas. (We are need of information. The more information that you could give us, the better. Of course, our Master will reward you for your cooperation.)"

"Your Master?"

Maniac energy replaced the man's holy demure.

"Oo, tama ka. Ang aming Panginoon na si Tyrean-sama ay binigyan kami ng miss—. (Yes, our Master, Tyrean-sama. He has gave us this mission. Our Mas—)"

Hiron suddenly stopped his mad raving.

TING!

Malyk heard a sound that reminds him of a small object hitting metal.

When he was about to look where the sound came from, Hiron cough, gaining his attention.

"Ah! Pagpasyensiyahan mo ako sa aking pag-uugali, sapagkat ako ang pinaka-relihiyosong mananampalataya ng aming Panginoon. (Ah! I'm very sorry that you saw that. I, being the most devout servant of Tyrean-sama, get very enthusiastic when I talk about Him and his glorious self.)"

Hiron's features reverted back to his holy demure.

"It's fine… I think."

"Muli nagpapasalamat ako sa iyong pag unawa. (Again, thank you for your understanding.)"

Malyk then addressed the elephant in the room.

"D, do, do I have a choice?"

Hiron gentle smile deepened.

"Paumahin, pero wala kang pagpipilian kundi sumama sa amin. (I am very sorry, but we insist that you must come with us.)"

There was an underlying threat to Hiron's tone.

If he doesn't comply, he'll be taken by force.

Malyk pales when he understand what Hiron's hinting him. Although he already that this is a possibility, it still doesn't reduce the dread he's feeling. He knew running won't do him good either. He can't outrun Hiron, who can suddenly appear out of nowhere.

{Besides he said that he has company. Even if by some miracle I managed to outsmart Hiron, his companions will definitely catch me, leaving him with no choice.}

Seeing how quickly Malyk paled, Hiron reassures him.

"Wag kang dapat ipagkabahala. Kundi dapat kang matuwa sa pagkakaroon ng chansang magserbisyo para sa kanyang ngalan. Sapagkat siya ang pinakamabuti at pinaka-mapagbigay na panginoon. Nabanggit ko naman ang aming Panginoon ay bibiyayaan ka niya ng maigi kung mag seserbisyo ka ng maigi. (There is no need for you to be worried. Rather, take this as an opportunity to devote yourself to Tyrean-sama. For he, is the kindest and most generous Master. Have I mentioned that he'll would pay your service handsomely? Because he will.)"

Hearing Hiron's sales pitch, Malyk somehow felt a little better. And based from what he heard, it might the only chance he'll get to help his village situation.

"Okay. I'll go and meet your master."

Hiron smile brightens even further, if that was even possible. The man was physically beaming with holy light.

Hiron then gestures Malyk to follow him.

"Halina at magmadali. Ang aming Panginoon ay naghihintay. Bilang pinaka-relihiyosong mananampalataya niya, isang napakalaking kasalanan kung paghihintayin natin siya ng matagal. (Let us hurry, then. Tyrean-sama is waiting. As his most devout believer of his, letting him wait longer than necessary is a grave sin.)"

Malyk took multiple deep breathes to steel his nerves before following along. As he trailed behind Hiron, Malyk arranged all his thoughts as much as he could. He wanted to show Hiron's master his worth.

[x]

Cutting off the communication between him and Hiron, Tyrean turns his attention to his Guardians.

"Altos, Hiron and Mikolaj are coming back with a guest. I need you to send four of your clones to escort them back here. Tasha, you are to greet our guest and guide him to the waiting room. I'll have Altos call you in when I'm ready. Your secondary task is to subdue our guest the moment I give you my signal. Altos assist him if our guest was able to resist Tasha's ability. Are we clear?"

"UNDERSTOOD... TYREAN… SAMA."

"We underssstand, Tyrean-sssama. Pleassse excussse me."

Doing what they were commanded to do, Altos mentally rely his Master's command to four of his clones. Tasha on the other hand, immediately leaves the room and heads out to the cavern's entrance.

Upon exiting the room, Tasha straightens his suit, he didn't want to less than immaculate. After all, he is an extension of his master. He must look the part.

After barking his, Tyrean quickly opened a portal to his inventory. Once the portal opened, gold came pouring out.

When there is enough gold to summon a single mercenary, he immediately picks up a [Mercenary Contract] and summons it.

Then another.

And another.

He does this until all the summoning scrolls had been used.

Once all the mercenary are up and gouging. He barks his orders.

"Listen up. You are to form groups. Each group must only have one monster specie and join Altos' clones patrolling outside. One of the Eight Edge Assassins join them as well. The other, will stay inside the cavern. When Mikolaj returns, one group will work under him. The remaining Hanzos will stay with me and hide in my shadow until further notice. Go."

The mercenaries' choruses yes before disappearing quickly as possible.

{I should probably set up some refreshments and something to nibble on.}

Tyrean pulls out [Pitcher of Endless Water], crystal-cut glasses, a bunch of [Divine-Tier Recovery Biscuit], and a [Pitcher of Heavenly Fruit Juice].

He was about get up and arrange the bounty, but was stopped by one of the Hanzos.

"Tyrean-sama, please pardon your servant's transgression for interrupting you."

"Hm!? It's fine. Tell me, what is it?"

"Thank you for your kindness, Tyrean-sama. If you would allow it, let us be the ones' to set up this feast."

Knowing that they would keep on pestering him until he relents, he gave up and let them do as they wish.

"I'll allow it, go ahead."

The Hanzos quickly left his shadow and went to work. Tyrean simply watched them arrange the food and drinks into a very presentable manner.

Inspecting their finished work, Tyrean nodded in approval before dismissing them with a flick of his hand. The Hanzos bowed once more before slithering back into his shadow.

Seeing everything in ready and in place, he waits for their guess to arrive.

[x]

Somewhere in the Mushroom Forest.

They have been walking for quite a while now. Malyk has never been in this part of the forest. Although the forest has no inhabitants, it is said to believe that something of great power sleeps within the cavern.

Based from elders, the monster that massacred most of their family, had once lived in this place. They believe that it was driven off by a much stronger creature. So powerful that it had driven off all living creature in the forest. From then on, no creature dared to enter the forest.

Although Malyk has his doubts about the story, it does explain the reason the forest is empty of animals and monster alike. Nevertheless, he took it as a precaution and never dare venture deep into the forest.

"Pant… pant… pant…" Malyk was trying his best to stifle his ragged breathing but failed miserably.

{How long have we been walking?}

His body was already protesting. It was begging him to stop and take a break. He could feel his muscles aching, limbs shaking, and lungs burning. He knew that his body is at its final stretch. He didn't stop though. Instead, he pushed through.

His unsteady gaze lands onto Hiron.

{What? He hasn't even broken a sweat!}

Malyk remembered that the man could suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The man is so much stronger than he looks. And even with such power, the man chose to peacefully approach than brute force his way.

{Somehow that even made it worse.}

"Hm? What is this feeling?"

It's only then Malyk finally noticed that he was no longer out of breathe nor feeling the strained. It felt like he suddenly recovered from fatigue.

"Ah, sa wakas at napansin mo rin! Pagpasensyahan mo ako pero mukha kasing pagod na pagod ka kaya gumamit ako ng mahika pa mapagihawa ka. Hindi ko naman pwedeng hayaan yon. Lalong lalo na, ikaw ay aming importanteng bisita. (Ah! You finally noticed it! I'm sorry if used a spell on you without your permission. But you look like your about to drop, so I used a little magic to help you out. After all, you're our Master's very important guest. We can't have that, can we?)"

"Did you just say magic?! And on top of that you can use magic!"

Upon hearing the word 'magic' come out of Hiron's mouth, Malyk had forgotten everything else.

"Oo naman, kaya kong gumamit ng mahika. Bakit? Hindi ba pamilyar sa konsepto ng mahika? (Yes, I did say magic. And, yes I'm able to! Why? Are you not familiar to the concept of magic?)"

Malyk excitement was quite understandable.

According to the elders, the village was blessed that it had produced its every own magic caster. Sadly, she died protecting Malyk and other children. The elders did say that she learned how to wield magic all by herself, and that she even made her own spells.

Ever since he heard her story, he became curios about magic. He wanted to know everything about it. An ability to make the impossible possible is a very amazing feat. It was too bad that there is no one in the village that could satisfy his curiosity. This led him to believe that magic is just something the elders made to entertain children.

But now, Hiron prove him wrong.

Magic isn't made-up. It does exist.

Hiron could and had use magic. Although Malyk was sad he didn't see it, he was a recipient of its effect though.

Malyk shook his head.

"I am aware of magic. It's just that I haven't see anyone using it. I thought it was some make believed thing to make children listen."

Hiron chuckled.

"Ah?! Ganun ba? Nauunawaan ko. Syempre naman, meroon mahika. (Ah?! Is that so? That's quite understandable, magic very much exist.)"

Malyk's mind races as formulating countless questions he wished to ask. He shyly asked Hiron:

"Can you answer my questions about magic?"

"Paumanhin, kahit gusto ko mang aliwin ang iyong katanungan, nandirito na tayo. (I apologize, as much as I want to answer your questions, I can't. We have arrived.)" Says Hiron as he gestures something ahead of them.

And when Malyk says 'something', he meant he doesn't know what he's supposed to be seeing.

Malyk was having a hard time observing the direction Hiron's pointing to. No, he could not even look at that direction.

Everytime he tried looking at that direction, his body forces him to look away. It felt like his mind doesn't want to comprehend what's infront of him, all the while forcing him to look away.

So, he gave up trying to observe it directly. He simply chose to focus onto Hiron's outstretch hand.

Malyk could only assume that magic has something to do with it.

"Wala kang dapat ipag-alala. Pakiusap, maghintay ka lang saglit. (There is no need for you to be worried. Please, wait for a moment.)"

Once Hiron gained Malyk's permission, he put both his middle and pointing finger into his temple, all the while looking at the direction he had pointed at him.

Seeing that Hiron is busy with something, Malyk decided not to interrupt him and wait patiently. After all, he's about to find out what's hidden from plain sight by what he assumed to be a very powerful magic.

Not a moment later, the view ahead suddenly rippled, then it wobbled, then it distorted heavily. The distortion went on for a moment, before it shattered. The said transition happened in mere second.

So when Malyk blinked his eyes, he can now see what he was supposed to see. He greedily scanned the area and found that…

It was…

Disappointingly normal.

What was hidden behind the magic was a glade. At its center, is crystal clear lake, which is probably a result of not being tainted by any creature, and directly infront of it, is a cave's entrance.

From his perspective, it looks like a monster's gaping maw waiting to swallow anything it comes across at.

Malyk jolted when he recalls the elder's explanation of the sudden appearance of such a powerful monster.

{Could that monster have once lived here? Does this mean, Hiron's master is the one who chased it out? Does this mean that he is resp—}

Malyk immediately put a stop on his rising temper as well that train of thought. He would not let his emotion run wild nor let it lead him to wrong assumptions. His gramps drilled it into his skull that becoming too emotional would always certainly get him killed. He certainly didn't want to get killed by whoever Hiron's master is.

{That incident happened years ago and Hiron did mention that they just arrived. So there could be no way that they were responsible for it. Or could they?}

Both of those thoughts have their own merit. The former was more believable because it has a supporting information. The said information however, came from an unknown source. Hence, makes it slightly shady.

Also, it may be a ploy to make him and villagers' lower their guard against them, leading to them becoming more susceptible to suggestions and manipulations.

The latter is less believable. Because other than lowering the village manpower to weaken it for easier to conquering, nothing else could be gain.

This led Malyk into a conundrum. Now, he doesn't which should he believe.

Usually his smarts could help him think of a way to solve problems. Sometimes however, his smarts couldn't help to look at the multiple facets of the situation, leading him all confused and undecided for a long period of time. Frustrating the hell out of him.

This time however, he quickly came to a decision.

{No. They those assumptions are useless. Especially, when you are against someone like Hiron enters the situation.}

Like how Hiron suddenly appearing out of nowhere, four tall, muscular, identical-looking men suddenly appeared. They wore similar clothing as Hiron but with few different things.

"Wag kang ipag-alala, Malyk. Sila ay pinadala ng aming panginoon para mas-masigurado ang iyong kaligtasan. (You do not have anything to worry about Malyk. They are here to ensure your safety, under the command of our master.)"

Malyk could only nod at Hiron. After all, what else can he say?

Hiron smiles at him and beckons.

"Halika na Malyk at pumasok na tayo sa kweba. Ang aming panginoon ay naghihintay saiyo sa loob. (Come Malyk. Let us head in. Master is also inside, waiting for us.)"

Steeling himself, Malyk nods and push through.

[x]

Upon entering the cavern, Malyk was greeted by another companion of Hiron.

"Greetingsss and welcome Malyk-sssan. My name is Anan Tasssha A. Ssshesssha, you may call Tasssha for short. I am tasked with welcoming and receiving you. Though our time together may be short, I hope we will get along Malyk-sssan." The man named Tasha spoke, no, hissed.

Malyk's attention however is captivated by those slightly hidden piercing green eyes. It made him compare Tasha to a snake hiding in a bush, waiting and bidding his time to strike for the kill.

He physically tore himself off from the man's piercing green eyes.

Not trusting his voice to crack, Malyk only nodded in confirmation.

Tasha's smile widens. To Malyk, it became more predatory.

"Pleassse, follow me. I'll lead you to our current sssite."

Tasha led him deeper into the cave. And after walking for a few minutes, Malyk saw a very small house.

As Tasha approaches the small house, its door enlarge themselves enough for them to pass. Tasha, then opens it, before respectfully gesturing Malyk to enter.

"Pleassse, walk thisss way."

[x]

Upon passing through a thin, multicoloured film, Malyk froze in place at the sight that greeted him.

Looking around he seemed to have arrived in what seems to be luxurious hallway. The chandeliers on the ceiling sparkled, white marble floor was spotless. The wall was adorn with beautiful pieces of artistic work.

Even with his crude sense of art, he can tell that those were works done a master of the craft.

Lost in this ephemeral, dream-like world, Malyk jaw unhinged itself wide open. The part of his mind that was not completely overwhelmed by her surrounding by this, came back to reality when he heard Tasha speaking from behind.

"Pleassse allow me to lead you to the resssceiving area."

"Thank you. And, I'm sorry for the trouble."

"There'sss no need for that Malyk-sssan. You are our Master'sss very important guessst, after all."

"Just, just call me Malyk. Malyk-san is a little too much for me."

"Understood, Malyk."

As his eyes wandered around, it made Malyk wryly smile.

{Its dreary and grim exterior didn't do justice to its beauty hidden underneath.}

[x]

Malyk settled down onto a recliner with a sigh. Here he is asked to wait in this room for a while as their master is currently in-dispose. His gaze then lands onto his clean clothing, he once again, marvelled at the wide application of magic.

When he felt extremely apprehensive to take a seat in such luxurious chair, Tasha eased his worry by saying that he shouldn't be bothered with such. Tasha even assured him that even if he broke something here, magic could easily repair it.

Sadly, informing that the whole place is filled with magical items made him feel worse than before.

From what he learned from the elders, magical items are very expensive. And in some level, magical items could be considered valuable treasures.

So to ease him, Tasha invited Hiron and have him cast a cleaning spell at him.

His gaze then once again wondered around the room.

{It really feels like I'm out of place.}

It felt like he had accidentally stepped into a shining dreamscape, a divine realm that houses a god than anything else.

The fireplace was decorated with intertwining vines that blooms multi-coloured flowers. And each flower has a glass fairies hovering at it or close by. They look like they have been carved to life-like perfection or were frozen in time mid-action.

The furniture was both tasteful and luxurious. Of particular interest was the weightiness of the ebony before her. Even though, he has no idea how valuable these kinds of things were, he was still able to tell that this was a very valuable piece.

His gaze then lands on the painting hung above the fireplace.

As soon as his attention focused on the painting, it became alive.

Although it tells a story without a sound, he can still understand it. Captivated, he continued to watch it until end.

The story was about a man of is in his last straw. When all hopes were lost, he is then approached by a monster from the river. It then gave him a chance to start anew. But its service is not free. The river monster said that one day it would come back and collect its payment.

Without hesitation the man accepted the river monster's condition.

And so, the river monster whisked him away and brought somewhere else. There, he got a nice paying job and met a woman of his dreams.

The day he and woman was about be married, the river monster suddenly appeared. It devoured the gifts, the people, their house and everything else.

The man's wife-to-be courageously came forward and pleaded the monster to stop. The river monster coo at the woman and politely complied. But the moment she turn her back, the river monster opened its large jaw and devoured her whole.

The man could only in horror as the monster ate his wife-to-be.

When all is said and done, the river monster approached the man said that his debt is now paid, before leaving the catatonic man alone.

(A/N: The story is told by Tahm Kench—a playable character in the League of Legends, in his debut five years ago.)

When it came to finish, Malyk greatly paled.

Malyk didn't time to dissect what he had seen because he was jolted by someone knocking.

"Aiiiee!"

The knocking came again. Malyk frantically thought what the knocking meant. Unfortunately, he think properly. He has yet to shake off the story's effect.

"Thisss isss Tasssha. May I come in, Malyk?"

"Ah! Er, please come in."

"My apologies."

Tasha came in, pushing a silver serving cart. Setting the cart aside, Tasha gave him his most gentle and warm smile before saying:

"We would be a very poor hossst if we don't ssserve our guest with sssome refressshment and sssnacksss."

"N-no thanks!"

Tasha displayed stunned confusion for a moment, trying to comprehend Malyk's lightning-fast answer.

"…Ah, is that so?"

"Erm… yes."

Seeing how tense Malyk is, Tasha reassures him. It is after all his responsibility to entertain his guest until their master calls him.

"Malyk-sssan, please do not be so tenssse. You are a guessst here, so all you need to do is [be at eassse, relax, and enjoy the reception, okay?]Can you do that for me?" Tasha purred.

As Malyk hears Tasha's suggestion, all his fears suddenly melt away. Tasha's made him feel calm and comfortable.

Malyk nodded at Tasha.

"Yes, I can do that."

Tasha chuckled.

"Good. Now then, would you like some refressshment and sssnacksss?"

"Yes, I would love some. Thank you and please call me Malyk."

"Underssstood, Malyk."

The smiling Tasha immediate set out and served some Malyk's refreshments and cookies.

"Today's refreshment is [Pitcher of Heavenly Fruit Juice]. The juice is extracted from a dozen Golden Apples mixed with milk from Tanngrisnir and the sweetest sap of the World Tree. It is then served with ice cubes that came from the deepest depths of Jotulheim, a small slice of a golden apple, and a single enlightened mint from the immortal sage's garden. The [Divine Tier Recovery Biscuit]s are made from the highest class of golden wheat personally grown by Shen Nong, the milk used is taken from Tanngrisnir, the butter made from the Tanngnjostr's milk, salt from solid tears of the Goddess Euphosyne, and royal honey collected from Zerg Queen. Please enjoy."

{What the hell was those?}

Even with all his smarts, he his mind could not comprehend even a quarter of what Tasha said. Malyk dumbly nodded his head at Tasha and began to partake.

Malyk took a sip of the drink and before he knew it he was shouting his praises to the drink.

"Delicious! It's so delicious! What kind of drink is this? It's sweet and fruity. It glides down your throat and has no cloying aftertaste! Amazing! This is so amazing!"

And then silence descends into the room.

Malyk sheepishly turned to Tasha. He saw Tasha kindly smiling back. Reading the atmosphere of the room correctly, Tasha excused himself out of the room.

Once alone, Malyk took another sip. As the liquid flowed into his gut, he could feel his body being filled with power.

His gaze then lands on the biscuits, excited, he immediately grabbed one and take a huge bite.

The biscuit has a hard and crunchy exterior, but has soft and fluffy interior. As or its taste, Malyk deemed it extremely delicious. Unhinged, he devoured the biscuit within two more bites.

And just like the drink, eating the biscuit made him feel powerful.

{How I wish I can bring some of these back to the village and share them with everyone.} He thought as he gorge himself with the treats presented to him.

When he felt full, he just laid there.

The combination of heat coming from the fireplace, the woody smoke scent, and crackling sound lulled him to fully relax. He doesn't know how long since he stayed in room. He didn't care. He simply lay there and enjoyed the moment.

His peaceful moment was then interrupted when he hears someone knocking at the door.

"I apologize of the delay. Tyrean-sssama isss ready to sssee you now, so pleassse follow me."

[x]

"The lounge liesss beyond. Tyrean-sssama waitsss for you within."

Tasha then opened the double door, before bowing deeply to Malyk.

The lounge as Tasha calls it, is as beautiful, no, it is even more beautiful than the room he had stayed in.

In the room there wass only two people. One is the giant man with identical copies and the other one was sitting free and unfettered.

Malyk could only gasp at what he saw.

Hiron and his companions were handsome, this man however is at a whole new level.

The man rugged and sharp features made him look like he is a living embodiment of war, chaos, and destruction. Normally, this should could and should scare anyone from looking at the man's direction. This however is offset by the man's brilliant golden eyes, his oozing charisma, and his disarming all the while friendly smile.

Seeing the complete profile of the man was enough for Malyk's instinct to go haywire.

Despite, not knowing who the man is. He feels comfortable with the man's presences. The same feeling he gets when he is around his gramps and grammy. And even though his instincts was screaming at him that in front of him is the most terrifying apex predator he had ever met, he brushed it off. He is too far gone to listen to his instinct at this point.

"Hello there Malyk. Come in, come in I won't bite." The man purred.

Malyk doesn't know why but he obeyed without offering any form of resistance.

As soon as he entered the room, Tasha followed suit. He then walked into the corner of room and stood silently, observing Malyk as per his master's commanded him to.

"Have a seat."

Once, again Malyk obeyed.

The man looked upset for a moment. It didn't last long though. His disarming and friendly attitude was back. Malyk wasn't sure if he imagined it or not. He didn't get a chance to think about it further, due to the man addressing him once more.

"Sorry about that. I was too enthusiastic meeting new people. Names Tyrean T. Photel, Ty for short. What's yours?" He says as he offers his hand for a handshake.

Like reflex, Malyk answered quickly: "I'm Malyk. Nice to meet you Ty." All the while, he was reaching for Ty's hand.

"Nice to meet you too. Malyk."

After a few handshakes, Ty disengages.

"If you don't mind me asking, may I ask a question?"

"Hm?! Sure, why not! Questions won't harm anybody." Ty smiles wider. "Better yet, let's make it a game! What about it? Want to play?"

"A game? What kind of game is it?" Malyk confusedly answer. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that asking and answering questions could be a fun game.

"It's called Twenty Questions. Each of us gets to ten question ask one another, hence twenty questions. We take turns to asking question, until we used up all our question."

Under Ty's influence, Malyk no longer mind the game's mechanics. He simply nodded to Ty's suggestion.

"That's not good enough, Malyk. Use your words. Say it." Ty tutted him.

"Ok. Let's play."

Ty smile widens even more. "Let's begin." He says before snapping his fingers.

[x]

In an instant, Tasha was behind Malyk. Once both his hands was at Malyk's head, he used his ability on Malyk.

"[Download]."

[x]

Seeing Tasha was doing his own thing. Tyrean released his influence over Malyk.

The moment he has clear sight at Malyk, Tyrean silently cast [Charm Specie] to make him more pliable.

In this base form, he his limited arsenal of spells. However his [Charm Specie] is almost as strong as a normal [Dominate] spell.

This was because of his charisma modifier.

Similar to Karma Modifier boosting player's attack or defence based from Karma value, mercantile class uses Charisma (CHA) stat as a modifier to increase the effectiveness of some its spells and skills. And because most stats he gained from levelling are dumped into it, some of his spells and skills received dramatic leap in strength and effectiveness. Thus making a fourth tier spell strong as a seventh tier.

He continued to sit there and watch Tasha does his thing. He kind of feel sorry for lying to Malyk's face.

He shook his head and comforts himself by saying:

{This is for the greater good.}

Although Tyrean believed that Malyk wouldn't lie to him, there is still a great chance that he might miss out important details. So, why not go straight to the source? He even has the means to access the source. So, he chose to do it.

{Besides its no like I won't give him some compensation.} Tyrean says to himself trying to ease the guilt of choosing such method.

Thinking that Tasha might take a while, he opened a channel between him and Hiron.

"Hiron."

"Panginoon, eto po ang pinaka-debotong tagapaglingkod ninyong na si Hiron. Ano po ang maipaglilikod ko? (Yes, Tyrean-sama, this is your most devout servant, Hiron. What can this devout servant can do for you?)"

"Be at ease, Hiron. I am just checking at you. How is everything out there?"

"Ako po ay punong puno ng kaligayahan na malaman na ang aming ay nag-alala para sa kanyang mga tagapaglingkod. Wala po kayong dapat ipag-alala panginoon. Lahat ay nasasa tamang ayon. (It feels me with such great joy that our beloved master cares for us deeply. Rest assure, Tyrean-sama everything is in order.)"

"Good to hear. Keep up the good work, Hiron."

"Opo, panginoon! Gagawin naming ang lahat upang maisakatuparan ang lahat iyong utos. (Yes, Tyrean-sama! We will do our best to make sure all your command be realized!)"

Tyrean then cuts his connect with Hiron.

When he turns his attention back to Malyk and Tasha, he saw Tasha has just removed his influence from Malyk.

Upon doing so, Malyk fell down like a puppet whose string has been cut.

Seeing Malyk collapsed, he asks Tasha:

"Will he be fine?"

"Yesss, Tyrean-sssama. He'll be out for quite a while. Do wisssh for me to awaken him?"

Hearing Tasha's answer made him internally sigh in relief. He couldn't repay him if he died, can he?

"No. At least, not yet. How are things in your side? Did you get it?"

"Yes, Tyrean-sama. Do you wisssh for me to immediately begin the transssfer?"

"Do it."

"If that isss what you wisssh. Then I ssshall you asss you sssay. Pleassse pardon my rudenesss, Tyrean-sssama."

Tasha pointed his finger at his master before casting the spell.

"[Broadcast]!"

[x]

After seeing Malyk's memories, Tyrean already painted a general idea about this world.

First, he exist in a similar New World where Ainz and The Great Tomb of Nazarick will come to. There was an explicit reason why he stated it that say. Also, with the gained information about the date, he's approximately five decades earlier than them.

Now onto the explanation of the confusing second sentence.

If his initial draft was used as a basis in shaping this body, Tyrean wonders if it's the same concept applied throughout this reality.

Because if it did, his initial draft was never complete. Hence, he could never know if Ainz and company will make an appearance or not nor would this reality follow the sequence of event that occurred in the canon.

He cannot confirm the former until it happens. And that won't do. He couldn't just wait and see if they will appear or not. Can he? That would be a complete waste of time.

Knowing that the Great Tomb of Nazarick is a freaking power house. Having them in the equation could result in his demise or the birth creation of glorious alliance between them.

Plus, the idea of having a human-turned-immortal-slash-undead for a friend is not bad. He also knows that Ainz could use a friend or two. Since most of his were currently unavailable. And his Guardians would drive him bonkers, in the long run.

{I mean, Ainz consistently complains how his Guardians' loyalty and expectation is choking the hell out of him. He really needed a break from his all-knowing, all-might ruler of Nazarick and the Sorcerer Kingdom persona. He needed to be with someone to chill out.}

On the other hand, it might not go that way. Knowing Ainz's level of paranoia, he might treat him like a threat to his previous Nazarick and his beloved 'children'.

{Speaking of beloved students, there is Demiurge, who needs no explanation nor justification, and then there's Albedo.}

He shuddered.

Changing one small detail in Albedo's bios made Ainz, the love interest of his very own a Yandere Simulator.

(A/N: Yandere Simulator is a game produced by YandereDev. It plot revolves around the player killing his/her love rivals one by one.)

Also, from the theories he read about the nefarious purpose of Albedo's Squad — which is neutralizing discovered players. The idea of someone out there is hunting him, doesn't sit too well for him. Not to mention that Albedo's sister Rubedo, f**king RUBEDO is a member of that said group.

He is very afraid of the thought of Rubedo is after him.

After all, it has been teased about she's most powerful NPC in Nazarick. She, who could give Touch Me a run for his money, is not someone he has no desire to meet in the battlefield.

Second most important piece of information he gained was, knowing his current location.

This forest dubbed by Malyk as Mushroom Forest. It's located at the Argland Counsil State. From what he could recall, it's supposedly a country that comprises of demi-humans and various races.

Through Malyk's memories, he confirmed the existence of the Eight Greedy Kings, Six Great Gods of Slane Theocracy, similar currency, the existence of magic, the presence of dragons, and adventurers.

He's kind of surprise that for a child born and raise in a hidden village was very much aware of the outside world. Not only that, he found out that Malyk was someone you could label as a genius.

Going deeper through the memories, he saw the problem their village is facing, what caused it and even Malyk's assumption about him. His dreams for his village. His love for his grammy and gramps.

Tyrean then stops going through Malyk's memories.

"Tasha, wake him up."

"Underssstood, Tyrean-sssama."

Tasha then tapped Malyk's forehead to awaken the sleeping human.

As soon as Tasha does so, Malyk's body shook like he was being electrocuted.

"Uwaaa! What the hell!" Malyk yelled as he sat up.

Malyk frantically looked around as if he has forgotten where he is. His confusion didn't last long though, it quickly dissipated, allowing him to recall what had transpired.

Slowly, Malyk faced the innocently smiling Tyrean.

"Hello there, sleep head. I'm glad you're already awake. Want something to drink?"

Malyk opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, before settling to a simple nod.

Tyrean signalled Tasha to pour Malyk a cup of water.

Malyk silently sent his thanks to Tasha. He held the glass of water and stare at it for a while.

"Well? Are you not going to drink it?"

Malyk looks at Tyrean, then at the cup of water.

Malyk downed the glass of water in one go.

Upon finishing a glass of water, Tyrean offered another.

"Would you like another glass?"

"No, thank you."

"Hn, okay. If you say so."

The room descends to silence.

It went on for a quite a while.

It was only broken when Tyrean decided to address the elephant in the room.

"I am not sorry for what I did nor would ask for your forgiveness." He coolly said to Malyk. He looked at the young man wanting to see how would he react. Although, it didn't sound that cruel in his head, it came out that way. Nevertheless, he can no longer take those words back.

Malyk swallow the words he wished to say. So simple settled with a nod and a few words. "I understand."

Malyk knew the world isn't fair. It's a place where might triumphs everything. A place where those with great power can do whatever they wish.

In fact, Malyk is very happy that he wasn't killed when they got what they wanted from him.

"Good. I am glad that you can understand. And as a token of gratitude, I'll present you a chance you that you had been wishing for."

Understanding what Tyrean had said, Malyk froze.

"Could, could you really though?" Malyk looked at him, eyes brimming with childlike wonder.

Tyrean liked it when hew the way Malyk' eyes sparkle. It meant that the small child within him haven't died despite all his hardship he had encountered.

Smiling wider than before:

"Yes, I could. The only question is, what constitute the word strong for you?"

Seeing that Malyk was about to answer, Tyrean stopped him.

"Make no mistake Malyk, I'll only give you one shot."

This prompts Malyk to think about his option thoroughly.

This also gave Tyrean, to think about his current predicament.

Alone, he isn't strong. Although he has his fair share of world class items, it won't do much against someone like Ainz who has an army and a bunch of world class items.

{I know what [Depiction of Mountains and Rivers] can do. I also need to watch out for the Slane Theocracy's [Downfall of Castle and Country], that thing is nasty. On second thought, maybe I should try to add it to my collection.}

He then recalled how Shalltear got handled by the Black Scripture and decided he shouldn't be hasty. Stealing such item should be planned thoroughly and leave no room for error.

His eyes landed on Malyk who was still busy deliberating what he wanted to be.

Tyrean seems to be regretting to give the young man time think his option through.

{Smart people are too much of a pain in the ass.} He thought, all the while repressing the urge to sigh.

He decided to give the kid another minute to finalize his decision.

"Last minute."

This startled Malyk but he quickly regained composure.

When exactly one minute passed, Tyrean addressed Malyk.

"Time is up." He looked at Malyk straight in his eyes. "Tell me, what kind of adventurer would you like to be?"

"I would like to be—"

[x]

Seeing the parchment turning to ash, Tyrean looked at Malyk with glee.

"So how does it feel?"

Malyk could feel forbidden knowledge flowing into his head. Some of them where restricted just like what Tyrean had said before. Nevertheless, the overall experience was magical and unreal.

"It's amazing!"

"Good. Good. Now then, let us proceed shall we."

SNAP!

A scroll suddenly appeared in front of Malyk.

It's a contract.

"Just to make sure you haven't forgotten about our agreement, allow me to repeat it. Our contract states: you are forbidden to share anything that happened today with anyone, either verbally or non-verbally. If a time comes that someone tries to look into this memory, you will forget everything that happened today. In exchange for your silence and information, you shall be given two uncommon job scrolls of your choosing. Failure to uphold your part of the deal would cause the death of all your love ones. Their souls will become mine for all eternity."

Malyk reread the contract. By just holding contract in his hands, drained him of all the joy he felt a while ago.

He for one, could have never guess that a signing single piece of paper could cause the death of all the people he loves. The worse thing about it was, if he failed to uphold his part of the deal, their souls would become the property of Tyrean.

"Do we have a deal?"

"Hu…" Malyk exhaled quietly.

It was a sign of his resolve.

"I do."

Tyrean eyes glowed unnaturally brighter as he hands Malyk a pen.

The moment he holds the pen in his hand, Malyk felt that the pen biting him. He could feel his blood being sucked by the pen. Tyrean had mentioned this before, so he held the pen tighter.

"LZPn YLYy tvtxWGe!" Tyrean's voice became distorted to the point it cannot be understood. Just hearing Tyrean's voice made him feel unclean.

Fortunately for him, Malyk knew what Tyrean wants him to do. He then hastily signed the contract using his own blood.

As soon as he signed the contracted, it burned with an unholy fire.

When the contract was completely burnt, Malyk felt a burning sensation in his chest.

"ArrrggGHHHHH!"

Malyk didn't care if he fell down. The pain was so intense but it felt him screaming for his dear life.

It went on for half a minute before it subsided.

"haaa, haaa, wha, haaa, what, haa, what was that?"

He hurriedly look into his chest to see what was caused him to feel such pain.

Malyk saw a sigil tattooed into his chest. As much as he wanted to make sense of the sigil, it kept on changing.

It looked absolutely chaotic.

He didn't get a chance to continue looking at it for it dissipated, leaving an unmarred skin.

"That is my mark. My symbol. A reminder of what you had agreed on. Never forget it."

"I won't. I will never forget what happened today."

"Good. I'll send you back somewhere safe. Do not resist my spell. [Greater Teleportation]."

When Malyk was no longer in the room, Tyrean sigh heavily.

"Tasha, share all the information we gained to your fellow Guardians. In the meantime, I'll be resting in the master bedroom. If something noteworthy happened make sure to call me. Do you understand?"

" "We hear and obey, Tyrean-sama." "

"Good. Relay those orders to Hiron and Mikolaj. I'll leave you now on your own devices." Says Tyrean before teleporting away.

"Hai!"

[x]

Upon successful teleporting to the master's bedroom, Tyrean immediately went to bedroom.

Seeing his massive bed, Tyrean jumped onto it.

And as expected from it, his body sank ever-so perfectly. It is like those memory foam beds he had seen in televisions.

To shake off all the air of seriousness that lingers around him, he begins rolling around.

He rolled right, and then he rolled left. He did this multiple times until he got bored doing it.

When he finally satisfies his inner child, he laid on his back, facing the canopy of his bed.

"I'm glad that's over!" He sighs in relief.

He then recalls that there is a lot more work to be done. Like, what should be his next step?

{What should I do next?}

Should he go for adventurer route? Not the New World kind of adventurer. The type of adventurer who explores the unknown and see the world with his own eyes, like Indiana Jones.

Imagining that he's going around like the Legendary Adventurer Indiana Jones, made him consider the prospect of becoming a true adventurer.

{Let's put that thought on hold for the moment.}

The academy route.

Whether it's the novel or anime, the New World does not have a formal school. He could only assume that information or knowledge were passed on through the means of apprenticeships. And with the knowledge that he possess, he doubts if there is someone out there who could give him more.

So moving on…

The next route, kingdom building. And from what he can tell, he already has a head start in this route.

{No. Focus. What was the reason you are building your base?} He reminded himself.

With a lightning-fast speed, he responded:

"To prepare for the eventuality that someone powerful and dangerous appears."

That's right.

According to the lore, players from YGGDRASIL does occasionally appear into the New World. If a whole guild like Nazarick can be transported into the New World, and knowing that Nazarick was a ranked 9th guild during its peak, how dangerous would be this world for him if those who are higher ranking guilds appeared and became hostile towards him?

He shuddered.

Power. He needed to become more powerful.

And since his level cannot be increased no matter what, he could only supplement it by having powerful servants by his side and magical items. Especially, World Class Items.

Though, obtaining the latter will always be a second priority for now. Once he had built enough manpower, he'll start the hunt for those items.

{Those World Class Items are scattered in this world. I'll find them and make mine.}

In the novel, Ainz and his forces would definitely be the strongest powerhouse in the New World.

In comparison, he only have four level 100 Guardians and six WCIs, he's certain that he won't win against someone like Ainz, who owns more than six WCIs, and a lot of servants. Not to mention that they have what seemed to be an unconquerable dungeon as a base of operation.

{!}

"THAT'S IT! A BASE!" He yelled as he quickly sat up.

What he needs is a safe and secure place to call it as their base of operation.

"Now the question is, how can I build one? And what kind of base should I be building."

Even his collegiate degree, he has no idea how to build a proper house, let alone design an unconquerable base as his home.

He won't be able to find an architect in the New World to build him that kind of base.

"WELL F**K ME SIDEWAYS!" He yelled before collapsing in his bed.

Just when everything seemed to be falling into place, a ginormous hurdle was hurled into his path.

"If this is f**king fate universe, I'll summon Semiramis. Her freaking flying huge-ass fortress of a noble phantasm would make a very nice base." Tyrean thought about amazing would it be if he has a flying fortress as a base.

It's not stationary and it could fly. What more could he ask for.

{Plus that fortress can even attack.} Tyrean thought as he recalled the time, Semiramis used her fortress to shoot down multiple airplanes.

His mind then stopped thinking, when he recalled a particular World Class Item that he owns.

Recalling its description, a bold idea bloomed in his head.

"Wait, can I?"

Although it may seem stupid to try, but if he does succeed, then he hits a freaking jackpot.

"I need to test this. [Teleport]!"

[x]

Upon arriving at the basement, he didn't waste any time and summon his World Class Item.

A huge portal appeared on the ground, it covered an area of twenty square meter.

What rose from the portal is, a construct that screamed it's made from all forms of riches. It looked like it was made from the seven rarest mineral YGGDRASIL has to offer. It is then decorated colourful data crystals, as well as beautiful and exotic materials. The likes of: rainbow colored feathers, glimmering snake-like scales, prismatic leather, antler, wood, multicoloured pearls, and a lot more. Although the whole thing looks overdone, it did not look tacky, rather, it resembled to a giant treasure box.

This world class item is called [Infinite Source of Fortune and Greed].

(A/N: A name taken from one of the TedEd videos.)

Like all World Class Items, this item breaks the balance of the game by simply supplying its user with any form of wealth. And when it say any form of wealth, it literally can.

It could produce gold, data crystals, item components, a completed item, mercenary contracts, or a mercenary, anything, you name it. This world class item can make it. Well, other than making a World Class Item, but the rest are free for grabs!

This world class item was the reason why his equipment' focused on increasing his defensive capabilities. Upon his death, this World Class Item will break into seven components and would scatter itself all over the nine worlds.

Understanding how precious this item is, it's only right to ensure that he never dies.

When the portal closed, Tyrean immediately connected himself to the World Class Item. When the connection has been established, he commanded it to produce a small bottle of his favourite soda.

A product that isn't present in YGGDRASIL. Tyrean wanted if this construct definition became its literal ability. He wanted to see if it was like Shalltear's [Blood Frenzy].

Not a second after he had inputted his order, the construct began creating the product he had ordered.

{It worked!}

It then continuously emitted a humming sound for five minutes before stopping.

DING!

With a psssssh sound, a small panel then opened, revealing the soda he ordered.

"One of you take it and bring it to me." Tyrean address the Hanzos on his shadow.

A Hanzo quickly took the soda and respectfully presented it to their Master.

Excited, Tyrean snatched it from the Hanzo's hand. He then ripped the cap off and jug the whole soda.

Glug, glug, glug, glug.

Within four gulps, Tyrean drank all of its content.

"Puwaahhh! It's really c**e!" Tyrean exclaimed in happiness.

Like Shalltear's [Blood Frenzy], the construct was literally able to make his favourite soda.

{Wait a minute.} Tyrean thought as he examines the aftertaste of the soda.

Somehow it tasted even better. He wasn't sure if it was an illusion or not. After all, he hasn't drank one for a while. Which is why he's doubting his sense of taste.

It might even be his sense of taste became so enhanced, tricking his mind that it's more delicious than before.

{There's one way to find out.}

To prove whether which is it, he ordered the construct to make him another bottle of the same soda.

When the construct finishes producing another bottle, he sent a Hanzo to pick it up and deliver it to him. This time, instead of drinking it like a parched man, he used the [All Appraisal Magic Item] on the said soda.

The result revealed that…

"So I was right."

It turns out [Infinite Source of Fortune and Greed] did not only just reproduce the item he always drink. It made it using the finest ingredients found in YGGDRASIL. Thus, the soda taste so much better than it's original.

The soda itself could be classified under type two consumables, for the buffs and additional stats it provides.

"Okay then, let's proceed to test two." Tyrean muttered putting the soda into his inventory.

This time he decided the construct to produce a living organism.

He gave his command to the construct and allowed it to start.

As it was starting, Tyrean had a change of heart. So, he stopped the construct.

This time, he made his order as detailed as possible.

{Level 1, gender: male, race: homunculus, job class: homunculus servant, appearance: make him look like the Sword Saint in the manga SSS-class Suicide Hunter, personality: serious, loyal me at fault, clothing…}

When he finally finished listing all the details that he could muster, he allowed the construct to begin its work.

As it begins to hum, Tyrean observed the construct work from within. He wanted to satisfy his curiosity about how it actually works.

Sadly, he only saw what looks like a softly glowing golden egg floating in a void. He can safely assume that egg contains his servant to be.

Every once in a while, he could see multi-coloured dust materializing and goes into the egg. As those dust gets absorb by the egg, it makes the egg glow brighter. He could assume those dust may be the details he wanted to add to his servant.

Caressing the golden egg, he feels excited meeting his new servant. He then thought how much longer will it take until his servant is born?

The construct suddenly released an erratic humming. His connection with the construct allowed him to understand that his order will take thirty minutes.

{Thirty minutes? That's longer than I thought.}

Looking at the golden egg once more, he thought:

{Meh! It's not like I got anything else to do.}

Tyrean then continued watching the construct make his servant.

[x]

Thirty minutes later, his servant came out of the construct.

Like what his Guardians had done, this unnamed servant pledged his undying loyalty to him.

Using the [Identify] spell, Tyrean confirms that the construct really did follow his instructions. As for the details he had missed, the construct filled those holes up.

"Will you be willing to die for me?"

"Yes, my Lord." The servant answered in a lightning-fast pace.

"Prove it." Says Tyrean, withdrawing the lowest level dagger from his inventory. "Kill yourself for me." He then throws the dagger in front of his servant.

The unnamed servant didn't answer. He knew that the answer his Lord is looking for is his action. He hastily took the dagger and without further ado, stabbed himself at his temple.

Tyrean closed his eyes, the moment the dagger was about to puncture his servant's head.

Eyes closed, he asked one of the Hanzos:

"One of you, confirm his death."

Not a second later, Hanzo confirmed that his servant was truly dead.

Tyrean clenches his hand tightly as he could. He comforted his conscience that was necessary. This was all for his safety, for his own survival. He needed to know whether they'll turn against him.

{It, it was… so easy.} Tyrean felt terrified.

He is not terrified of what he had done.

No.

That is not what's eating him is…

It was how easy he accepted it.

Something deep inside him took it as common as breathing. That killing and death is the most common thing.

This made him realize that he's no longer human.

Opening his eyes, Tyrean looks at the corpse apathetically.

"Hanzos. Two of you, bring the corpse to Hiron. Have him burn the corpse into ashes. Can someone fetch me my dagger?"

"Understood." They chorused.

Two of the Hanzos took the corpse away, leaving only a puddle of blood on the floor.

Tyrean flicked his dagger to remove the blood. Seeing the bloody mess, he commanded the [Green Secret House] to clean the basement.

He watch in fascination as the puddle of blood floats into the air congealing into an orb of blood before collapsing onto itself.

"Now that's over, let us proceed to the final test."

Looking at the construct, he though:

{Please let me have this. It would be a great boon if I can get this.}

He took a deep breath and issued a series of command.

Tyrean was very thankful that he gained eidetic memory as one of his mercantile passive. With it, he was able to recall everything written about Semiramis, both from the fate universe and from Wikipedia.

An NPC's bios could greatly affect their behaviour, intelligence, and usefulness. He wanted to add important details that made her a great ruler. A trait that he definitely lacks. He then added, a trait he wanted his Semiramis to have. Like: she will never betray him; and she's loyal to him.

After reviewing his command, he allowed the construct to begin working.

{If this doesn't work, I will be very sad that I wouldn't be able to have a flying fortress as his base.}

Hummmmmmmmm.

The construct came to life as soon as he allowed it begin.

Hearing the construct humming, Tyrean collapsed onto the floor. All the tension he had building suddenly dissipated. It made him look like a puppet whose string has been cut.

"YAHOO! IT'S POSSIBLE!" He yelled on top of his voice.

He was very happy that it went through. This discovery opens up a whole new world of possibilities for him.

If he could use overpowered fictional characters as a template in making his servants, then he'll have an army of overpowered servants at his disposal.

Tyrean smiled at how things were progressing in his side.

From what he can recall, the Great Tomb of Nazarick has 2750 levels of NPCs. Players like Tabula Smaragdina bought additional levels for Nigredo's carrion swarm. So to safely assume, he'll just say Nazarick has three thousand levels.

Lucky for Tyrean, he doesn't have such limitation. His World Class Item bypass this restriction, meaning he could continuously produce numerous servants. And the best of all, the servants he could create were not limited to beings that exist in YGGDRASIL.

"Goodness, World Class Items are really too OP!" He muttered.


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