Central Island (3)

'It starts now.'

A different name for the Central Island that attracted people below with its sweet runes and artifacts.

<Graveyard>

If you disregard the people who went up using the crystals then the survival rate here was 8%.

And this was only when the defense is successful. Since they would all die if they fail.

And this was all because of that damnable Crystal.

'I will take it so nobody uses it, although I was always going to monopolize them.'

If five die in order to attain it and another five go up using it, then 5 more will die from lack of numbers.

Which meant in conclusion, five will live and ten will die.

It was not an object that should be allowed to be set free.

And at the same time it was something he needed to collect.

'I will collect it and exchange it for a suitable artifact.'

V walked forward after looking at the others for a while and everyone's eyes shone at V's back instead of the Demon's.

He had no plans to use justice and judgement of dekrados as he didn't have Hansoo's skill with weapons. He'd exchange for swords and the like , which he could effectively use.

The Clan lords gritted their teeth as they knew they could have no thoughts on the crystal while he was in control. They stared at his back hopefully but cautiously if they attacked and 'missed' he'd kill them.

The mini-crystal was good whether you used it or collected it.

There were quite a few nice items that could be bought with just two or three of them.

<The Flag of Ariknon Hill>

It created an aura around the person holding the flag which increased the speed of regeneration as well strength and stamina by 5%.

In the situation where the artifacts and runes didn't have much difference between people, the artifacts that could be gained from the mini-crystals showed a clear difference from other artifacts.

An object that could create differences between Lords.

And five people per one mini-crystal.

This was a significant number even to a Lord.

If 100 were to be released and the clans were to distribute them, it'll still be twelve per clan.

It meant that during a serious emergency, they could move with enough forces to act as a basis for a new start.

And there were many other uses for it as well.

But some Clan Lords thought as such.

'Damn.. They can't be spread around.'

The people moving with the mini-crystal will be happy.

But then what would happen to the ones below.

And the clans weren't the only ones here, there was no way for them to monopolize them.

They couldn't make every one of their clansmen escape no matter how many they collected.

'In that case… it's better to defend instead.'

The fairy wanted them to suffer but it did not want them to all die.

This was probably set up so they could survive if they tried hard.

They had to decrease the number of people ascending prematurely as much as possible.

They needed to turn them into artifacts as soon as they got hold of them so they could get rid of other thoughts but all this was headed by their local tyrant.

The two types opinion were different but the conclusion was the same.

...

V leaped up with a great broadsword, he'd hunted for set intervals after the second day, in the dungeons. The Clan lords followed his lead but he could care less, they couldn't touch the edge of his clothes at the day's end.

Kuuuaaangg!

The Demon, which had been standing still, made a beastly noise as it intercepted V by swinging its fists.

Keedddddk.

V's greatsword sliced the skin but could not make a deep injury.

And if that wasn't enough, the area that had been injured was healing rapidly.

'As I expected… even when it's a weaker version.'

Demons.

Clansmen of Evil.

Their appearances were similar to humans.

If you discard the fact that they were 4m tall and had horns growing out of them.

But this guy was an entirely different species from humans.

'I can't let down my guard even for a moment in order to kill this guy.'

It was rather ok until now.

He had increased his defense and resistance with Nurmaha's ring and the Rune Eater Snake.

He hadn't fought that much either.

Now there wasn't going to be a situation where he would die accidentally from a skill.

But this still wasn't enough.

'Attack power is lacking.'

Showing off his attack power against humans who had low resistances and who couldn't really take hits well as a race was merely a childish act.

Most Humans here were close to being superhuman but their ability to take hits and their defenses were the same as normal humans

A situation where they would die if they got stabbed in their vital parts.

On the other hand, the things he needed to slice apart in order for him to get to the Demon Lord's Castle were Demons. Even if they were weaker versions.

Defense and Resistances aside, their ability to take hits were on a different dimension because they're from a different race.

These guys even had two hearts so they would continue to fight even if you stabbed one of the hearts.

'I need to fight it for around half a day just like the Carnivorous beast.'

In order to beat it using the decent weapon he was holding that could be picked up in the dungeon, he was holding, he basically needed to wrestle it.

That was why he needed to raise his attack power.

Using the crystals he would get from killing the thing in front of his eyes.

Runes will increase steadily as he hunts but the thing that dictated the attack power were artifacts.

'Haoh'

V ruthlessly charged at the Demon while swinging the great size greatsword in this hands.

'Damn demon eat my bladeeeee!!!!'

He vented inwardly to keep up his image.

All of V's senses were focused on the Demon.

His sixth sense spurred focusing entirely on his foe.

And soon V and the Demon started to fight whilst creating noises like the storm. Ghastly howls, weapons and claws, explosions.

Whooooo!!!!

Cling cling!!!

Boooommm!!!

But just a short moment after he started to fight, a movement that he expected but didn't wish for, happened outside of V's senses.

'Tsk, There are some foolish ones after all '

V slightly frowned.

...…

Hideo mumbled as he slowly approached V.

'Though it's strong…'

The Demon's physical ability was not something he could go up against.

Since V, who was going against it, looked like a monster.

But aiming for the crystal wasn't something that one needed to be strong for.

'Looking at the situation… don't go too close…'

It wasn't the time to drop his guards yet.

Since it would be dangerous if that thing decided to go for the weaker ones first.

But then there won't be space for him to interfere if the demon died, or was about to die, if he was too far away.

A few people who had similar thoughts as Hideo started to close in the formation that surrounded the demon slowly.

Which meant that they would look for chances whilst V was fighting.

They were dead if he survived the fight as their intentions were clear. But all was solved if they killed him, the clan lords did nothing to stop them and looked on in slight hopes.

'Hoo.'

V mumbled inwardly.

Their thoughts weren't wrong.

Since there was definitely a chance that they could go for i.t

But how could the demon's physical abilities be all it has.

There was another frightening thing about Demons other than their physical abilities that was on a different dimension compared to those of humans.

<Racial Skill>

The problem was that there was no way for him to know what this racial skill was.

Basically, it was random.

Because of this, even Verathragna wouldn't have had thoughts of attacking it without his resistances and Nurmaha's ring.

'It seems like it's not using it yet… it's definitely an area of effect , well kiss my luck damn.'

If it was a single target skill then it would've already used it.

V, who had been pondering for a moment, made a cold expression.

'Well. Their purpose is clear.'

It wasn't bad to increase the level of alert on others by killing a few of them.

No, it was better to clean off people like these by borrowing the Demon's hands.

Since he wouldn't have any surplus power to escape from fighting the Demon.

Even before V's thoughts could end, the body of the Demon, which was standing still until now, started to cool.

It started to prepare this skill because the number of people around it had gotten sufficient.

Huuuuuukk.

And soon the surrounding air started freezing, then it became a wave of shards as it exploded outwards from the Demon.

The green ice, which had congealed in a fast manner, radiating outwards as it froze the air.

V, after staring at the green ice for a while, applied Nurmaha's power, power destruction, onto the sword he gained in the underground, <Luhal's Large sized Greatsword> and then swung.

Hoooong.

The Nurmaha had shattered the icicles just like that.

'As I expected… it isn't something to laugh at'

But Nurmaha's power was not something that one could use for free.

V frowned as he felt the mana drain out from his body while cursing.

'Stupid me, you have the stepping stone, although it'd take around five jumps since they congealed above the demon too. I'll have to test if five steps or the ring is better.'

If his magic, which increased the might of Power Destruction, didn't reach the colorless stage then he might not have been able to cancel it out and may have just been covered with it.

The wave in front of him had been split but the other parts were ruthlessly charging as it headed towards the others.

"Goddamit! Get back!"

"Uurk!"

The people who had seen the waves of green ice started to hurriedly run back but some unlucky people had been swiped up due to the fast speed of the icicles.

The bodies of the non-clansmen that suffered the attack from the fast waves of icicles that cut through the air to decorate their bodies like a porcupine.

But the people who had been pierced by the icicles cringed as they screamed.

"Goddamit! Uuaaaak!"

The areas of their body pierced turned a bluish green, there was a cold poison with the ice.

And the persons covered in icicles screamed as they rolled about on the floor but that only made It worse.

The fairy had only thrown one at two thousand people.

How could such a thing be weak?

The only reason why it had thrown it was because it could still damage them greatly even if it went up against two thousand.

He hadn't raised his resistances for nothing.

But attacks like that which covered a large area was much weaker in comparison to single-target skills.

But this was only the case for him, who had resistances as well as Nurmaha's ring, and the other adventurers who did not have magic resistances had a lot of strength but didn't differ much from ordinary people when it came to ice resistance.

Which meant that there wasn't much difference between them and an ordinary man being left naked in the North pole.

The clansmen and non-clansmen hurriedly backed off as they saw the attack that had bursted out.

They had realized that its Advantages were too horrid to do something with numbers.

'Just stand like that, I'll kill you afterwards, I've memorized your faces.'

V, after looking at the people who weren't approaching him anymore, charged at the Demon just like that and the others made a reluctant expression as they looked at the Demon and Vicente.

...

Kududuk.

"Puaa"

V breathed out roughly as he cut off the Demon's head.

'Hooh…'

As V cut off the Demon's neck, a few runes and a small crystal came out.

When V grabbed the runes with his right hand, the rune eater snake zealously ate the rune as it distributed the runes evenly.

And as he grabbed the crystal with his left hand it turned into a small symbol and got engraved on his left hand.

The eyes of the people who were watching changed slightly.

They couldn't kill it.

But he could, and they could probably kill him, however at this moment V pointed to those who had gotten away from the ice attacks.

"Kill them now. And bring their runes here."

He didn't even have to do it himself, he was a clan leader and his members disobeyed and attempted to kill him.

But who here didn't have such thoughts?

Seeing his increasingly dangerous gaze and the feeling of their leader being attacked, perhaps due to his charm, charisma, adding on to his strength and ruthlessness, this f*cked up situation- whose existence was beneficial to them, they accepted his position as their leader fully. They sprung forward.

Hideo panicked and started screaming, "Wait wait wait, I wasn't actually going to do anything really, really I wasn't!"

They closed in on him and the others from all directions, with murderous glints in their eyes.

"Goddamnit, Fuck this ahhhhhh!!!"

They were vastly outnumbered and resistance was like an egg thrown against a Rock.

Masamune, a company commander gathered all the runes, and brought them to V.

"Sir."

He extended his hands and V accepted them. While coldly glancing at the Clan lords but refraining from taking his displeasure out on them.

"Masamume, take 100 of our people to dungeons and have them grow stronger as a group with you as the head. Don't disappoint me."

Masamune lowered his head while asking cautiously, "This isn't too good right, what about the clans?"

"They can't do a thing against us, I'll take care of them, meanwhile you've got an mission to do, Masamume"

"Hai... my name's Masamune"

"What's that, you say something?"

".....No Sir."

*****************

Minerva was lost in thought after the battle, they had long recognized each other but a suitable opportunity hadn't come up.

She wasn't sure how to behave towards him. She was a clan leader now but in a way she had drawn courage and inspiration from him, he used to tell her stories as his form of 'payment' for her taking care of his injuries.

Several odd ones which were strangely charming, her favorite was the Amazon princess and the pirate invaders. (ED: I know what you're thinking , it definitely sounds like a hentai plot but it's not, in this case)

There was also the matter of his tyranny, he was monopolizing all the benefits including the crystals that could be used to enhance the clan.

<Drum of Lempal>

'Isn't it absurd. Such a thing…'

An object that you could buy with 15 crystals.

All of your allies within 300 meters had all of their stats increased by 15% even if you were just holding it.

And if you beat the drum, the effects were even more glorious.

One beat to increase the regeneration speed of those who heard it, two beats decreased the perception by 15% but increased strength and agility by 25% and three beats even increased resistances.

You couldn't use it for 5 days once you beat it three times but even the thought of another clan other than his having this was frightening.

And no matter how she looked at it, the worth of this thing was not merely 15 crystals.

The only reason she could think of as to why it had been listed as 15 crystals was one.

It was a price that seemed like could be gained if the clan lords hit and killed each other and fought.

If it was an absurd price such as 100 then he might've given up but 15 was pretty doable.

And it seemed like every object on the catalog was like this.

She didn't know if it was intentional but all the group use objects were much more formidable than self use objects.

As if it was promoting them to hit and receive hits from each other en masse.

'Wicked bastards but I guess the appearance of a Supreme Tyrant was not planned for.'

Minerva clicked her tongue as he thought of the fairies.

It was then that he appeared in her vision, the man she couldn't decide whether to support in her heart or not.

He was the one who gave her the thought of becoming a leader, that insignificant thought turned into a well sought after trait in this world when she reflected for the first time.

Although it wasn't easy...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minerva recalled her second lieutenant which she appointed after Mizuki from her class who proved herself among her peers, she had great leadership and fighting ability and she was well like by the school girls as well not to mention she had already invoked dominance in her as she was her teacher.

The problem was the second lieutenant she met during the Sky Road, the one who would control a team of adult women.

She was nicknamed 'Dainty' one of those nicknames that dubbed the opposite of the truth, she was muscular, manish and coarse mouthed, she behaved like she was raised among ruffians which she probably was.

"Bitch why the f*ck should I go under a stupid hoe like you, you lesbian? You want some rough loving from all of this?"

She gritted her teeth in response and proceeded to attack her.

Dainty smirked as she was proud of her body right now, back in the real world she was shunned but here she was queen as she beat all in her way with her superior body which pulled ahead in the previous stage and kicked as.s even then. She even had a skill.

"Oooo I hit a nerve didn't I , you some fu- (smack) argh!!"

"You'll pay for that you b-! (smack)"

"Ptoo ???!?!?!! my teeth you b-"

It was only after beating her black and blue and forcefully implanting the Lord symbol did she behave. It was then she decided to that from then on and not waste time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We should talk"

V appeared before her and didn't even look her straight in the eye. It was a weird atmosphere.