After testing his new ability, Kaito was more than satisfied. He thought that even if that had been the only reward, he would still be happy.
Although it did not contribute much in direct combat, as support it was invaluable: it could detect traps and ambushes, locate hidden enemies, uncover plots against him… and many other situations where prevention was worth more than strength.
Of course, being satisfied did not mean ignoring the other rewards. Sitting once more on his throne, Kaito continued reviewing them one by one.
[Reconstruction Seed
Class: Consumable
Description: A crisis turned the planet of "The Others" into an uninhabitable place, forcing them to flee. After countless centuries of planning, they found a world almost suitable for life, ready to be shaped… but their efforts were interrupted by you. This seed was created so that you do not suffer the same fate.
Effect: When planted, it releases a purification field that eliminates all external alterations of the environment (pollution, radiation, poisons, corrupting magic, or other artificial or anomalous disasters). The purification expands continuously from the point where it is planted. The speed and range of the restoration depend on the user's level and on the process not being interrupted.
Note: If the terrain was already naturally hostile or barren (desert, frozen wasteland, volcano, etc.), the seed will not alter it; it will only return it to the condition that corresponds to its natural state.]
Kaito read the description in silence, trying to think of an immediate use. None came to mind, so he decided to move on to the next reward.
[True Vision
Class: Skill
Description:For centuries, aliens infiltrated among humans, hidden under disguises and illusions, rising to the highest levels of their governments. No one suspected anything… until now. You will be the exception.
Effect: Allows you to perceive any kind of disguise, illusion, or visual deception.
Note: Its usefulness depends as much on the user as on the target. You may only discover that someone is wearing a disguise, or you may be able to see their true form. ]
Just like with the Evil skill, Kaito considered it extremely useful despite lacking offensive capacity. Unfortunately, at that moment he had no one to test it on, so he left it for later.
As he looked down, he found multiple notifications related to conquered territories. It had been so long since the last time that he decided it was time to level up and claim everything at once… but then another notification appeared that drew his attention.
Unlike the others, this one looked more striking, with an elegant and official air.
Kaito opened it.
[Congratulations!]
[You have cleared three mission worlds, and a month is approaching since you were summoned. During this time you have all grown and become stronger.]
[However, the bond between you is still scarce: most of you do not even know your neighboring Lords. Fortunately, we have found a solution.
From now on, random events will occasionally appear that you must complete, some in teams, others alone.
The first of them will, of course, be The Battle of the Lords.]
[The Battle of the Lords
The first official event, created by the God Of Earth himself for the Lords.
Format: All Lords of a server will be summoned to a special alternate space and distributed into 48 arenas. In each one, a "free-for-all" will take place, where only the last one standing earns the right to advance.
The victors will move on to the final stage, structured as a knockout tournament: two enter, one survives, and the winner faces the victor of another duel. The process continues until only one Lord remains, proclaimed absolute champion and recipient of the system's reward.
Reward: A random SS-level reward + 5 levels.
Rest: Between each round there will be a 30-minute break. Upon being transported, there will be an initial wait of 2 hours to interact, and the same at the end. ]
"Interesting…" Kaito murmured to himself, "Although the reward is a bit disappointing, it's worth it to meet other Lords."
It was a unique opportunity to build relationships.
At that moment, everything around him seemed to tremble for barely 0.01 seconds before coming to an abrupt stop. A warning appeared in front of Kaito.
[Due to the Lord's request, the mansion's upgrade has been halted. The corresponding ■■■■■ will be used to relocate the Territory Core.]
After that, a map appeared. Although large, only part of it was visible, and even less was lit up in green.
Paying close attention, Kaito understood: what was visible were only the areas he knew from his surroundings, while the green strip represented his territory.
[Select the new location of your territory.
Note: You may also go physically to the place and select it in person.]
As he reviewed the map, he noticed the absence of the spirit world, so he decided to go there in person, passing through a portal that remained open within his domain.
The outside welcomed him with a desolate panorama. What had once been an expanding territory, with clear signs of progress, now looked almost dead. Hardly any houses or buildings remained, and the only notable thing was the mansion in the center… which vanished within seconds, leaving behind an absolute void and sepulchral silence.
In contrast, in the spirit world the mansion suddenly emerged in the middle of his territory, filling the once deserted space. Above the sky, a green pattern of octagons spread across the entire area before becoming invisible.
[Your territory has been relocated. It has been detected that the surroundings and everything within them belong to the Lord, and are therefore automatically recognized as part of your domain.]
The notification faded, but before disappearing, the map showed the new location for a single second. It was enough to surprise Kaito.
The position was exactly the same as before… except that now the map displayed it in three-dimensional view, revealing that the spirit world lay beneath Gaia.
He lifted his gaze to the sky. Everything was real, tangible; it didn't feel as if they were underground. Remembering old stories, although lacking concrete proof, he theorized that they were in some kind of lower plane.
With that, the relocation of his territory was complete, and the internal distribution began functioning properly. Kaito then prepared to resume his plan of leveling up.
"My king" a voice called from behind.
"Who?" he replied, surprised that someone had approached without him noticing.
As he turned, he relaxed. It wasn't a person, but a fairy.
"Do you need something, Undyne?"
"Yes," she answered excitedly, "We have found what you requested."
"What I asked for?" Kaito blinked, thoughtful, until he remembered, "Ah! How intelligent is it?"
"Very, very intelligent" Undyne affirmed, her words accompanied by exaggerated gestures, "It even tried to convince us to join its side."
Kaito showed no surprise.
"Take me."
He followed Undyne to the underground prison. Although he still felt exhausted after returning from the Tower of Worlds, the small glimmer of hope kept him awake. It was not a simple request: what he had ordered to be captured was nothing less than… a truly intelligent person.
Even before his sixth sense evolved into Evil, when it had only been horrible headaches, he had noticed disturbing signs: the government and the guild seemed to be involved in some conspiracy. However, after days of analysis, he found no answers. The conclusion was inevitable: he lacked talent for intrigue.
Fortunately, he was a Lord. If he didn't have that ability, he could imitate the ancient kings: seek out a capable advisor and make them his ally.
The problem was finding one. Neither in real life nor in Gaia did he know anyone like that, and searching the internet or through rumors was of little use. He then decided to delegate the task to the fairies.
Every day, dozens of Lords tried to invade the spirit world, only to die or flee defeated in the end. The fairies were in constant contact with them, so Kaito ordered them to capture the brightest ones and bring them before him, instead of eliminating them.
Of course, the fairies didn't fully understand what "intelligent" meant, and until now they hadn't presented anyone. Far from bothering him, that gave him a certain confidence: if even they, who had no idea how to recognize an intelligent person, identified someone as worthy of attention, then it must be proof of true genius.
Even so, after hearing what Undyne considered "intelligent," Kaito began to doubt his decision.
After a few minutes, they arrived at the new underground prison, located at the edge of the military zone. In the only occupied cell, Kaito was stunned.
Even in that gloomy place, the prisoner stood out. Her upright posture radiated nobility and refinement, and her cold, proud expression reinforced that aura… but all of it was transformed into something unsettling by her appearance.
Jet-black hair, red eyes that looked at him as if he were an insect, a long dress with a wide hood, all in a deep, dark shade. The image evoked death itself.
Kaito couldn't help but let out a nervous joke:
"She doesn't happen to have a scythe too, does she?"
To his surprise, Undyne replied enthusiastically.
"As expected of our king! Yes, she did. We confiscated it and stored it in another room."
Kaito blinked, incredulous.
A thought crossed his mind like thunder.
'Damn it… she's definitely a Shinigami.'
______________________________________
Question: Is there any heroine from Ben 10 that you like? They can't be Gwen (not because I don't like her, but because she would break the canon of the universe the protagonist is going to) or Kai (that one is because I just don't like her).
Anyway, if there isn't any, it's fine — it's not like he has to enter every world and leave with a new member of the harem.
+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)