[14th Round] Traveling for my dreams! I don’t know!
FSHUH!
Pushing myself off the terrace railing, I spread my wings of the righteous hero and soared into the air. At that moment, I realized something.
“My wings are much larger than before.”
It wasn’t just a feeling.
I had to limit their size to avoid osteoporosis before, but nothing held me back now since they didn’t need iron from my body anymore. Instead, they were made of Dark Energy.
If I wanted, I could cover the entirety of the sun with my wings.
“Those terrifying wings…”
“Ah! The Demon Lord has awakened!”
“Oh my God! The Corrupted Hero has risen!”
“Warriors of Light! Prepare for combat!”
The people from the fortress immediately began to make a fuss the moment they noticed me.
Curious, I checked their stats.
▷ Race: Human
▷ Level: 794
▷ Job: Knight (Devotion → Fortitude ↑)
▷ Skills: Fortitude Z, Sword Mastery A, Ability A, Resistance B, Endurance B…
▷ Stats: Intense
A knightly jock.
▷ Race: Human
▷ Level: 813
▷ Job: Mage (Age → Magic Power ↑)
▷ Skills: Magic Z, Magic Power Z, Sorcery A, Concentration A, Strengthening B…
▷ Status: Intense, Strengthening
An old mage.
▷ Race: Human
▷ Level: 999+
▷ Job: Healer (Age → Healing ↑)
▷ Skills: Healing ZZ, Charm Z, Temptation A, Communication B, Blessing B…
▷ Status: Tense, Blessing
A nice little healer.
Overall, they had well-balanced levels and skill ranks, but they were still too weak to break into the final boss’s hideout.
“They’re not weak, Drug Hero. You’re just too strong.”
“What difference does it make, Addicted Spirit?”
It didn’t matter if they were weaker or I was stronger. They remained my enemies. If they wanted to kill me, they best be prepared to get killed in return.
Flight F → Flight D
Physical strength F → Physical strength E
Patience F → Patience E
My skills’ ranks began to rise as I moved onwards. After all, except for my transcendent skills, which remained after my rise to Demon Lordship, all of my other skills had to begin from scratch.
What was even more interesting than that was my clones, which were created in multiple dimensions with stolen Dark Energy. They only gained one skill, Z-rank Dark Energy.
▷ Race: United Spirit of Fantasy
▷ Level: 999+
▷ Job: Demon Lord (Hero → Level ↓)
▷ Skills: Dark Energy Z
▷ Status: Demon Sword
Their level was listed as “999+”, but their actual levels were no match for my level, capable of piercing the galaxy.
The possible situation that worried me most became a reality.
At the behest of the dastardly teaching staff, the strength of my copies was lowered enough to make it easier to nurture new heroes.
There was only one thing that could help in this situation.
“Let’s show them the cowardly power of friendship.”
My mind and the mind of my clones were closely related. Hence, we were able to share the characteristics of the USF race.
The experience and knowledge of the heroes that I had absorbed were transferred to them, and the corners of their lips lifted.
CLICK!
I snapped my finger lightly.
My clones, Kang Han Soo’s Demon Lords, which appeared in multiple dimensions or classrooms as the faculty members called them, snapped their fingers as well.
CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK—
In response to this sound, the earth around the Demon Lord’s castle shook and shattered, but the earth spirits weren’t the ones that caused them. My secret weapon, dark matter, was the one that triggered the earthquake.
It was a skill that wasn’t listed in my stats.
Therefore, even copies could use it.
“Huh?!”
“Help!”
“Mommy!”
The fortress crumbled as its people fell into the cracks left by the tremors.
Of course, not everyone fell against that offensive.
Some managed to survive due to their ability to use flight or agility.
“That’s not good.”
I decided to punish the survivors severely.
FSHUK! FSHUK! FSHUK!
The spear-sharp bones fired by my wings stormed down upon them like armageddon.
That, too, was a skill of mine that wasn’t listed in the stats.
It was my own strength, based on the teachings of Master Mollan.
“I’ll save you— Huh?!”
“I survive— No!”
Similar to Master Mollan’s power, which terrified even the First Hero himself, my strength was immense and petrifying.
The fortresses forming the defense line around the Demon Lord’s castle were destroyed instantaneously with my opponents who lived there.
My retaliation wasn’t over yet, however.
GRRR-
I engulfed the corpses scattered around the area with my G-rank Dark Energy, resurrecting them as undead.
They had abandoned their humanity.
“I bow to the Demon Lord!”
“Glory to the Demon Lord!”
“Long live the Demon Lord!”
Right after their reincarnation, they swiftly knelt before me without hesitation, swearing allegiance to their creator.
My replicas couldn’t recreate such a feat since their Dark Energy was only ranked Z. However, the result of our offensive was still favorable, considering they were able to significantly increase their level and skill masteries.
I had more up my sleeves, of course.
CLOP! CLOP! CLOP! CLOP! CLOP!
Earth, fire, wind, water, soul.
The Five Spirit Kings, who had been separated from me for 2,000 years, sensed my energy and quickly gathered to my side.
They immediately settled in my armpits and groin so that third parties wouldn’t be able to claim their territories.
Wind settled under my right armpit, and water settled under my left. My “siege weapon” became as hard as earth and hot as fire as well.
I didn’t stop there.
No matter how strong the impregnable fortresses’ gates were, the Soul Spirit King strengthened my siege weapon so that it could penetrate no matter the obstacles.
“Dirty beast.”
Was it just me, or did I hear the voice of a cowardly demoness who opened her gates wide open for me to come in, letting me plunder her as I pleased until she fell asleep?
“My niece still can’t reveal her true feelings because she’s shy, so I request your understanding.”
“Aunt!”
“My niece is so sweet! heeheehee!”
Since Ssosia left the system, becoming my personal property, she didn’t have clones next to my copies.
However, it was different with the First Spirit.
She was still attached to the system.
My replicas weren’t capable of charming spirits as I was, but it didn’t matter since the “First Spirits” who followed them were at the top of the irrational social hierarchy of their kind.
“I need to reclaim all of my lost territories first.”
Of course, I wouldn’t be personally accomplishing that.
With my replicas following my every action, I issued an order to the Spirit Kings, who then relayed it to those ranked below them.
However, even the supreme or highest spirits, second only to the kings and the First Spirit, didn’t budge. They looked at their inferiors and told them of the situation.
The advanced spirits then called the middle spirits with a gesture, and the middle spirits called the lowest spirits…
Spirit Kings, supreme or highest, advanced, middle and lowest!
The lowest spirits, who had no one else to pass the responsibility to, began to work hard.
BRRRR!
The ruins were once the demons’ villages and cities had been covered with mountains and lakes, and a dense forest had formed around them.
In addition, marshes and holes were dug all over the place to prevent people from crossing and passing with ease. Seeds of poisonous mushrooms were transported and carefully planted in this place from other regions.
After that, all I had to do was watch since monsters naturally spawned in areas with strong “influence of nature,” like dense jungles that people couldn’t easily reach or explore. The stronger the influence of nature was, the higher the monsters’ skills and levels were upon their creation.
I could artificially manipulate that
Of course, I didn’t tend to it myself either.
“Stop exploiting my children, Drug Hero!”
“Look who’s talking.”
“I never force them. I simply ask them.”
“Yeah, you do, knowing they can’t refuse.”
“Ooooohhh!”
“Traughgh!”
“Gob! Gob!”
All kinds of monsters appeared around the Demon Lord’s castle.
I could easily recapture cities by controlling and directing them to human cities, but I didn’t.
“After all, I’m the one who created flush toilets.”
I wasn’t going to destroy the Fantasy World with my own hands now that they were filled with flush toilets, which were like my own children.
“Cowardly husband, aren’t you too obsessed with them?”
“Obsessed?”
“Yes.”
I replied to her stupid question with a question of my own.
“Do you want to listen to a 100-year-long lecture, Ssosia? I wonder if you can still say something so idiotic after that.”
In a world without flush toilets, people would need to squat down, aiming well at the hole, and discharge their bodily waste! While doing so, they’d need to be careful not to splash their urine onto their skirts or trousers. They’d also need to clean the hole regularly, or they’d not only smell ammonia but also lure in harmful insects.
Most people also had no other option but to clean it themselves, refusing to show others what they ate the day prior.
For reference: the closer one’s excrement was to golden color, the healthier their intestines…
“Enough! Stop telling me about it! I’ve learned enough. I’m sorry for not appreciating them properly!”
Ssosia, now looking a little distressed, immediately raised the white flag.
“Never underestimate flush toilets again.”
“Okay…”
I wasn’t that satisfied with her answer, but I decided to ignore it as his gracious MAX-Class husband.
“That aside…”
I gradually began to understand the feelings of my father-in-law, who always sat on the throne, never moving from it.
I found out now that he wasn’t joking when he said that even moving a little caused him to suffer from mental fatigue.
The reason behind it was the clones.
Although the dolls that imitated me seemed to think and act autonomously, they weren’t completely independent.
They acted according to my instructions and with my permission, one at a time.
If I were an ordinary person, I would’ve already been reduced to a vegetated state due to my brain cells dying from overwork.
If there were only one or two of them, it wouldn’t be so bad.
But my brain semi-automatically controlled hundreds of thousands of my copies.
In particular, whenever a fierce battle erupted, just like what was transpiring right now, information overload would kick in.
“Haha! Do you understand me now? I’ve been sitting on your head all this time, not because of laziness, Drug Hero!”
“How can I cope with this, Addicted Spirit?”
Although I didn’t feel like asking the First Spirit for advice, headaches and fatigue were my primary concerns.
“You probably already know the answer to that. Move as little as possible. When giving orders to copies, be laconic. It’s always better to avoid simultaneous battles like this.”
“Tsk. This is so problematic.”
I sat down again on the Demon Lord’s throne, which my father-in-law passed on to me. My copies, which were active in other dimensions, also returned to their places.
The effect of the respite advised by the First Spirit was immediately apparent.
My mental exhaustion began to subside.
Like the Demon Lord before me, I now sat motionlessly on this throne.
At least there was a cowardly demoness next to me, unlike my clones, who remained in solitude.
The same was true of the First Spirit.
The original First Spirit, or “Spirit A,” was talkative. Meanwhile, “First Spirit B” with my copy remained silent because she focused her emotions on “First Spirit A.”
The rest were dummy dolls.
“Hmm…”
The situation had become more complicated.
I planned to take over the entire Fantasy World through warfare, leaving no room for future heroes to be summoned.
If their education system were disrupted, this institution would be forced to shut down!
But it had become impossible.
The reason was that the number of newly created copies for training exceeded the speed at which I could take over the world.
I pondered about the possible solutions to solve this problem.
I didn’t want to wait for years, like my father-in-law…
“I have an idea, cowardly husband.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
As I looked at her impatiently, Ssosia moved her lavender lips with satisfaction to my ear and whispered.
“Growing and absorbing heroes.”
“Ah!”
My journey to achieving my dreams had begun anew!
