The Demon King stood in the giant tree, watching the Barbarus Fortress of the Caracius Kingdom get invaded by the players. The same black wyvern, the skeleton army, and the black cat ran havoc inside, destroying the building and also killing the soldiers.

“This…” Valky was lost for words at the sight of the destruction, “What if they join our army?” She blurted out while imagining if the recruitment went smoothly. If the three players could easily destroy the enemy’s main fortress, it would be easy for them to win the battle in the frontline.

“It seems we and The Union just missed the important piece to win the war,” The Demon King muttered, “I thought of going easy on Gustav, but it seems I need to reconsider his punishment.”

The Demon King closed his eyes. The attack on the fortress lasted for one hour before the Legend Rank of the Caracius Kingdom appeared. But it was just another fight between three players against the Legend Rank. The Demon King witnessed how easy it was for the three players to defeat the Legend Rank of the Caracius Kingdom.

If he chose to fight instead of compromising with the deal, he might die back then. Without a doubt, the players were capable of achieving that. He also watched how the players took more bloodlines from the Caracius Kingdom. He was aware that the players planned to get more bloodlines in exchange for mercy.

Just like that, the two strongest fortresses of the Caracious Kingdom and The Union were destroyed. Even though he did not see the two factions lose their important personnel, that would make the two factions think twice before planning for the invasion. That would give him time to recover as well, and that was what he tried to achieve.

The Demon King straightened his back, masking his stress under the calm facade as he noticed the player headed out of the fortress. The three players landed on the same branch.

“We are done here. It’s time to fulfill your deal,” Tang Shaoyang straightforwardly asked the Demon King for access to the thirteenth floor. He realized during his fight against the three factions on this floor that there was not much he could get on this floor. Unless there was another breeding ground just like the Lesser Kraken. If he wanted to level up, he needed to kill the most important figure in these three factions, and that would break the system for the twelfth floor. He was not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

The Demon King nodded, “Follow me. The portal is in my city,” He felt the same. It was better for the strong players to go to the next floor instead of staying here. He was worried that the players might do something extreme if they were offended.

*** ***

The Demon King Castle𝒩𝑶𝑽𝓛xt.𝗇𝓔t

The Demon King dismissed all the maids in his castle. He even informed his wives and children to leave the castle beforehand. That was to avoid them offending the players. It was better for the players to have minimum interaction. The Demon King led the three players to the backyard where the portal was.

There was a big magic circle with intricate symbols, “That’s the portal to the thirteenth floor. You can use it to gain access to the thirteenth floor. As long as you use it once, you don’t need the same portal to travel between floors.”

The Demon King explained how it worked out of formality. The players should know more about how the portal worked, more than him.

Tang Shaoyang squinted his eyes at the Demon King, “You seem to want me and my friends to leave as soon as possible. Are we not welcome here?”

“Of course not. You can freely return to my castle, and I will do my best to entertain you and your friends. I just figured out that you might want to go to the upper floor as soon as possible. Do you want to stay for a while in my castle, Sir?” The Demon King addressed Tang Shaoyang politely, lowering his status as the Demon King.

“I am just joking,” Tang Shaoyang grinned, waving his hand as he, Lu An, and Rosalie walked into the magic circle.

Do you want to use the portal to the 13th floor? Yes

/No?

Tang Shaoyang nodded at Lu An and Rosalie, signaling them to go at the same time. The three players disappeared from the magic circle under the Demon King’s watch. As soon as the three left, he breathed out in relief. The disaster was no longer here.

*** ***

Starter City #4

The atmosphere in the city was intense, at its peak as the war between the factions continued. It was now the Divine Church and The Federation of Allurion against The Tang Empire. Meanwhile, The Giteron Dynasty remained on the sideline, watching the war while reaping the benefit of exploring the eleventh floor.

Zhang Mengyao was in her office, reading the report from the Intelligence Division. The report was mostly the movement from the Divine Church and also The Federation of Allurion. There was a small fight here and there, but the big battle had not yet happened.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“It’s Yeon Hee, Ma’am,” The female voice followed after the knock.

“Come in,” Zhang Mengyao replied while her eyes remained on the report.

The door opened as Yeon Hee entered the room. She was in her division uniform, deep blue in color. Zhang Mengyao looked up as Yeon Hee arrived in front of the table, “It seems there’s something urgent for you to come here yourself.”

Yeon Hee shook her head, “It’s not urgent but quite important. The Uprising Guild has arrived on the eleventh floor.”

Zhang Mengyao caressed her forehead. This could be bad or good, but she felt it would be bad for them once the other factions arrived. This was indeed important.

“Call Vice Wei Xi, Marshal Alton, Marshal Kang Xue, and Vice Marshal Moonsong for me. I need to hear their opinion on this matter.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Yeon Hee bowed her head slightly before leaving the room.

As the door closed, a notification rang in her head. She checked the message, it was a message from Tang Shaoyang, a frequent update on his journey.