Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

As the Kundala appeared in his lord's inventory and before he could ponder who it had belonged to, Tiamat sent him a message reeking of pride and arrogance.

[Tiamat: See, my dear contractor? That's how you deal with these fools!]

He scratched his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

"What about the last two times?" He slapped his leg in amusement. "I guess she's happy about this small victory, so let's not comment too much."

Instead, his heart pounded in his chest as he summoned his new item.

A broad earring pressed on his palm, its surface shining like liquid sunlight. He passed his finger on its smooth surface as he scrutinised its antique design, trying to remember who it could have belonged to.

But he squinted, feeling there was more to it. And after leaning close enough to put his nose against it, he smelled a divine fragrance.

Better than any perfume, it filled his nostrils with a sense of boundless vitality but also made him tremble.

Because behind the pleasant scent, he felt an unbearable heat that could vaporise everything in its path. Just imagining it caused drops of sweat to roll down his forehead and his fingers to twitch around the Kundala.

"I guess it's not a good idea to try it for fun. Anyway, I have no idea who this could have belonged to." His eyes narrowed into determined slits, and his lips curled into an eager grin as he dismissed the earring. "I'll discover it when the person shows up later. I hope he's a fighter who can delay Achilles long enough for us to behead the lord commanding him. But before..."

His voice trailed off as Tiamat and the gods started negotiating his next reward.

Like last time, he rolled his eyes at the ridiculous buildings they asked for before Loki made a surprising offer.

[Loki offers to merge a cave of giants with your demon den to give you more options in summoning units without breaking the balance. He adds that the price to get something good out of this additional feature wouldn't be low, making it a challenge to benefit from it and that only cowards would refuse.]

[The other gods don't believe Loki but turn to Odin to let him decide.]

[Loki shrugs, saying it's the one closest to Asgard.]

[Odin agreed without thinking as the other gods rolled their eyes.]

[Merging the special building: cave of giants to your demon den for your achievement!]

Meanwhile, Adam raised his palms as his brows shot up in confusion.

"What's the point? I'm satisfied with my demons already."

Before his question lingered, Tiamat sent him a message that tugged at his danger strings.

[Tiamat: I should adopt this insidious brat as my son. Hahaha! Come and see what he did to your trash den. I bet you won't believe your eyes.]

The wind whipped against his clothes as he shot up from the ground and rushed outside, a single idea burning his mind.

'What did the god of trickery do to my perfectly fine den!' An icy shiver ran down his spine as a preposterous idea popped into his mind. 'Don't tell me he connected it to Jotunheim.'

Even if Tiamat seemed pleased, honestly? He couldn't help but crease his brows and bite his thumbnail.

He doubted his joke was true. Still, he had to assess the changes before something happened during his absence.

Once outside the tower, he saw his trusted generals surround Luna and caught Bart's grateful voice.

"You showed us your trustworthiness and bravery today, Luna. What happened during the event is forgotten." He struck his muscular chest, a veil of solemness and hidden relief covering his face. "If you need anything, I'll gladly help you."

She bit her lips, confused about how to answer before she stomped her foot and scrambled away. Yet, everyone caught the smile tugging at her lips.

Adam nodded, reassured to see the distrust that had taken root in their hearts vanish as he walked to them.

"Ransack the tower for valuables or chests and gather the corpses." He patted Garduck and Bart's shoulders, a bright smile stretching across his face. "Something requiring my attention happened in the territory, so you're in charge of the army."

After receiving their nods, he opened his interface and distributed his stat points to rush back faster.

LVL: 42

Exp: 18400/193000

HP: 1910/1910

Vitality: 235->355 (+52)

Strength: 235->355 (+103)(+33)

Agility: 235->355 (+112)(+40)

Chaotic demonic essence: 892

Free attribute points: 360->0

However, Gork blocked his path as he dusted his hand in satisfaction.

The goblin lowered his head and spoke in a deferent tone.

"What are your commands for me, my lord?"

With his request to clear the cultists completed, he wholeheartedly believed Maven's story now. More than that, his blood boiled as he engraved his valiant leap in his heart. After all, who would have thought a kobold, a weak species of dragon worshipers dwelling in mines, could play a crucial role in a battle of this scale?

Many questions rumbled in his mind, but one truth overwhelmed them: Maven could have left them to die to free himself from slavery. And since he didn't, it could only mean the kobold followed them of his free will.

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As Gork recognised Adam as his lord, a notification resounded in his ears.

DING

[Six hundred goblins joined your territory. The ten kilometers separating the two places have been added to your area of influence. ]

Adam tapped his finger on his cheek pensively before he raised his thumb.

"Ask around if your specialists want to move to my territory. I'm not forcing anyone, but I'd appreciate it if one of them could craft a prosthesis for a dwarf living with us." His lips curled into a grin. "I noticed your rough craftsmanship but engineer minds. We have a legendary smith with us. So, you might want to work with him to bring your concepts to life."

Gork nodded, his eyes sparkling at the excellent news.

Indeed, they had good ideas, but with their small hands and lacking strength, they struggled to create them. That's why they invented those mechanical hands. But with them, precision became an abstract concept.

He blushed at the thought.

They weren't that precise in the first place, and he longed more than once to ally with human crafters. Therefore, he clenched his fists in anticipation behind his back as he watched his new demon lord rush between the trees and disappear into the distance.