Island God: Going From Level 1 To World Ruler-Chapter 120: The Game
*EXTRA LONG Chapter*
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Hours earlier, within the grand magistrate building of Meniras, a single figure dominated the atmosphere.
The doors were closed, and unlike usual, there were no citizens within the magistrate’s building.
Apart from the magistrate members, there existed only two other figures within the estate.
One was Estar Helm’s Sintherion, king of Meniras. He, however, was currently on one knee and bowing his head with his right fist on the floor.
The eleven members of the holy magistrate followed suit, with all of them in the same lowered stances as their ruler.
They all bowed to a single figure who stood in the center of the room. This figure’s face was shadowed, and their attire was cloaked by a black robe and hood.
"Michael Angelion... that player has a powerful ability." The hooded figure spoke with an elegant yet deep tone.
"Y-yes, my lord!" Estar immediately replied.
"Our empire has many players, but to find one with an ability like Michaels is rare. In this great war for the Throne of Dominion, a power that allows one to convert others into pawns is deemed to be of great importance." The hooded figure said.
A pause ensued, but Estar and the magus refused to contribute.
Their heads were faced toward the ground to hide their terrified expressions. Beads of sweat poured down Estar’s sideburns.
’To think... a member of the imperial family has come. This does not happen for something as meager as player buying or trading. Far from it... this means an astronomical change is about to happen to this kingdom. Hopefully, it’s for the better, and not the worst.’ Estar thought, understanding that the man who stood before him right now had the political power to eviscerate Meniras overnight.
"I am not here to buy him or trade for him. But I’m sure you’ve guessed that already." The hooded man said as Estar nodded, "Our empire simply wants to support your player."
Estar immediately looked up at him with a shocked expression on his face, "S-support!?" He said, panting in relief.
’Support for the player also means support for the kingdom! But why would such a grand empire help a kingdom like Meniras?’ Estar thought, excited but also confused and skeptical.
"Don’t be afraid. There are no ulterior motives here." The hooded man said, "We want to support your player in this upcoming event. With that support, your kingdom will have the chance to evolve back into the great power that it once was."
Estar nodded.
"However... please understand the implications of this support and the growth of your kingdom. The game on Fell-Terra is not only about saving the planet, but also about dominating it. Once your kingdom grows through our support, a fee must be paid. Your kingdom will become a vassal state of our empire." The hooded man said.
Estar gasped slightly, ’A-a vassal state!? I... would not like that at all. But I have no grounds to deny such an important figure. I imagine that’s why they sent him here out of anyone else. On top of that, he’s talking about world domination. I suppose it makes sense. Large powers such as empires will soon begin making their moves. A worldwide event is a good place to start. Eventually, our kingdom will either swallow all others or become swallowed in the process itself. I have no other choice.’ He thought to himself, feeling a mixture of emotions.
"A-alright. I humbly accept this proposal and opportunity, oh great royal." Estar replied, lowering his head.
The magistrate mage’s didn’t hesitate to nod and bow as well.
The hooded figure turned around.
"Good." He said as the massive doors to the building slowly slid open. "Athenin won’t forget your loyalty, Sintherion." These were his final words before departing from the scene.
Once he left, Estar stood and heaved heavy breaths of exhaustion and relief.
"Well... at least our kingdom wasn’t destroyed." He said, defeated.
"A vassal state, huh? I don’t think it’s a bad idea. After all, looking at the continent of Ygnahril, I think that the Athenin Empire has a shot at taking the throne. If they play smart now, they can most definitely become the force that dominates the world." A magus said, slowly standing as well.
"Hmm... perhaps." Estar replied, "But there are many other forces at play. We know not what other forces are keeping their eyes on this event. For now, let’s just play it safe and oblige."
"Understood!" The eleven court mages replied in unison.
*Present Time*
Midas only blinked, but saw that he was in a totally different environment than before.
’Huh?’ He thought, looking around and quickly surveying the scene.
He seemed to once again be inside a forest, but there was a large plot of flat and clear land that stretched in the middle.
The forest looked different from the thick jungles of Star Island. The setting was less dense and had thinner trees.
In the area that Midas was in, he could hear the chatter of hundreds of other people around him.
In fact, he could see them too! There were hundreds of players surrounding him in all directions!
He was shocked, his eyes wide with amazement. Not only because they were all seemingly players, but also because it had been so long since he had seen so many humans in the same place!
Ever since coming to Fell-Terra, Midas had only seen literally one other human, excluding Leon, whom he met only yesterday.
However, even though over half of the players in the area resembled human characteristics, the other half did not.
A solid half were human-like, and Midas did not spot anything off with a small percentage of these folk. But many of the human-like players had odd details.
Some had ears, others tails, others horns like they were ox’s. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
Apart from the human-like players, the other half of the crowd seemed to be a collection of various races.
Some resembled orcs with a brutish and tall physique, but their faces didn’t look terrifying and rather human in fact.
There were serpent-like humanoids, others mimicking insect features and so on.
They came in various shapes and sizes, the tallest being close to fifteen feet (5m) in height or more! The shortest of the bunch were less than five feet (1.5m) in height.
Looking around, every player seemed to be getting along with another.
There looked to be about three hundred and fifty or so players in this region alone.
Many had formed groups with each other based on relatability and looks.
It just happened to be that the most luxuriously dressed ones were grouped together, while those who appeared more average made their own groups.
However, there was also a clear hierarchy.
The largest group was a bunch of people who seemed weak and fairly oblivious.
They all conversed with each other with smiles on their faces and carefree expressions.
"Hey!"
"Nice ta meet cha!"
"You’re a player too? Haha! I guess we all are, aren’t we?"
"Want to team up?"
"I think that’s not allowed."
"What’s your name?"
"Hey, what’s your power?"
’I guess it makes sense. All these players were transported into a kingdom or city, or right outside of one! They are probably used to meeting other players, unlike me.’ Midas thought while seeing them.
The other group of people, which was slightly smaller, had more calm expressions and body language.
They clearly took this more seriously and, by default, were thought of as stronger in Midas’s mind.
And finally, the last group was the smallest. They had the most fabulous clothing and the most serious demeanors.
’These players look like they have good backings. Most likely, they have been taken in by cities or even kingdoms.’ Midas thought.
There were dozens or multiple smaller groups within each of the three major ones, but these were the characteristics that stood out.
Suddenly, Midas noticed a crowd beginning to form near the center of the area.
Chatter quickly erupted about something in the center.
"Hey, I think he’s here!"
"Is it him?"
"It must be... It’s Michael."
"He’s the one backed by a large kingdom, right!?"
"Wow... I haven’t even been taken in by a town, let alone a kingdom!"
Midas made his way closer as he saw even the least talkative players huddle in to catch a glimpse of the person who had just arrived.
’Michael, huh?’ He thought as he broke through the crowd barrier.
