CHAPTER 75

With that, the elf emerged from behind the skull-adorned throne, dressed in simple cloth garments, casting a strange look at the goblins and Hazard. However, Hazard took control of one of the goblins' weapons, ranked C, and handed it to Afrid.

"Did you really think using a magic scroll would keep you safe? When that flying lizard realizes he wasted his money on temporary escape scrolls, his face will be priceless!"

With that, Afrid slowly advanced toward the goblins. From what he understood, these goblins were Demon Kings, and he had already slain several Demon Kings with the help of Hejna. Such an act had become routine for him, and since he found the goblins' appearance and legends repulsive, he easily leaped forward with his Warlord-ranked strength, swiftly killing four guards who had shielded two of the Demon Kings.

However, the two Demon Kings noticed something amiss—a system message had appeared before them:

[Warning! The hero is killing your forces! Protect your altar!]

Reading the message and then glancing at Afrid, the elven hero, their expressions turned to sheer horror, which made Hazard burst into laughter.

"A hero!!!""No!!! No!!!"

The two Goblin Kings' heads flew through the air. As low-ranking goblins at the Lord rank, they had no chance against an elven hero of the Warlord rank. After killing them, a light enveloped Afrid, and he felt he was just a small step away from reaching level six and entering the Epic rank. Such a level of power was unparalleled for heroes, as no hero could enter the Epic rank at level six unless their body had already been epic-tier beforehand.

Hazard, watching Afrid's blood-soaked body, cast a cleansing spell on him. He was thoroughly pleased as he saw Afrid holding skill stones and scrolls. The joy of exterminating those pests brought him immense satisfaction.

"Demon King…"

Hazard looked at Afrid and responded,"You can just call me Hazard, little imp!"

Afrid, slightly irritated, kept his gaze fixed on the corpses."To become stronger... what must I sacrifice?"

Hazard chuckled and then summoned a contract with the power of the soul."Swear loyalty to me! Follow my orders, and I will grant you a power so great that no one will ever call you weak again!"

The contract appeared from the void, glowing with magical energy. Afrid stepped closer, and as he read through it, he felt unexpectedly reassured. Hazard had been lenient in drafting its terms.

[Contract Agreement]

First Party: Hazard Second Party: … The second party agrees to heed and execute the first party's orders. The second party may not harm the first party's subordinates without direct orders. The second party may refuse orders if they involve harming a close relative who is part of or joins the first party's army. The first party agrees that no orders will involve killing non-adult humanoids, except for heroes. The first party is committed to helping the second party grow in power and will ensure their advancement to the Epic rank within one year.

Reading the contract in full brought Afrid to tears. He hadn't expected Hazard to draft such a fair contract. Given Hazard's superior power and current position, he could have easily forced Afrid into signing a far worse deal.

Satisfied with the contract, Afrid placed his hand upon it. Within five seconds, two names appeared in the blank space for the second party—one from his previous world and the other, his current body's name, as his previous soul was still sealed within him.

With that, Afrid was now officially Hazard's subordinate. Moments later, Hazard summoned Afrid's equipment from the void, along with a mountain of hand-picked skill stones, none ranked below B.

"Epic rank is just the beginning. I expect you to reach Legendary soon—once you do…"

Hazard trailed off in thought, leaving Afrid with the massive pile of skill stones as he telepathically contacted Hejna.

"Wipe out the goblin kings' altar and take Afrid to destroy it. Also, inform Duke Lamorak that I want to meet—he seems to have taken full control of the kingdom of Plenor. Lastly, send Afrid to the Adventurers' Guild in the center of the continent."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"There's just one bad piece of news I've just received…"

Hazard raised an eyebrow. What could possibly make Hejna's voice tremble like that?

"What is it?"

"An army of fallen angels, believed to be under the command of a Demon King, has launched an attack from the west on the Empire. They're leading millions of elves. The Central Magic Academy is doing its best to resist, but it's hopeless!"

"Hmm… the Empire will be weakened. That's good news. But the combat power of fallen angels is exceptionally high… is that the bad part?"

"The difference in power is staggering. But the real issue is that the angels and elves are slaughtering anyone who refuses to worship the fallen angels."

"Already forcing conversions? It looks like they're desperate for ascension… Increase the number of watchers and gather more information, especially on how many Epic-ranked fallen angels are in their army!"

After that, Hazard ended the communication. Using his Abyssal Eyes, he searched for Artemis's army, finding that it had yet to reach the former frontline of the Death King. Then, he turned his attention to Epic-ranked bandit Urka, who was currently engaged in battle against a Count that had fortified himself within his castle.

Deep within a forest, where trees had been cleared for miles to accommodate a massive city, a sprawling war camp surrounded the castle. The Count's twenty-million-strong army—including even the city's civilian population—was trapped within the city walls. For two days, trebuchets had been bombarding the walls relentlessly. Any reinforcements attempting to aid the Count found themselves ensnared by the Epic-ranked bandit, who turned them against their former allies, further tightening the siege.

An aging Count, loyal to House Loth, stood atop the castle walls, scanning the enemy forces for the rumored Epic-ranked bandit. Yet, he had still not caught a glimpse of him. Meanwhile, the daily assault began once again. Siege ladders and moving towers were deployed as enemy archers rained death upon the defenders, despite the castle walls standing forty meters high. Savage enemy warriors, wielding massive weapons, climbed the towers like madmen, while captured soldiers, now pressed into enemy service, scaled the ladders.

The Count, shouting orders with every ounce of breath in his lungs, could not hide his growing anxiety. His forces had only three Warlords, whereas the enemy had over ten—without even factoring in the rumored Epic-ranked bandit.

Arrows whistled through the air, screams echoed, ladders slammed against the walls, and siege towers lowered their bridges, unleashing a flood of warriors onto the blood-drenched ramparts.

Yet, despite the chaos, the Count still had not deployed his ultimate defensive weapon—the dragon-slaying ballistae, a weapon required for every city to defend against wild dragons. Who could have imagined that the city's first true test of war would come not from dragons but from an invading army?

At last, he felt a fleeting moment of relief—until he heard a monstrous roar, one so terrifying that he swore he had never heard anything like it before.

Three dragons had arrived.