The Hatchlings

Edric had his reasons for not investing his XP into becoming a Legendary Mage.

At first glance, advancing to the legendary mage rank might have seemed like the best way to quickly complete the [Gate to the Abyss] task. However, that was an overly optimistic perspective.

With his average talent, merely reaching the legendary rank wouldn't guarantee that he could cast legendary spells. Even a legendary mage who somehow only has golden-tier talent would struggle to wield abyss-related magic like [Gate to the Abyss] without months—or even years—of dedicated training.

Upgrading his mage rank now wouldn't bring much benefit. Sure, he would gain access to golden-tier spells, but most of the ones he had were abyss-related. More importantly, golden-level magic was useless against true legendary powerhouses.

A mage's body was frail. Even as a Legendary Mage, if someone like King Bloodstone ambushed him, he might not even realize it until it was too late.

On the other hand, choosing to advance as a Legendary Knight had its advantages. He lacked proper weapons and combat experience, so he would likely still lose in a direct fight. However, with a stronger body and heightened senses, he would at least have a chance to detect an ambush and react in time; he could activate [Self-Consumption (Cyan)], a skill that could turn the tide in a desperate situation.

For now, survival was his priority. Only after ensuring that could he focus on improving his mage talent and rank.

...

Planning for the far future wasn't something just anyone could do—it required serious brainpower. Fortunately, as a Golden Mage, Edric had plenty of it.

He had already devised a plan for handling the spawns that would hatch from the eggs. It was both complex and simple at the same time.

First, he would create fake identities for each of them. With his current strength, this was an easy task—a few brainwashing spells would be more than enough.

Second, once their identities were established, they would be sent in different directions. Edric had already prepared an extensive list of destinations, casting a wide net that even extended to neighboring islands.

The spawns that hatched would appear fully human, both male and female—like his biological children. They weren't his clones, nor were they demons. At least, that was what he had gathered from studying the Book of Weirdness.

Now, all that was left was to wait.

And the moment they hatched, he would spring into action to set everything in motion.

...

Edric was completely focused on the [Ancestor of a State] task, doing almost nothing else. He wasn't reckless—he knew better than to take risks that could slow his progress or draw unwanted attention.

Technically speaking, his presence in this mansion, secretly breeding tens of thousands of human babies every two weeks, was beyond suspicious. However, he had taken extreme precautions to ensure no one uncovered his operation. All of his servants were brainwashed, incapable of leaking any information.

The other reason he had succeeded so far was due to the rural isolation of this area—there were no Golden Knights or Silver Mages nearby.

Of course, as a Legendary Knight, he could eliminate any Golden Knight or Silver/Golden Mage who stumbled upon his secret. But that would leave traces—something he couldn't afford to do unless necessary.

Still, those were long-term concerns. In the short term, there was almost no real threat. The Elowen Kingdom, despite its vast influence, had few Golden Knights, and most of them were stationed near the capital or in major cities. The likelihood of one appearing here was slim to none.

In fact, despite having more Golden Knights, the Elowen Kingdom's power was much more concentrated than that of the Bloodstone Kingdom. The reason was simple: Elowen was a centralized monarchy—there were no independent nobles outside the royal family, which meant that nearly all of its high-ranking powerhouses were gathered around the capital.

Bloodstone, on the other hand, was decentralized. While Bloodstone City had the highest concentration of Golden Knights, the kingdom's Duke-level noble families—most of whom had at least one Golden Knight powerhouse—remained spread across their own territories, protecting their lands instead of relocating near the capital.

With no Golden Knights in this region, Edric wasn't worried about being discovered for at least a few years if he wasn't too unlucky.

...

Time passed, and soon, the long-awaited hatching day arrived.

Edric opened his system interface, scanning through his progress.

[Edric Windwalker]

Age: 16 years, 11 months, 15 days [Tasks]

[Task 1: Ancestor of a State]

Progress: 68,009 / 100,000 (Children) | 126 / 1,000 (Days)

Objective: Conceive 100,000 children within 1,000 days.

Rewards: 1 Mythic Chest 2 Legendary Chests 1,000,000 XP A Mythic-rank weapon

Failure Penalty: Lose 2,000,000 XP

[Part 1: Book of Weirdness] (Completed)

Objective: Locate and retrieve the

Book of Weirdness hidden beneath the ruins of Windwalker City within six months.

Hint: The book accelerates the growth of poisonous life forms, including plants, beasts, and other creatures.

Rewards: Mythic Skill Legendary Skill 1,000,000 XP

[Part 2: Gate to the Abyss]

Objective: Within five years, read the Book of Weirdness, master the Abyssal Gate spell, and use it to open a portal to the Abyss.

Rewards: Ultra Skill 25,000,000 XP Time Left: 58 / 1,825 days

Failure Penalty: None

[Techniques]

Mythic Knight Training: 2 / 9,000,000

Legendary Mage Training: 158 / 1,500,000

[Talents]

Knight Talent: Legendary (0 / 2,400,000)

Mage Talent: Average (0 / 100,000)

[Skills]

Spawn (Cyan) – 5,000 eggs laid – Hatch time: 0 days, 1 hour, 2 minutes

Self-Consumption (Cyan)

Bloodline Authority (Red)

Energy Absorption (Red)

Magnetic Pull (Golden)

Beast's Senses (Golden)

Poison Resistance (Golden)

Crystal Skin (Silver)

Bloodline Sensing (Silver)

Telekinesis (Silver)

Steel Hair Manipulation (Silver)

Extreme Yang (Silver)

See-Through (Silver)

Flesh Control (White)

[Cheat Ability]

Low-Level XP Generator – Produces 1,000 XP per day. Available XP: 50,914

"One hour left to go!"

Edric turned his gaze to the rows of cyan-colored eggs lined up neatly before him. Though the hatching was mere moments away, the eggs remained completely still—not a single twitch, no signs of movement at all.

Out of sheer curiosity, Edric had once attempted to break open one of the eggs to see what was inside.

Unfortunately, he failed.

The eggshells had mythical-level durability, and as a Legendary Knight with no proper weapons or equipment, he simply couldn't crack them.

No matter what he tried—swords, explosions, even boulders—the eggs remained completely unbreakable.

"Maybe I can use these eggshells for armor?" Edric mused.

With their level of hardness, if he could somehow forge weapons from them, they would at least be Legendary rank.

Still, a troubling thought crossed his mind.

"How are they even going to hatch? Are the shells softer from the inside?"

It was a valid concern. If he, a Legendary Knight, couldn't break through these shells, how could mere newborns—who were only at Knight level—possibly crack them?

However, after a brief moment of reflection, he felt relieved. The skill wouldn't have such an obvious flaw—that much he was sure of.

One hour passed quickly ...

And just as expected—

Crack!

One after another, the eggs began to shatter, filling the place with the crisp sound of breaking shells.

Emerging from the fragments, completely naked, were fully-formed, teenage humans—each appearing to be around sixteen years old.

Edric remained unfazed by the nudity. He had long since grown used to it. After all, he frequently kept his [See-Through] skill active, meaning he was already accustomed to seeing people without their clothes.

Then, one of the hatchlings—a girl—stepped forward, bowed deeply, and spoke.

"Father."

She had basic memories—enough to know who she was, who Edric was, and a general understanding of the world.

Edric wasn't surprised. According to the Book of Weirdness, hatchlings only inherited basic knowledge from the skill user. They wouldn't gain any secrets or private memories.

Still, just to be sure, Edric tested her.

"Tell me everything you know."

A part of him worried that his knowledge of Earth might be considered basic knowledge and have been inherited by them.

Without hesitation, she began speaking:

"We are your descendants. Our purpose is to serve you and help you conquer this world—for the glory of the Abyss. This place is Elowen Kingdom, and—"

"What?!"

Edric cut her off, his eyes widening in shock.

"Help me conquer this world… for the glory of the Abyss?"

Clearly, the Spawn skill had unexpected side effects.

"Yes, Father," she replied confidently. "We are all here to open this world's gate for the Demon King of Weirdness!"

At those words, Edric's expression darkened.

A heavy feeling settled in his chest.

"I should have known... Using these Abyss-related spells and skills was never going to be that simple."

With a deep sigh, he realized—this situation was going to be far more complicated than he had anticipated.

Of course, Edric didn't serve any Demon King—or anyone, for that matter.

He was simply trying to grow stronger—strong enough that no one could kill or harm him.

Still, this situation was becoming more troublesome by the second.

He turned to another newly hatched boy and ordered, "You. Tell me everything you know!"

The boy bowed and replied with unwavering conviction.

"Father, as she said, we are here to serve you and help you take over this world—for the glory of our lord and father, the Demon King of Weirdness."

Edric's expression darkened.

"Damn it. I should've known better than to mess with Abyss-related skills!"

Suppressing a sigh, he asked, "Would you obey my every command?"

The boy didn't hesitate.

"Our purpose is to obey you."

"That's a good start… But let's see how deep this goes."

Edric continued, "And what about the Demon King of Weirdness? Whose orders take priority—mine or his?"

At that, the boy suddenly froze. His expression twisted in genuine confusion, as if Edric had just asked something beyond his comprehension.

For a full thirty seconds, the room was silent.

Then, with visible distress, the boy finally answered, "That… that is impossible! I do not understand, my father, my lord… What do you mean? As far as I know, my father and the Demon King of Weirdness are the same person!"

Edric's stomach dropped.

"I can't trust them at all."

These hatchlings believed the Demon King of Weirdness was their father—which meant they thought he was the Demon King of Weirdness.

"Do I look like a damn demon king?" Edric thought bitterly.

He was just a transmigrator from Earth—nothing more!

Still, he needed to confirm something.

"Tell me, do you know anything else? Do you know what a cellphone is?"

The boy's brow furrowed in confusion.

"I am sorry, Father… I do not know what a 'cellphone' is." He bowed, looking ashamed.

Edric pressed further, asking more questions about Earth.

Each time, the hatchlings had no idea what he was talking about.

To be absolutely sure, Edric used a few Silver-grade mind control spells on different hatchlings and asked again.

Same result.

"So, they really don't know about Earth…" Edric sighed in relief.

They might be brainwashed by Abyssal influence, but at least they didn't inherit his secrets.

"I can't use them for anything sensitive, but they'll still be useful for my plan."

With that thought, he began distributing clothes and identity cards, preparing to send them off according to his plan.

There was still much work to be done.