Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

After a brief contemplation, his subjects carried the kobolds' carcasses to the entrance.

Meanwhile, his eyes sparkled with curiosity as his fingers swiped through the air, and his kill notifications appeared in green, swirling flames.

[You and your subjects have defeated 2 lvl 15 kobolds. You have gained 150 experience points.]

[You and your subjects have defeated 20 tier two level 15 demonised kobolds. You have gained 60000 experience points.]

[Congratulations on levelling up. Please check your interface and decide how to distribute your points.]

His fist struck his palm, the sound echoing amidst the chaotic butchery's aftermath as his lips stretched into a broad grin at their tiers.

'Baal, this pesky idiot. He's just sending us experience points. Should I thank him the day I shove my fist into his face?' Discover exclusive content at m,v l'e|m-p y r

An inner chuckle reverberated in his mind as he attributed his stat points. With each added, he felt his muscles and organs tense and relax in a symphony of progress that made him more powerful, sturdier, and faster.

Name: Adam

Race: Draconic Oni

Affinity: chaotic, demonic energy

Talent: D grade (Upgradable): I'm a gamer!

Job: /

Class: Chaos Druid

LVL: 27

Exp: 21800/51000

HP: 1910/1910

Vitality: 127->139 (+52)

Strength: 127->139 (+23)(+33)

Agility: 127->139 (+32)(+40)

Chaotic demonic essence: 232

Free attribute points: 36->0

Once done, he tucked his fingers around his chin, his eyes darting towards Luna.

'I wonder if I surpassed her now.'

The image of her interface on their first meeting resurfaced in his mind as he remembered the shock he felt at her abnormal stat points.

'Only one way to know!'

He grinned, observing her intensely until her panel appeared.

Name: Luna

Race: Succubus Queen

Affinity: demonic energy

Job: /

Class: Sorceress

Loyalty: 80

LVL: 27

Exp: 17800/51000

Attributes:

HP: 3310/3310

Vitality: 283(+48)

Strength: 141(+30)

Agility: 185(+38)

Demonic essence: 80

"..."

His smile twitched at the sight, and his face froze at the joke.

'How many stat points does she get per level?!'

The question rumbled in his mind as she turned to look him in the eyes.

"Humph! Didn't your parents teach you not to glare at a lady?"

Her icy snort echoed in his ears, but despite her sarcastic tone, he could see the slight blush creeping from her neck to her cheeks.

Before the situation could become awkward, he scratched the back of his head and offered her an apology.

"My bad. I'll try not to do it."

'I mean to tease you... you look quite adorable like that.'

He turned, hiding his quivering lips and the laughter threatening to burst out of his throat.

Meanwhile, Garduck and the others returned, flames dancing in their eyes at the prospect of continuing to gather the free experience points.

Without wasting a second, he gestured for them to march out of the circular contraption.

Together, they traveled deeper into the tunnel, noting many empty side rooms on their way before their brows creased into frowns and their lips twisted in hesitation.

"The passage branches into too many directions. I can't be sure about their depth, but knowing the kobolds' love for excavation, it'll take us hours to examine them all."

Garduck's voice reverberated in the dimly lit corridors, disturbing the peaceful crackling of the torches.

Then, he continued with a plan that made everyone's frown turn into deep furrows.

"If we organise into small teams to explore each passage, we'll dramatically reduce the time required. If any group encounters enemies, they can flee and use their essence to create enough noise for us to locate them."

Honestly? He shrugged the plan off without thinking much and shook his head.

"Nop. We stay together and protect each other."

He patted Garduck's shoulder, comforting him with his next words.

"Once I summon more demons after this raid, I'll consider your proposition, though."

The idea wasn't bad, but they were too few, and the location was far from ideal. In a maze of sinuous galleries, with no information about the number or strength of their enemies, he'd rather not take unnecessary risks and sacrifice a few extra hours.

'With their stunt during the event, I doubt we'll only fight tier-two creatures. There must be at least one on the third tier, perhaps more... I hope there aren't any in the fourth.'

An icy shiver ran down his spine at the possibility. A greater demon had almost eviscerated everyone without sweating a few days ago. Then, what could a baron do? Would a sneeze from him obliterate them? Somehow, he believed it could really happen...

As he pondered, footsteps echoed from one of the branching paths, drawing his attention and causing his fingers to reach for his short sword. Eyes narrowed into slits, he raised his fist in a silent command for his subjects to assume their battle formation.

However, he couldn't help but think that something was off with the noise.

'Why are they so silent? Shouldn't they be screaming about becoming dragons or whatnot like lunatics?'

He placed his hand over his mouth, a calculative glint flashing in his eyes as the noises drew closer.

His subjects gazed at him, their arms itching and fidgeting with their weapons as the command to strike they had been waiting for didn't arrive.

"I want to see them first," he whispered, muffling the sound with his hand. "I believe they are either sane or the most powerful bunch in the mine. In the first case, we capture and force them to show us the right path. In the second..."

He smirked at his impatient subjects, noticing the eagerness in their fiery eyes.

"You know what to do already."

Despite his confident commands, icy sweat dripped from his back and his fingers twitched around the blade's pommel.

The second scenario would make things much harder for them. After all, he wanted to level up as much as possible before encountering the kobold's leader. That way, he would limit the risks for anyone to die to the maximum.

Yet, he also learned that everything didn't always go as one wished, especially since he set foot in this mysterious world. Therefore, he waited, his breathing and heart hasting with each second crawling by.