Screens floated before Emily.
[You have received the following rewards.]
[High Grade Mana Crystal x1,440]
[Blazing Minotaur Horn x72]
[Inferno Iron Ingot x240]
[High Grade Fire Essence x192]
[Boss Core Fragment x48]
[Gold Coin x1200]
[Legendary Equipment Set: Infernal Tyrant Set x2]
The rewards alone were enough to make most Lords jealous. The amount of resources was enormous, and the two Legendary-grade equipment set were especially valuable. Even among well-established Cities, Legendary equipment was not something that could be acquired casually.
Then more notifications appeared immediately afterward.
[Title ’Expert Monster Hunter’ has been upgraded to ’Master Monster Hunter.’]
[Title ’Master Monster Hunter’ has been upgraded to ’Grandmaster Monster Hunter.’]
[Title ’Critical Hit Expert’ has been upgraded to ’Critical Hit Master.’]
[Title ’Critical Hit Master’ has been upgraded to ’Critical Hit Grandmaster.’]
The rewards were bountiful. The legendary grade equipment sets were quite powerful. The Titles were even better.
Grandmaster Monster Hunter increased her damage against normal monsters by forty percent, and by thirty percent against Boss Monster.
One had to remember that these boosts of these Titles gained from hunting Boss Monsters were also applied to Emily’s summons. Oz, Ezekiel, Crimson Sky Wyrm, Colossus Grazer, Iron Armor Rhino. All of them benefited from the Title, as did Emily. Such a damage multiplier made her a terrifying combatant. One could say she had become a force of nature. Any Lord who might have been harboring thoughts about attacking her or Isaac’s City would think twice after this.
Emily looked at her second Title.
Critical Hit Grandmaster five percent chances to double damage of her each attack. This Title also applied to all her summons. With the Critical Hit Grandmaster and Grandmaster Monster Hunter Titles working together, Emily’s summon could punch way above their limits.
"We won the competition. I knew we were going to win, but this feels unreal," Averon muttered from the side with a blank expression.
"We did," Avery answered. "You helped us too. Good work."
"I didn’t do much," Averon gave a wry smile, looking at Emily and Alice. The combination of those two had been the reason they won this competition.
"Don’t beat yourself over it. Your performance was good. If you keep training, you will be able to get as strong as My lady and Alice. You have the potential," Eleanor said.
"Thank you for your kind words," Averon smiled.
His arrogant expression was to be seen nowhere. Today’s competition had humbled him. It felt the same way when he had first met with other Lords.
Back then, Averon had just upgraded his Talent to Transcendent rank and prepared to step into the bigger world.
But after watching the Cities and countless powerful summons of other Lords, he had been humbled quickly.
These Lords had been ruling for decades. Some Cities had been standing for centuries, the ownership being passed through the ruling families.
The sheer amount of powerful summons they had was astounding.
That made Averon realize that no matter how strong he got, he was just one person.
These Lords might not be powerful personally, but their military might was heavenly.
’I think Isaac might be able to match the military might of other Lords in a few years,’ Averon thought.
He had the same thought when he found out about Isaac’s Lord Talent. But back then, he wasn’t very confident.
But now he was.
With powerful subordinates like Emily, Alice, Eleanor and Avery, Isaac’s City would flourish at fast speed.
’I’m actually 100% confident that Isaac can overwhelm the military might of other Lords that they spent centuries and generations to gather. What a ridiculous thought.’ Averon smiled wryly.
Eleanor had been watching his expression. She could guess his confident had taken hit.
Suddenly, she spoke, "Do you want to become my disciple?"
"Huh? What would—"
"No!" Oz shouted, already in front of Averon and holding his shoulders. "Don’t agree to her demands! You will regret it for your life!"
Oz’s panicked expression was a sight to see. Nobody would believe he was the East Sea Dragon King, going by his expression.
On the other hand, Alice also approached Averon and spoke, "You should agree. She taught me and I’m this strong because of her."
"T-This brat! Wait, are you her disciple? Fuck, you lunatic! Stop trying to drag other people into hell just because you are there too!" Oz shouted.
"What are you talking about?" Alice answered with a neutral expression.
Oz wasn’t fooled by that calm expression. He knew what she was doing. He had seen his other fellow disciples do that several times.
They would happily drag more people into misery. He never understood what king of perverted pleasure they got by doing so. However, he refused to let someone suffer under his master, if he could help it.
"This will be your only chance if you want to be my disciple. I have an eye on someone from the City. So, I plan to train you with her," Eleanor said.
Before Oz could speak again, Averon asked, "Can I be strong if I train under you?"
"Yes," Eleanor nodded.
By now Averon knew Eleanor was not simple. She might be only a low rank species but she was terrifyingly strong.
"Didn’t you hear what I said?!" Oz asked, shaking Averon.
"Can I be as strong as him if I train under you?" Averon asked Eleanor again, pointing at Oz.
"It would depend on your determination," Eleanor answered.
"Then I want to be your disciple," Averon answered.
Oz stared at Averon for several seconds then let go with a sigh. He just gave a pat on the back to him and didn’t say anything else.
While the group was bantering, Emily was going through the list of items in the Special Shop.
This shop was something she gained access to because the System took back her double Titles.
Suddenly, Emily’s gaze stopped at an item.
[Master-Slave Collar (Legendary)]
[Effect: When used on a target, the user will gain 100% control of the target’s body and mana. The target must be weaker than the user or willing to wear the collar.]
[Duration: 3 hours]
[Cooldown: 1 week]
Nobody knew what Emily was thinking when she stared at the item. However, a blush crept onto her face.
She almost clicked on the "Buy" option.
However, her thoughts were interrupted at that moment.
"Should we enter the Fourth Area?" Alice asked.
"Wow, this girl is crazy," Oz muttered.
"No. We can’t," Eleanor answered. "Everyone here is tired. Emily and you have already emptied your entire Mana pool several times. If you do it again, you might go into Mana Shock. The summons are also physically and mentally exhausted, even if they are healed. Additionally, we aren’t strong enough to deal with Fourth Area. So we are returning. The competition has ended already."
Alice nodded. She didn’t argue, but Emily could tell she was disappointed. The dragon clearly wanted to continue fighting.
After spending so much time battling powerful opponents and growing stronger throughout the competition, stopping now wasn’t what she wanted. Unfortunately, everyone had reached their limits.
Emily herself could feel how exhausted she was. Her mana pool had been emptied several times during the competition, and although she had recovered enough to move normally, she knew Eleanor was right.
Once everything was finished, the group exited the Great Dungeon. The moment they stepped outside, a deafening roar greeted them.
Cheers erupted from every direction as thousands of spectators celebrated their return. Reporters pushed through the crowd while cameras flashed nonstop. The fresh air felt different after spending so much time underground, and the sight of the blue sky overhead felt strangely refreshing. Combined with the sea of cheering people surrounding them, the entire experience was almost intoxicating.
At the front of the crowd stood Isaac.
The moment Oz saw him, his expression changed. Ezekiel reacted at almost the same time. Neither of them had entered Emily’s Soul Space during the competition, and before anyone could react, both summons moved. Strength surged through their bodies as they instantly appeared beside Isaac and attacked with full force. Oz swung his weapon while Ezekiel brought down his hammer, neither holding back in the slightest.
"What is this about?" Isaac asked.
The moment he spoke, a familiar authority spread through the area. Alice immediately recognized the ability. Voice of Seraphim activated before either summon could react. Oz and Ezekiel froze in place as their bodies became completely immobile. Since Emily hadn’t supplied them with additional mana after leaving the dungeon, neither possessed enough energy to properly defend themselves against the skill.
"Shut up, monster!" Oz roared. Veins bulged across his arms as he physically struggled against the stun. "No matter how good your disguise is, we can tell you are a Catastrophe!"
Both Oz and Ezekiel stared at Isaac. The longer they observed him, the stranger he appeared. Oz could tell at a glance that Isaac possessed countless abilities. He felt impure like the devils they had encountered before, yet he also carried a holy presence similar to a Saint. His mana was vast like a dragon’s while he remained completely human. Everything about him contradicted itself. His abilities shouldn’t coexist within a single person. To them, there was only one explanation. He had to be a System Monster. Most likely a Catastrophe.
"Wait, he is Isaac! My husband!" Emily shouted as she flew toward them.
By then, both summons had regained control of their bodies. Before Emily could get close, Ezekiel stepped forward and gently pushed her back while Oz continued staring directly at Isaac.
"You two, stop pointing your weapons at him," Emily ordered.
Neither summon obeyed.
Emily stared at them in surprise. The reason for their reaction was simple. Both Ancient Kings could sense a power inside Isaac that felt strangely similar to Emily herself. Rather than reassuring them, that similarity only made them more suspicious.
Oz narrowed his eyes. "You, are you a Catastrophe with abilities similar to Incubus abilities? That would explain why you have so many abilities without any apparent limit."
"Aye. That would explain it. The wretch has ensnared you, Spirit Tamer." Ezekiel nodded in agreement.
The surrounding crowd immediately became quieter. Cameras shifted toward Isaac while reporters eagerly focused on the conversation. Isaac, who had been watching everything with an amused smile, suddenly stiffened.
’Did he just say I’m an Incubus and that I ensnared Emily?’
He didn’t even need to look around. He already knew every camera nearby had recorded those exact words.
Isaac slowly closed his eyes.
’My reputation is fucked.’
At that point, he knew there was no point trying to defend himself against the accusation. Fans of his wives would never listen anyway. Instead, he chose to address the more important issue.
"Eleanor and Avery would know if I was a Catastrophe."
Those words caused both Ancient Kings to pause. Oz trusted Eleanor’s abilities. If Isaac truly was a Catastrophe, she should have noticed. Even if Eleanor somehow couldn’t because of her current strength, Avery certainly should have been able to detect it.
A few moments later, Avery stepped forward with an amused smile.
"He is correct. Isaac is special. But he is not a Catastrophe or a monster."
Oz and Ezekiel continued staring at Isaac. Although Isaac was powerful, neither believed he possessed the strength necessary to somehow manipulate Avery. That possibility was simply absurd.
After several moments, Oz finally lowered his weapon. "It seems we overreacted. We apologize."
Isaac simply nodded before sweeping his gaze across the team. When his eyes landed on Alice, she immediately stiffened. Her tail moved nervously behind her. She had secretly hoped he might praise her. After all, she had fought bravely and helped win the competition. Maybe he would overlook some of her reckless actions.
Those hopes vanished instantly.
Isaac’s gaze moved right past her as though she wasn’t even there.
Alice felt her stomach drop.
He was angry.
"Follow me," Isaac said.
Nobody argued. The group began moving through the crowd while Emily flew toward Alice, immediately noticing how miserable the girl suddenly looked.
Before Emily could ask what was wrong, a crack appeared in the distance just outside the city’s barrier.
The crack rapidly expanded as strange mana poured through it. The energy felt unfamiliar, yet it moved incredibly fast. Before Isaac or anyone else could react, it spread across the entire city.
Then time froze.
Everything stopped. People froze where they stood. The wind stopped moving. Birds remained suspended in the air. The entire city became motionless.
The crack expanded further.
Then two figures stepped through.
One was a thin and tall man. The other was a giant with brown stone-like skin. The thin man held out his palm, and a single snake scale floated above it. He glanced toward the city before letting out an annoyed sigh.
"We had to wait for so long because of this stupid competition. Let’s finish our task quickly so that we can leave."
The giant nodded. "Okay."
The two men casually walked through the city frozen in time. Nobody could move. Nobody could react. Ignoring everyone around them, the pair headed directly toward Emily.