'Wait, I'm Supposed to Become a Goddess?! But I'm a Guy!'

After the battle, the true weight of this territory’s power finally sank into the minds of the major forces.

The upper echelons of the region, the real lords behind those names, were shaken.

Especially after their scouts returned from the battlefield, whispering half-panicked reports.

The kind of power they described didn’t match any conventional scale. It wasn’t just strong, it was impossibly absurd!

Now, not a single force dared harbor any reckless ideas toward this place.

If anything, they were making subtle moves to shift their own main headquarters here.

For one, the security this land provided was simply unmatched, an anchor in the storm of an unpredictable future.

The native true lords, they knew the true meaning of the ancient prophecy.

The people from the sky will come to this land...

Heavens safeguarded under their might, and to be safe, to be sure that they won't die, go to these heavens.

Naturally these heavens meant the Lord's territories.

The main reason why the natives were so desperate to enter Liam's territory was due to this prophecy.

The nobles, awakeners, and those in power knew that the future doesn't belong to them, but to these outsiders.

As such, the major forces were slowly and surely, moving their headquarters here to Liam's territory.

But that was not the only reason, the native true lords also came here for the huge underground world dungeon.

The Adventure Guild couldn't hide the news for too long, and eventually, the other forces followed suit in their steps, but a chess piece behind.

And second, the access to the underground world dungeon was too enticing to ignore.

Their relocation wasn’t loud, nor was it immediate, but step by step, they were moving.

The whole region noticed their movements, and followed suit in their steps.

Now, Liam's territory was slowly becoming the new center of the region, the gathering hub for all of the major forces.

Soon enough, this territory would become the new heart of power.

At the same time, the reactions from the global lords were also rather concerning.

Many died these past couple of months, their territory hearts shattered, and the number of lords dwindled.

To counter this issue, several of the top ranking lords decided to create a coalition, an alliance to be exact, to support each other.

They even invited Liam to join, but with the way Mize was injured and currently in a coma, Liam wasn't in the mood to entertain anyone.

However, Liam's refusal was used by them, and lies were generated under his name.

Calling him a scoundrel for refusing to contribute to the human race.

Like a spark of flame, the forest was ignited.

Liam's fame was completely turned upside down overnight as the global chat was filled with curses and swears at his name...

And also... Mize.

Then, he snapped.

Cursing him, hating him, wanting to kill him! He tolerated those words, just a bunch of mindless ants.

But he saw several hideous comments from the lords.

"You want to touch my wife!"

"You want to take her away from me!"

And worse, some even openly declared that Liam's wife will be his whore soon. Mocking her, defiling her, even if they were words.

Liam... was enraged!

"Then, die all of you! I will wipe out every single one of you from the face of this earth"

"And death wouldn't be the end"

Liam went completely mad, ordered Saka to take his shadow army under his lead and began a huge cleansing campaign outside of the territory.

In several months alone, countless lives perished under his name.

The natives were given the choices of relocation or death.

As for the lords, Liam spared none of them.

Several lords that were nearby united together to resist him, calling for a negotiation, that Liam shouldn't follow his emotions!

But Liam ignored them, and massacred the surrounding hundreds of kilometres into a dead zone. Google seaʀᴄh novelFɪre.net

Such an intense reaction from him caused several of the other top ranking lords to unite under the same banner.

War...

War is coming...

A never ending slaughter in this world.

As for the Major forces, despite Liam's ruthlessness and cruelty on the outside, they remained still and neutral throughout the time.

After all, even without the complete presence of Liam's army in the territory, his presence alone was more than enough to push these forces horizontally.

It wasn’t just the military prowess that got to them, it was the terrifying strength of the lord and his wife.

The so-called “angel.”

In more than a few reports, the two had displayed overwhelming dominance, enough to make Tier 8 cultivators look like children fumbling in the dark.

Sure, there were inconsistencies in the scouts’ reports, some moments that felt exaggerated, some missing too many details, but even then, the core message hit hard.

And unfortunately for them, it was the truth.

Brutally so.

No one wanted to test their luck anymore. No one wanted to become the next example.

Somewhere else, high above, in the floating city known as the Sky Island of the Underground World Dungeon, a meeting was underway.

Inside the tallest chamber of the Adventurer Guild’s main building, six figures sat gathered in a grand hall meant only for the uppermost circle.

It was a place meant to impress, and it did.

The hall was massive, every inch of it.

Towering pillars loomed around them, each backed by richly dyed banners.

Their guild flags hung like silent watchers, swaying faintly in the high-altitude wind that snuck in from somewhere above.

The walls were tall, almost fortress-like in their scale, curving gently into the domed ceiling.

At the far right end, an enormous set of iron-inlaid doors remained shut, sealed for privacy.

At the center of the chamber, atop a slightly raised platform, sat a lavishly decorated circular table.

Every seat around it looked more like a throne than a chair, ornate and regal.

This was the full hidden core of the Adventurer Guild. The real power behind its name.

Three men. Three women.

And today, they were finally speaking about the one thing all of them had tried to avoid thinking about too deeply: the lord of this territory.

The first to speak was a giant of a man.

He had a deep scar that stretched diagonally across his face, and his grey hair was the shade of weathered steel.

Even sitting down, he looked like he could tower over most men.

His broad shoulders strained against the thick furs draped over him, and his voice came out like the rumble of a distant avalanche.

"Today," he began, voice slow and weighty, "we’ve gathered to discuss our stance on this... lord."

He scanned the room briefly, his eyes glowing like lightning.

"I ask all of you... under my name, Garron... to take this meeting seriously. I’m sure you’ve all received the same reports I have. The situation can’t be ignored."

"Don’t worry, Garron," came a raspy but firm voice from the opposite end of the table.

The speaker was Rakkah, an old man hunched with age.

His snow-grey hair hung like strands of withered silk, and his small frame looked like it belonged in a quiet garden, not a war room.

"We didn’t come here for tea," Rakkah added, tapping one thin finger on the wood.

Garron nodded respectfully. "Rakkah..."

He turned his gaze next to the side, toward a woman seated with one leg crossed over the other.

Her posture was relaxed, but nothing about her said casual.

Her armor was tight-fitted leather, not for show, but for mobility.

It clung to her in elegant curves, and her long green hair flowed behind her like a forest mist.

The strands curled at the ends, creating soft arches that framed her sharp jawline.

"Vessa?" Garron asked.

She looked up, emerald eyes glinting like a knife beneath moonlight.

One hand rested on the hilt of a short blade tied to her hip, the other lazily stirred a cup of tea on the table.

She hadn’t taken a sip, probably cold by now.

She tilted her head, lips curling in amusement.

"You already know what I think," she said, voice smooth but tinged with a playful edge.

"That man’s no ordinary lord. He’s either blessed by something… or cursed by everything else. Either way, if we piss him off, we’re done."

Her words lingered like smoke.

Garron let out a deep breath.

"Really now, I noticed several of your men doing some shady business in the main city weeks before"

"I hope whatever you are doing, do not cause trouble to us"

“I know...” Vessa returned the look with a sly little smile tugging at one corner of her lips, her voice laced with something playfully mocking.

“I’m not dumb enough to start my usual nonsense in this territory. I’ve no plans to go head-to-head with hundreds of True Lords."

Across the table, Garron raised his chin ever so slightly, eyes sweeping over the rest of them like a stormfront on the horizon.

“What about the three of you?”

“Marla.”

“Torren.”

“Juna…”

He called out their names one by one, and despite the cutting edge in his tone, the three of them didn’t budge.

They lounged easily in their chairs, not the least bit bothered by Garron’s intimidating posture.

The first to speak was Torren, a striking man dressed in a robe so white it gleamed like moonlight.

His silvery hair framed a face that was almost too perfect, his smile even more so, though there was something hollow behind it.

“I, Torren, agree with your words.”

“Me too, me too~” piped up a smaller voice, light and childlike.

A petite figure raised her hand excitedly.

Her long golden hair spilled behind her like a waterfall, but her face was hidden behind a white mask etched with red, abstract lines.

“Marla doesn’t want to play around either.”

In truth, Marla looked like a kid.

Maybe she was.

Maybe not.

It was hard to tell, especially with True Lords, most of them had lived long enough to forget what being young even meant.

Then, Juna finally spoke from the side.

A beautiful woman with reading glasses perched on her nose, she held a closed book gently in one hand, fingers still resting on the spine.

“I, Juna, agree with your words as well.”

“Good,” Garron said with a nod, his tone was smooth.

“Now that everyone agrees not to stir up trouble in this territory, let’s move on to the next item on our agenda.”

Rukhar, who had been silent up until now, raised a brow, clearly curious where this was going.

“And that is?” he asked.

Garron turned his head slowly toward him, a smile beginning to bloom from the corner of his lips.

Without warning, he slapped the table with a loud thump that echoed across the polished surface.

“To find a way to enter this territory Lord’s cabinet."

—Swoosh—

“What?” The reaction was immediate, there wasn’t even a breath’s delay.

Juna’s voice rang out first, incredulous.

She gently set her book down on the table, pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, and let out a slow breath.

“And here I thought you were the one telling us not to mess around in this territory. But now you’re suggesting something this reckless?”

Torren chimed in from the side.

His elbow was propped on the table, chin resting on one gloved hand as he shot Garron a sidelong look.

“We all know how terrifying that person’s strength is,” he said flatly. “Especially after those recent changes… the number of True Lords under them now? It’s beyond what we could even dream of handling.”

“And that,” Garron said, leaning back in his chair, shoulders broad and relaxed as he crossed his arms, “is where you’re wrong.”

He smiled again. A full one this time.

“What I meant by entering the Lord’s cabinet is exactly that, literally.”

Vessa tilted her head, twirling a loose strand of hair around one finger.

Her body leaned forward slightly, chest pressing lightly against the edge of the table as her eyes narrowed, intrigued.

“You’re saying… join them?”

“Absurd!” Marla burst out, throwing both fists into the air in protest.

Her tiny legs swung beneath the chair as she kicked the air in frustration. “Why should we join them? That’s just throwing away our freedom! It’s a stupid idea!”

"There is no benefit for us to join the cabinet!"

“Wrong…” Garron said smoothly, shaking his head.

One arm gestured outward in a casual sweep, as if brushing away her argument like dust. “In fact, it would bring us more benefits.”

“How so?” Rukhar asked again, but this time, the curiosity in his tone was deeper, almost tempted.

Garron didn’t waste a second. He spread his arms wide, voice rising just enough to bounce off the grand stone pillars around the hall.

“Joining the strongest lords in this world?” he said, grinning now, “What don’t we gain by doing that?”