Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

The sun dipped on the horizon and rose to shine its bright rays as the territory bustled with activity.

Hammers striking wood and metal reverberated through the tranquil scenery as new buildings rose in an orderly manner.

Yet, each time the powerful demons passed by the demonic altar, they couldn't help but sigh and glimpse at their lord's hut and its closed doors.

"When are you going to come out?"

The question stuck to everyone's lips, yet they could do nothing but grit their teeth and work hard until he walked out.

****

Despite the setting sun and their worry, they found solace by imagining his face when he would see the progress they had made today.

With this thought in mind, they dined together, listening to Luna's reassuring words even if some doubted her a little, and went to sleep.

****

And on the next day...

DING

[Talent's daily use available. Use: Yes/No]

"Hmm."

He yawned and stretched his limbs as the familiar sound of his notification woke him up. Yet, he ignored it, his heart drumming against his chest as he leapt to his feet.

Clenching his fists in anticipation, he peered down and saw two beige legs veering to a redder color and covered with sparse fiery-red scales.

He grinned at the well-toned muscles, the dark claws protruding from his feet, and his long tail. His hands moved to his veiny arms and torso, a delighted shudder shaking his back as he felt his skin's supple but tough texture.

"I look so hot!"

As he raised his fist, he felt his long, flowing black hair tickle his neck, noticing the sensation wasn't the same everywhere.

Intrigued, he admired the scarlet scales covering his vital areas, a thin yet iron-like layer shimmering in the morning light.

"Of course, you look good! Do you think I want my contractor to look like a little shit when he conquers the god's realms? It'll be a disgrace to my name!"

Timat's sneer echoed from the room's other side. A smirk played on her lips as she appraised his towering 1.8-meter frame and pleasingly aesthetic appearance.

Then, she waved her hand, sending a stream of chaotic water dart between his two proud horns and into his brain before he could react.

"As promised, your reward for humiliating the cheaters."

His eyes trembled as a flood of information accompanied her words. Images of himself calling upon dark flames flickering erratically and charring illusionary enemies appeared.

Right after, another image replaced the first. This time, he conjured a chaotic storm, spreading three meters in all directions and melting the ground, making for a hellish terrain that combusted his powerless adversaries.

The best part? With each image, he felt his energy surge through him, as if he actually conjured those terrifying abilities, meaning he could master them in the blink of an eye after learning to control his energy.

"I have high hopes for you, so don't disappoint me and continue like this."

With those words, she pulled the blanket over her face and fell silent.

Meanwhile, the sound of his fist meeting his palm echoed, and his smile reached his eyes.

'I'm eager to focus on that, but I forgot to upgrade the territory before evolving.'

He shook his head, berating himself for the blunder as he stepped to his lord badge and touched it.

DING

Territory status

Rank: Iron III

Area: 1km²

Special building: Demonic altar LV3, Chaos Forge LV7, Demeter's Harvest Hall LV2.

Materials required to rank up: an iron III lord badge, 100 units of iron, 1000 units of wood, and 1000 units of stones.

"That's not cheap..."

He bit his lips at the resources needed to rank it up once. Even if he had enough, he would have to fork more for the next level and with no stable supply of stones and iron, his stash would only dwindle.

Still, he couldn't progress without raising his territory's rank, so he pressed yes.

His heart raced in his chest as he waited for the ground to rumble or distant noises to echo, yet nothing happened.

'What a letdown...'

Clicking his tongue, he checked the interface window, noticing the size doubled along the materials.

With a shrug, he upgraded it again using the lord of the nine realms' iron II badge.

'I can upgrade my hut to level nine now!'

He grinned, switching to the building interface and spamming the upgrade button without checking the resource requirements.

Draconian Demonic lord house LV6

HP: 16000

Materials required to level up: 600 units of stone, 700 units of wood, 150 units of iron and a population of 15 tier 2 citizens. Territory must reach the Iron I rank.
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He paid 260 units of iron, 1300 of stone and 1600 of wood to reach the sixth level and finally transform his hut into an actual house!

However, he clicked his tongue in disappointment when he pressed to upgrade it to the seventh level.

[5500 iron/8600 stones/950 wood/ food 7 528.]

[Not enough wood and tier two population insufficient to upgrade.]

Simultaneously, the wooden floor rumbled and splintered under his feet. A rocky floor replaced it and extended several meters in every direction before neat planks covered them.

The smell of newly polished wood filled the place as fresh walls rose from the ground, separating the new rooms.

Finally, the ceiling rose farther above, a second floor forming above his head, and a flight of stairs emerged to connect it to the first.

Once the shaking receded, he took his surroundings in and whistled at the spacious living room he stood in.

A cold fireplace stood by the side, and despite the lack of furniture, he grinned, rushed upstairs, and entered one of the two rooms.

"Hahaha! Tiamat has her room now, and the kitchen is much better! But more importantly, my bed became better!"

He sat on it, feeling the soft mattress and new blankets in bliss. No matter what others said, sleep was critical to any living being. And since it was mandatory, he planned to enjoy the best he could by getting the most comfortable bed possible!

Chuckling at the idea, a surge of adrenaline rushed through his veins next as he summoned his talent's wheel.

Without hesitation and noticing it grew broader with his evolution, he spun it and focused on the new items featured on it.

The needle's rattle echoed in his ears as his eyes darted to a few equipment pieces he had used in various MMORPGs, all enchanted to perfection. Eagerness filling his racing heart, he raised his fist and shouted.

"Give me an SSR item to celebrate my evolution, rise in tier, and compensate for yesterday's missed draw!"

Yet, his lips twisted as the needle passed them all one after another, making the slow show cruel and dousing all his expectations with a bucket of icy water.

After a moment, it hovered between a stack of ten thousand arrows and an old parchment on the verge of crumbling.

"Am I cursed? Why do I get useless items most of the time?"

His eyes rolled as the needle stopped on the parchment, and a notification echoed in his ears.

[Congratulations on obtaining the legendary item: Parchment of Absolution]