Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

His eyes widened when he stepped into his bustling city.

Busy citizens flooded the streets, making them seem narrow and overcrowded. The fresh forest wind carried their eager demands for jobs and housing. Some talked about the city's well-structured arrangement, while others stared wide-jawed at the towering obelisk casting a refreshing shade.

His lips curled into a bright smile as he followed their gazes and clenched his fist at the pulsing engravings running along the sleek structure's frame.

They shone in blue and gold, adding an air of archaic mysticism. But more importantly, pure mana surged from them!

Grinning from ear to ear, he slapped Bart's broad back in delight.

"It took so long, but we built it!"

Bart nodded, sharing his eagerness and smile as he pointed at two construction sites.

"That's just the beginning, my lord. We have many new citizens and fighters now. Look! Ozymandias already put them to work."

Where Bart pointed, he saw many demons, humans, and elves working together to build the territory's brand-new castle and walls. The rhythmic pounding of hammers and the sharp crack of axes echoed in his delighted heart.

"I put them to work because they have nowhere to stay!" Ozymandias' arrogant and annoyed voice echoed from behind as his firm hands gripped the duo's shoulders. "Do you think houses sprout like trees? The city is overpopulated already, and that's before you use the ridiculous amount of cores you brought back."

He pulled Adam closer, his grip tightening.

"I warn you, this city can't expand anymore without destroying the forest. So, you either relocate a quarter of the population or raze the surrounding nature to the ground."

Adam's eyes slipped to the side, an impish smile blossoming on his lips.

"I already planned it out. Once we conquer Oikos, I'll relocate the territory to its center and solve the problem for good. Until then, the soldiers following me to war will free a bit of space, meaning we don't need to move our citizens." He shrugged and gestured at the large houses. "They're built for families. Cohabitation is a practical solution for now."

He removed Ozymandias' hands from his shoulder and nodded.

"Thank you for bringing up the issue, but I must prepare for the event. You can discuss things further with Bart or the other generals, though."

Without looking back, he stepped away, greeted his smirking generals, and smiled at the frowning Luna.

Despite her burning cheeks and racing heart, she knew that time was short. Thus, they lost themselves in each other's bright eyes for a fleeting second before he blew her a kiss and fled to the demon den.

Amidst the acrid scent of sulfur and the biting chill of the frost-filled place, he stood before the fiery and frozen pool, his finger tapping rhythmically against his lips as he observed the two thousand tier-three and four beast cores. Of course, he had gotten much more of the second tier but had gifted them to Mimi. After all, weak soldiers wouldn't fit his rapid expansion style.

Still, Ozymandias' warning stuck to his ears, and another concern came to complement it.

"Only three hundred demons protect my town in the north. I'll start by summoning a thousand there. The one in the south should be fine, but adding five hundred can't hurt. I'll also diversify their species since the crushing majority are demons."

A steely glint flashed in his eyes as he hurled the cores into the pool and selected the soldiers' spawning points.

"Humph. I'd like to see how Oikos will react to an attack from three directions."

Though the idea was still rough, he planned to harass the kingdom in the initial stage. Forced to divide its army, he'll strike the less protected areas to bleed it out before their final confrontation.

"They'll fear my name. But the event first."

He reminded himself as he summoned 475 elven archers and 25 mages. Then, he shuddered before Hrimgar and summoned five more Jotuns with his help.

Delighted to cut their conversation short, he guided the recruits to Garduck and took a minute to assess his gains in the warehouse.

Leaning against the wall for support, his eyes trembled at the endless list of materials. Even the four basic ones hovered as if to taunt him with their many digits.

[stones x840.000/ wood x1.555.000/ iron x350.740 / food x3.000.000]

After a moment to recover, he whistled.

"Unlike noob lords like us, established cities overflow with riches."

An eager grin split his face as he checked his fire gems. However, he sighed and slammed the warehouse door behind him as he left.

"Only a hundred and most came from the lords... Tsk. I guess the elves burned their stock in their disgusting vampire creation experiments. What a bunch of retards."

With everything more or less sorted, he went to find Karna in the chaotic forge since he doubted he'd stay alone in the mountains. After all, Wukong and Ozymandias were busy elsewhere.

On his way, he focused on his notifications and interface—the last thing he had to check.

However, he frowned at the absence of experience gained from devouring Muninn.

'Is it because I assimilated its energy?' He theorised, shrugging in dismissal before his eyes widened at his chaotic, demonic essence.

Name:

Adam

Race:

Demonic draconian

Talent:

B grade (Upgradable): I'm a gamer!

Chaotic demonic essence:

3.003

"How did it double?! Wait, I get three points every half an hour now?!"

Mind racing, he paced before the forge's intricate doors.

'My body adapted to convert Muninn's divine energy, meaning I'm now converting demonic essence, mana, and qi!'

He licked his lips, anticipation flushing his face red as he pushed the doors open and stepped into the familiar place.

A blast of burning air carrying the scent of coal and melted metal collided with his leather armor. The clangor of a dozen hammers pounding metal followed as burly men of all ages and a female demon sweated before their anvils.

By the side, Muramasa and Karna raised their mugs, appreciating the flavor of elven alcohol despite the chaos.

'Tsk. They always drink it all. I didn't even get to taste the rum from last time!'

Huffing, he imagined himself snatching the barrel and savouring it with Luna. But he needed his mind clear for the next few days. Instead, he greeted Karna and asked him for training.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Sure, Adam. But I can feel the faint draconic might you exude and that your chaos rose in level." Karna tucked his fingers around his chin. "I taught you the basics, but your energy became too different from my solar element."

He chuckled as Adam's lips twisted.

"Don't worry. We can slowly figure things out. You should seek Wukong's wisdom to progress further starting next week. I don't want to belittle the others, myself included, but he's the only one who truly became divine and his mastery overshadows ours."

Adam nodded before they bid farewell to Muramasa and locked themselves in a room on the second floor.

Sharing moments of shock and amusement, they learned more about his powers and instincts. Fascinated, they forgot to eat or leave the room, and soon, three days flashed by, signalling the beginning of the second event.