At least waiting wasn’t all bad for Jordan. While he wouldn't exactly call himself the best in the world at it, he was willing to be a patient man when he needed to be. It also helped that even when waiting, there was at least one form of satisfaction that had started to roll in.
Experience Earned!
+75 EXP
Yet at the same time, a slightly worrying thought did come to mind. When Jordan thought about the Crabs, he wondered just where exactly the first one he met had come from. Has that Crab truly been a loner who simply got unlucky, or were there still more somewhere in the area? His drones had yet to spot anything since then, of course, but he still couldn’t help but feel a bit concerned.
Especially as he wondered if, by now, the other Crabs of the world had noticed that one of their Kingdoms had disappeared from the leaderboard.
“Ah-choo!” Jordan sneezed from what felt like out of nowhere. He wiped his nose, hoping that he wasn’t catching a cold or something after spending quite a bit of time in the freezing mountain range. Even with his seemingly superhuman Stats, the last thing he wanted would be to get sick due to germs unique to this planet also getting higher Levels in order to still overwhelm his Stats.
In fact, he just really hoped that high Level bacteria or viruses weren’t a thing…
Experience Earned!
+75 EXP
Well, if nothing else, he looked forward to seeing each message appear as they ticked another small step closer to D Grade.
***
Across the other side of the world, a certain conversation was currently taking place. Three Crabs were together in a room. One sat on a throne handcrafted to accommodate his shape, extra long legs, and large overall size. The second was standing before the throne while respectfully bowing with its bent legs, and the third remained by a wall off to the side.
“Has there been any word on the Kingdom being held by Florence?” Wilfred Wilbur Wyndham III, more commonly referred to as the Golden Prince, asked. It was only a short while ago that he had noticed two things at around the same time. The first was that an unknown Kingdom by the name of Industry had been the first to increase its Rank and climb to the top of the leaderboard, and that one of his indirectly owned Kingdoms had gone missing.
“Not yet, your majesty. We sent our fastest units to investigate the matter, but considering the estimated distance, it will be at least several more days until they arrive. However, Florence did report the spotting of another Lord-type in the area, and the current theory is that it may have attacked them in a similar manner to how the one near us has continued to prove… troublesome,” the Crab answered with a bit of hesitation toward the end.
The Golden Prince just sighed. It was true that approximately seven miles or so away from his personal Kingdom was the lair of a mighty creature with Lord in its name. It was a Sea Leviathan Lord with a form so large, that it reportedly made even their Species of giant Crabs feel small in comparison. It was enough of a size difference that it could consume a Crab whole in just one bite, which was unfortunately something that had already happened enough to be a problem.
But while the huge beast did live quite a difference away, it still actively hunted a far enough area around its territory that the Crabs were having some difficulty avoiding the Leviathan as they tried to move to and from their Kingdom. And considering its high Level, not even the Golden Prince felt comfortable fighting it. At least not yet, as he did believe that it wouldn’t be long until his carefully chosen and evolved Skills would fully click together in how they optimally synergized as almost one whole.
Yet that time wouldn’t be now. Perhaps soon in just a couple of days, but would still mean that nothing could be done about it until then. As far as his current chances against the Leviathan, just based on reports from scouts, he believed that it was currently around 50-50 that he’d win on his own. Almost definitely even higher if the Golden Prince used the one-time effects of the Advancement Crystals he owned in concert with his own Skills, and broke many of them at once to combine their effects for an ultimate attack. But he’d chosen not to do so.
While the beast was a nuisance, he preferred to simply wait until victory became an absolute certainty without the use of a precious resource. This was simply par for the course for anyone who understood the Golden Prince’s mentality. One that was to hold back and simply keep building up, no matter the cost in the meantime, and then only move after he’d made sure that nothing had been left up to chance.
Yet the reason for the other Crab’s hesitation was one that came from an inherently conflicted mindset of their own. The Golden Prince had already admitted to his people that he would need some time to deal with the Leviathan Lord and prepare. To his subjects, this caused a bit of distress.
For on the one hand, the Golden Prince was an absolute being that should easily able to triumph over any foe with his godly might. But on the other hand, his word was absolute law and any strategy decided by him must be the best. For them to fully accept the strategy now meant that they also had to accept that their beloved leader was currently weaker than some beast. It was an impossible conundrum that their minds simply could not wrap around. And yet…
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“Tell me, Harry, do you have any suggestions or ideas for how we should proceed forward?” The Golden Prince asked. He tapped his claw against his throne. Despite being the one who chose to ask the question anyway, he was already cerain of what the answer would be.
“This lowly servant could not possibly think of anything that you haven’t already considered, your highness. Surely, the strategy you have already decided on and shared before must-”
“Very well,” the Golden Prince interjected with a wave of his claw. “In that case, give me an update on what we know of the gateways that populate this world. How safely can my people travel through them as a means of quickly moving across this planet?”
The other Crab simply bowed more deeply. “Of course, your majesty. According to our growing information network, it seems to be true that the System placed a gateway next to each of the Kingdoms that were initially claimed as part of the Quest. These gateways seem to average two destinations, though it is my greatest shame to admit to his highness that our sample size remains small. As for other gateways… there is an issue.
“More often than not, any gateway not placed near a Kingdom has been guarded as part of the territory of powerful native wildlife. We have yet to spot anymore Lord-type monsters in these instances, but many believe it to simply be a matter of time. We are still unsure of the exact pattern, but the System does seem to place a certain value on portals and has assigned them varying guards based on that. At least this is our leading theory, as the gateways that are not guarded have only led to a single destination of seemingly low value in magical treasures, low Level of monsters to hunt, or simply a fewer amount to find. Ah, and in addition, if one side of a gateway is guarded or safe, it seems to apply to each of its destinations as well.”
“Hmm, I see.” For the next several passing seconds, the Golden Prince remained quiet and in deep thought. The other Crab naturally also remained silent, patiently waiting for his ruler to take as much time as he needed. Though when he soon spoke again, it was due to having a question regarding something he wanted to have clarified before making any decisions.
“Tell me, do you have an estimate on the rate of unguarded gateways? In general terms, without taking any other factor into account? Ah, but of course, don’t count those claimed during the Quest.”
“Yes, your majesty. From currently discovered gateways, it is about one in six for those that are completely unguarded,” the Crab directly answered.
The Golden Prince just nodded, and dismissed the servant. The other Crab just wordless gave another quick bow, and then promptly exited the chamber to leave him alone with his most loyal guard and butler. If there was anyone whose competence he trusted, it was Sebastian. And this was largely due to one major reason.
Out of his entire Species, Sebastian was the only one who didn’t see the Golden Prince as some supreme, deity-like being. He was still incredibly loyal, of course, but it wasn’t loyalty born of religious fervor like everyone else. Yet for some reason, the Prince’s most trusted confident was the only one who could look at him without the bearing the eyes of a zealot. The Golden Prince had naturally wondered the reason why, as even from the youngest age he could remember, this contrast had existed between the butler and every other Crab.
“Tell me your honest thoughts, Sebastian. We have been surpassed by the Kingdom of Industry, and despite the boons it gained in making my own Level the highest, demanding such sacrifice has made my shell feel heavy. And even despite the System rewarding every achievement made so far for those who strive to be the first or garner the most in something, it has yet to reward us as a Species for claiming the greatest number of Kingdoms. Was the initial approach I chose the wrong one to make? For this Industry has clearly either achieved something that we have not, or its Lord was bold enough to sacrifice a great amount of Experience. I cannot help but ask myself if this Lord did so foolishly, or knew something we do not.”
The Golden Prince had sunk into his throne while speaking, feeling exhausted by the past few days. Due to the religiously beloved status he’d held across their Species, their world had attained unprecedented levels of peace even during just his early rule. And as someone who was seemingly naturally gifted in every task he put his mind to, he had also managed to easily navigate through any other problems that had appeared across his planet-sized domain.
Yet when the System had appeared to transport them all to this new planet, it felt like nothing he’d done was enough. That even with how quickly the scattered population of Crabs had established contact with one another, it always seemed as there was always more information that he didn’t know, than that he did. It was only when either totally alone or with Sebastian that he could give these doubts a voice. As even if he were to order his other subjects to question him and poke flaws in his plans, all that always led to was a mental breakdown that provided nothing good.
“I would not say it was the wrong choice, given how little we knew on the first day and still know so little now,” Sebastian Ironclaw eventually said while moving away from the wall. Even though he could speak freely and have been given permission to be honest, he’d still taken a few moments to choose his words carefully.
“But despite only a few days having passed since the Merging, it may be time to adjust our methods. We have sacrificed the many to increase the Levels of myself and your highness and advance your Skills. Yet instead of waiting further, the first step might be to consolidate the Kingdoms now? It may take some time since I believe each person holding ownership will need a while to find the safe gateways that eventually lead to them at least being close to here. Yet if the System does not reward the achievement of our Species holding the most Kingdoms, it may be worth it to instead bring them all under your name, officially,” Sebastian finished.
The Golden Prince considered the suggestion for a bit, but then slowly nodded. Perhaps his loyal butler was correct. Even just losing the lead on the Mightiest Kingdom leaderboard felt unacceptable as it was. While he’d already gathered quite the good Titles regarding every other leaderboard, the Golden Prince only accepted total and utter victory. It was with this thought that he gave Sebastian an order that would then be spread far and wide.
No longer would they focus on capturing these Humans or on sacrificing themselves. No longer would they explore for more Mandates to claim in “only” his name. Instead, all the scattered Crabs who’d at least been looped into the information network would receive the same command.
It was time for all their Kingdoms to become officially his by him taking the lives of their Lords, and with those being the final Crabs he killed, their Species would then mobilize together as one.