You plan to be dead by then? The goddess asked, looking quite confused.

"You can't just spring this end of the world nonsense on us, and then say you're bailing!"The guard said clearly upset at the would be desserter.

"Why not? I know you won't be there, the old elf here certainly won't make it a millenium, the only ones here who really have to suffer it would be the goddess here and I. And I would only suffer if I chose to live that long. Which I won't" Grant added on.

He looked at the young guard like a moron. "I mean, if you're not going to be there fighting for humanity, I sure see no reason why I ought to. "

You clearly fought for them before, and were prepared to last till it happened.

Grant snorted. "Because I owed them a favor. I climbed to where I am at their command, and have done so because I had people I cared about. " He spread his hands out

"Who am I to fight for in this world? I'm not exactly surrounded by people I cared about here, and those who I do care about will most certainly not be around for what comes next."

"What about Richard?" The elf Trenee asked, as her gaze seemed to bore into him.

"What about Richard?" Grant asked, yet his finger twitched slightly at the mention.

"He is your descendent, is he not?"

Grant paused, looking at her in confusion.

"How did you find that out?" He asked, confused.

"The marquis of Thorsten was a great man in his time. I even had the chance to meet him once." She paused as her eyes swept over him.

"This isn't your original body, but I received a picture of your other form, your real body from the man with the sword. The features differ in some areas, but I can tell.

You and him are one and the same." She said firmly.

Grant admitted it. "You're right, he is my descendent in some aspects. But he'll be fine. I told you, whenever a planet like ours opens up, the phoenixes and the dragons are allowed to leave with ease, because all empires have to give lord Dragon some face.

Richard will be fine. Why do you think the system chose to make him a dragon?"

Hearing that, Isis narrowed her eyes as she asked. How many of its hidden choices are influenced by this oncoming event?

"Everything. The whole point of the system was to push growth on a global scale after all. In our world, the system is currently used by a 10th of the world's population, with plans to expand to the whole of human population. The system promotes quick and easy growth, and quietly raises the potential of humans, ensuring the next generation will be stronger."

Isis frowned. So that's it? You're done? You will simply give up and be done? She asked, annoyed at his attitude.

"Why? Haven't I done enough already? Grant complained, staring them down.

"Hmm?

"But what about our world?" The young guard complained, as he looked at Grant. "If you've already done it once, surely you can do it ag-"

HAVEN'T I DONE ENOUGH ALREADY!" he said louder, looking frustrated. He looked at them, and looking into his eyes was looking into the abyss.

A hopeless abyss, one that radiated exhaustion, a look that begged for rest.

The look of a tired man who had seen too much.

"Do you know what I've done to protect my world?

The amount of blood on my hands?

The things I've done?

Do you know what people feel about me?

They're scared of me. Absolutely terrified. I became a monster in their eyes. And with good reason.

Hundreds of races have perished at my hands, and thousands of sects razed to the ground because they stood in my way. Because they stood in our way of protecting Earth!

I have torn the gods from their thrones and cast them into the depths of hell, and raised demons to the thrones in heaven.

My own friends and family grew to fear me! I became a distant, terrifying figure in their eyes as I paved the path forward in blood, as I grew further and further from them.

They couldn't even look me in the eyes!

They hated me, the ones whom I loved most, rejected me the most.

Even as I shielded them from the ones who hurt them, the one they resented the most, hated the most was me. Their own..." Grant faltered, as the emotion bubbled in his chest, recalling countless bitter memories, before glaring at them again?

Stolen story; please report.

"And you want me to do that again?

AGAIN!?

NEVER AGAIN!

I did not come to this world to be the monster again, to be someone's monster! To do it all again.

I will help you, but I will never do what I did before again!

Are we clear?" He said angrily, with a look that denied further disagreement.

Passion unseen before filled his eyes,persistency that promised destruction if they were to push further.

A warning not to open that door, to never repeat that.

No one dared remark, as even Isis felt a sense of danger from the man.

Seeing that they had quietly acquiesced, Grant nodded.

"I'm glad we understand each other." He returned to a more cheerful demeanor, but even so, they did not dare to underestimate him, the rapid change mere moments ago still vivid in their minds.

"I will not do what I did before, but that does not mean I will leave this Earth undefended. Contrary to what you ingrates may expect, I've already began laying down the necessary things to protect the Earth."

What means?

"Well, the shrooms for instance." Grant said, as he summonsed a base level shroom onto his lap.

"I'm sure you've started receiving reports about these, correct?"

The guard piped up, as someone who was likely closer to the ground than the other two "Yeah, those have sparked debate as to treat them! You made them?" He asked, and Grant nodded.

"Any new species you see will probably be my fault from here on out." emphasizing fault, as that would be the best way to see it. Fault. After all, he was stirring up trouble with such creations.

"You mean like the drows and dravens?"

"Eyup"

"And all the shrooms are yours."

"Eyup."

"A weird new species of desert spirits that taste like salt have begun to spread. I don't suppose."

"Yuppers."

As Grant took credit for more and more, the man couldn't help but look more and more astonished.

"...And those are all the ones I've brought in so far." Grant said casually, and by now the guard's face had blackened and he couldn't help but complain.

"And how is that helpful at all?" he said, pointing out how useless this was for the future issue.

Grant rolled his eyes.

"Every species I've made has an innate submission to me, as well as a connection, pushed through their progenitors. Even after I die, I will be aware of the living world, and able to send them out.

Many of these can make annoying enemies, but they'll also serve as great troops"

A cunning plan. By making multiple races and allowing them to flourish, you are producing a major power without anyone noticing. You need not take action in any way, for as long as they survive, your forces will grow.

"Exactly. It's too much work to cultivate those forces on my own. This way is far more productive in a sense."

The guard remained unconvinced. "A lot of people will die." he stubbornly insisted, and Grant rolled his eyes.

"A lot of people will always die. This is the nature of the world, of the struggle. As cruel as it may be to hear, if humanity wants to continue remaining on the top, some deaths are necessary."

He clicked his tongue as he taught the child before him. "Don't worry. The worst of them have been told to stay neutral. I of course, refer to the axobodl's, the korvolds, the shrooms and the drows and draven. If I were you, I'd push for your empire to establish friendly relations with all of the above."

That is my son's domain The goddess said, deferring responsibility and Grant frowned.

"And your responsibility is as the mother of the gods. Shouldn't you get to reining your child in? I'm telling you, the ones I've mentioned are important."

Merely because they are your creations?

"No, because they are some of my greatest creations with some of the greatest purposes. The shroom for example, never truly die. You can destroy their bodies, but they'll merely reform elsewhere, but with grudges against the one who wronged them."

One merely needs to capture the soul.

"Impossible. You cannot steal the soul, because all shroom are connected to one another in a large tangle of souls like the mycelium system underground. The more shrooms that are born, the more tangled they become and the harder it becomes to tear a soul out. Right now, their root system of souls is at the 5th stage in terms of the difficulty of tearing it apart. Even you would have to make great sacrifices to tear one soul out."

Isis eyes narrowed. This is dangerous. If what you've said is true, you've made an entire race of near immortal beings. DO you not know what the dangers are of this?

Grant snorted dismissively. "I know very well, so I've already placed some preparations for that, don't worry. I'd be more worried about the people of the empire who choose to wrong one and get the entire race of shrooms thrown at them."

These other races must be special if they can be compared to an immortal race.

"For sure. The drows and dravens are a unique monster race, yet they blend in seamlessly with real crows and ravens, with all corvids of all kinds. And can you think of one of the crows greatest qualities?"

the old lady Trenee responded, as she realized the implication. "Their intelligence and their loyalty."

Grant clicked his fingers in satisfaction. "Precisely. You cannot hurt the drows and dravens easily, not without pitting yourself against all of corvid kind. You might be dismissive at first, until you kill too many and higher crow beings get involved like the morrigan, or the three legged golden crows, or even the level 8 kaiju mother of crows. They might ignore a few, but too many and they will come with a vengeance. "

He chuckled at the guards horrified look as he muttered. "A cascade effect..."

"Of course, it goes both ways. true, drows and dravens can lead to such a horrid wave of conflict, but it can also be of great help to the empire.

After all, if they can gather to protect their own against humanity, then wouldn't they gather to protect their own against outsiders?"

What are you implying?

"I made the drows and dravens to be messengers. secure ones. Think about it. If you can establish a group of loyal drows and dravens under your command, then sending messages will be that much secure, with few willing to risk offending them. Can you imagine how much safer your messages will be? To say nothing about the serious power you'll get with most crow monsters on your side?"

Hearing this, Isis hummed thoughtfully, as she understood the intent behind the drows and dravens. A communication system with higher security and another asset to the army.

Of course, the system had a chat function, but he had already planned to not get that involved in political matters. Of course, he'd leave that up to the system.

Are they hard to breed?

"No, no, super easy, barely a convenience.Now that I've set up the path, any crow or raven that takes in dragon blood and enough mana can easily evolve into a drow or a draven respectively, though you'll need to read the reports I've sent. "

"Reports? I don't recall seeing any of those?" the guard questioned, and Grant shrugged.

"Sent those to the adventurer's guild since they were asking. Just collaborate with them. From now on I'll be sending all info I feel like sharing about my creations that way, so that people can adapt appropriately."

Very well. It's clear that you've thought this all out.

Grant wiggled his eyebrows humorously. "More than you know. Of course, otherwise I wouldn't be so confident to die so soon.

But wait, there's more."

"Hows about I'll make a deal with Lord Dragon. Is that enough of a contribution to you?"