“I can answer your question, but are you prepared to learn the truth?” Zyrus asked in a serious tone.

As they say, ignorance is bliss. If not for his future plans he wouldn’t have disclosed such information in the first place.

“It couldn’t be worse than what we’ve heard so far. Just say it,” Ria answered on their behalf.

“Very well. The short answer is, No. We’re not in a loop, and it will remain as such as long as we don’t die or fail in any events.”

He could see their visible relief after hearing his answer. But he wasn’t done just yet. What he said didn’t apply to all of them present.

“Let me ask you another question. Where do the monsters and other races such as goblins, orcs, trolls, and so on come from?”

Zyrus smirked as he saw their surprised faces. Humans had a superiority complex ingrained in them since they became the rulers of earth. They believed themselves to be the protagonists of the story, while others were nothing more than villains and side characters.

“Don’t tell me you thought this this was all planned for us. The high and mighty humans will descend upon this wretched of suffering. A hero would rise from among them who would lead them to peace and prosperity, followed by his loyal comrades he would slay all enemies and become the ruler of the sanctuary…hahaha,”

No one had a word to speak. Zyrus’s mocking laughter struck their innermost thoughts and made them realize just how arrogant and ignorant they had been.

‘Well, I can’t blame them. I thought the same as well. Worse, I even believed that I was that hero..’

Zyrus’s mocking words weren’t only targeted at those gathered here; he was also laughing at his own past.

“Did…we…ca..me..from..some..where..as…well? I….don’t….recall….any..thing…except…the…forest..”

Nobody disturbed Druv from speaking this time. His slow-paced words were striking their beliefs like hammers.

“Yes, you did. The same goes for every creature in the sanctuary. All of you had your home worlds invaded, and that led your civilizations to come here. That is the reason why this place is called ‘sanctuary’ in the first place.”

His answer aroused another question in their mind. Why didn’t they remember their past then? What made them different from the humans? Zyrus could tell what they were thinking at a glance.

“I know what you’re going to ask, but think about it. Are there no side effects to that process?” Zyrus asked as he pointed at the portal.

“Do they lose their memories after staying in the time loop?” Shi kun asked as he looked at Druv and Strongfist.

“More than that. They lose their very source of existence. Did you assume that monsters were unable to speak from the start? How could they be illiterate if they ruled an entire world? Their knowledge, their experience, and everything else that made their existence was eroded over time. The longer they stayed in the loop, the more they lost. In the end, they became mindless husks who act on their instincts, the creatures we call ‘Monsters’.”

Zyrus didn’t wait for the next question and solved the last piece of the puzzle,

“As for how to escape the loop, it should be obvious by now. Every time a new civilization arrives at the sanctuary, everyone among them would get a chance to escape. Just like in our case. The path to reach the second ring and the 'real' golden crowns were added when we were summoned. But how many of them ended up in the hands of humans? Not even half.”

Zyrus looked at Druv and Strongfist and continued,

“You guys escaped from the loop by becoming my subordinates. The damage done to your source of existence will heal over time as you level up and gain the blessings of order.” Zyrus ended the discussion and walked towards the swirling fragments.

He knew that those present had many more questions to ask, but what he told them was more than enough. If they survived till he reached the fourth ring, then he would once again solve their doubts.

Now, it was time to put his original plan into action.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“You can digest the information later on, but pay attention to what I’m about to say. This is the main reason why I went through this tedious process,” Zyrus waved his hands after finishing his words.

The shards resonated with his mana, and soon, some tiny crystals separated from the portal and moved towards his subordinates.

‘Give them the authority to recruit,’

[||| Initiating request-----request granted: Recruiters- Kyle, Lauren, Ria, Shi kun… |||]

A message that was visible to him alone floated above the cube. The separated shards turned into a flash of light and became a brand on their wrists.

“As you already know, those with golden crowns can recruit people from the first ring. I can do the same. However, unlike them, I have an additional authority,” Zyrus looked at the group with deep eyes and continued,

“Normally, the crown holders can summon players depending on the conquered territory. For example, we can summon about 100 players every day. The way it works is similar to a gacha game if you’re familiar with them. Every day the crown holders can summon a certain number of players from the pool of billions. They might recruit a powerful warrior, a mage, a craftsman, or someone totally useless. It all depends on luck.”

“And let me guess, you can choose who to summon. You probably don’t have to do the summoning yourself either.” Ria spoke as her sixth sense was warning her of the extra workload. She didn’t need to use clairvoyance to figure out that Zyrus was about to dump all his work on them.

“Correct. Not only that, you guys can observe and summon anyone you want, even the dead players of the first ring. Of course, the maximum number is still 100. Therefore, your task is to observe them in your free time and summon the useful people on the next day,”

“…”

“…”

“This is a bit inhumane, isn’t it?” Shi kun spoke in a hesitant tone. It was within reason that an emotional man like him would feel alienated after this. Not just him, the rest also had varying levels of confliction.

It would be impossible for them to mingle with the players after this. Even if they were of the same species, they were bound to feel different from the rest. On the contrary, Druv and Strongfist didn’t have such reservations.

Losing one’s reason might not be the worst-case scenario.

“What, you guys feel some sort of god complex? Don’t think too much about it. From the moment you started leveling up, you ceased to be a human. What can you define as a human in the first place? It is the society and their life experiences that makes one a human. Growing up with their parents, going to school, getting a job or starting a business, getting married, raising children, and getting old with your partner…these are the things that made you humans.” Zyrus’s sharp words once again pierced their hearts.

He didn’t need to speak anymore as they could figure the rest on their own. Would any of them be able to do anything mentioned above? The answer was a resounding no. They could perhaps cleave a mountain in half and make meteors rain from the sky, but they would always be different from the ordinary humans they used to be.

That was the cold hard truth.

…

A week passed by on the busy island.

The progress of conquering the island proceeded in a seamless manner. There were some bumps here and there where a few players were wiped out due to their negligence, but the overall plan had a noteworthy success.

Zyrus wanted to build an elite core unit- one that would oversee the new players recruited with his authority. He and the other leaders were more focused on creating more boats than fighting or leveling up.

‘I’m glad I recruited them in the first ring,’ Zyrus thought as he yawned on his desk. Time was a very precious thing.

He prioritized selecting his subordinates even in the hectic schedule of the crown hunt. And the results were more than worth the effort. He now had reliable leaders whom he could entrust his work with.

700 new players were summoned under the watchful eyes of his subordinates. All of them were either in a medical or crafting profession. Those who were suited for the current three classes given by his flag chose them from the start, while others were tasked with doing more research and wait till new classes were acquired.

*Flap*

“You look tired,” Ria stated as she entered his tent. Moist air entered through the fluttering entrance, drawing away his laziness.

“It’s such a pain to create something,”

Hundreds of talented individuals meant that dozens of new ideas would greet his eyes and ears every day. Zyrus wasn’t petty enough to withhold non-crucial intelligence, so it wasn’t long before the new players were accustomed to the rules of the sanctuary.

The foldable tent he was sitting on, the pen and ink made from fish carcasses, hides made from animal skin, and many such trivial yet fundamental things were built in the span of a short week.

These were timbers that would one day raise the fire of civilization.

But Zyrus had no plans to use either himself or his troops as fuel.

“What are your plans then?” Ria asked in curiosity as she observed the pile of refused proposals. They amounted to more than 80%.

“I don’t have any concrete plans. I don’t want to limit the player's imagination either. Regardless of my intelligence and knowledge, I can’t outperform hundreds of craftsmen, nor do I have the time to do that. Thus, I’ll only give them a direction,” Zyrus replied as he handed over a dozen rolls of hide.

All of the plans that he approved were either on weapons or anything that would help them conquer more territories.

“I can guess your intention, but aren’t we progressing in an extreme direction?” Ria gave her opinion as she glanced at the scrolls. This was a daily routine after Zyrus ended his few hours of checkups.

And every time he only encouraged those who were doing military research.

“I’m not building a kingdom, Ria. Let others do that.” Zyrus chuckled and left the tent and the confused Ria behind.

She wasn’t wrong as such unbalanced growth would eventually hinder their progress. But he would make sure that such a situation wouldn’t occur. Why go through so much trouble to create a prosperous empire?

'It is more efficient to raise an army that could conquer the empire built by others.'