The Demon King's First General
Chapter 62: Monster Levels

Chapter 62: Monster Levels

"How long are you going to stay like that?" Kizeler asked while rubbing the temple of his head in a circular motion.

He was staring at the silver-haired demon who was lying underneath the shade of a tree.

’Seriously, it’s almost the peak of the day,’ he thought after glancing at the sun above.

They were in the middle of a journey going through the heart of the empire. However, after they left Shieldscape City yesterday, they spent the rest of the day inside a grove, and now the demon he accompanied was still lying on the grass.

The direction they took was the shortest path leading to their destination, but as he saw their progress, it would take them ages to reach the empire’s capital.

"Leave if you’ll keep on pestering me," Zeno said this while his eyes were still closed.

Kizeler sat down while shaking his head as soon as he heard the demon. He remembered the condition Zeno gave him upon letting him tag along.

"But this is torture," he sighed.

After that, he lied down on the opposite side of the tree and observed the surroundings. All that he saw were trees and grass; they were completely surrounded by nature.

Then he remembered Priscilla; it was his first time traveling without her after becoming a mercenary. Thoughts about her entered his mind in a sequential manner.

He really wanted to bring her along, but knowing that he was with a demon sent chills down his spine. He couldn’t afford to put her in danger, so he left without even saying goodbye. He chose to leave when she was still asleep, and this made his chest heavy.

However, it was for her own good; he knew that she would definitely come with him, and her life would be put at stake once again. Then, as he stared into the leaves, which were dancing as the wind blew, he realized the situation they were in.

Since the moment they entered the forest, not a single monster has approached them, and it made him wonder why, but it took only seconds for him to realize the reason behind it.

’Is he really that powerful?’ He thought.

Then, seconds later, he heard a rumbling noise—a sound that even the most powerful mercenary he knew wouldn’t ignore.

"Damn it!" He cussed and stood up.

He took a glance at the demon, but his eyes were still closed, and it looked like he wouldn’t wake up anytime soon. So he decided to stroll inside the forest and search for something edible.

"Fruits are fine, but meat will be awesome," he uttered after enhancing his eyesight to look around. After a moment of walking, he found a group of three-eyed monkeys partying up in the trees.

They were agile monsters and known for their intelligence, but their battle prowess was not that great when compared to other monsters. They lived in groups and were native to any forest in the Plain of Fantasies. They were known for their taupe-colored fur and three oval eyes, which was where their name came from.

"They will do," he said.

. . . . .

Monsters in Exgreia were classified by humans according to the level of distraction they could cause in a certain place. Though this only worked in their territories, the other races didn’t acknowledge it as a concrete basis for treating how strong a monster was.

Those monsters that were never hostile to anyone were referred to as Tranquility-Level. They were considered pets and livestock in certain areas. While the next rank was known as Crisis-Level monsters, they could be dangerous to some extent, but Topaz-Class mercenaries were their arch nemesis. They hunted them as a stepping stone to upgrading their ranks.

Meanwhile, Disaster-Level monsters could put a group of Amethyst-Class mercenaries in a tight spot if not handled in a proper way. These monsters moved in groups, and a bunch of them marching in a small town could endanger the lives of the civilians.

Then there were Calamity-Level and Catastrophe-Level monsters. Any monsters that could cause trouble for a kingdom’s stability fell into the former category, while the latter was known for their ability to annihilate a kingdom from the face of the Plain of Fantasies.

Demons, beastmen, and sea monsters were treated on these two levels. And there were the dragons that fell into the strongest category, the Pandemic-Level monsters. In the current timeline, they were considered beings superior to demons, and humans believed that if they waged war against them, the Embercrown Empire would be eradicated from the surface of the continent.

However, from the records of human history, there was one being aside from the dragons that the humans put into the Pandemic-Level category, known as the Conjurer of Blue Flames, the fallen Demon King.

. . . . .

Kizeler moved bit by bit, careful not to make any sound to give his location while not losing his eyes from the Disaster-Level monster. Like an experienced mercenary, he pulled out his sword, and after reaching a certain distance, he leaped, then struck the tip of his blade into the nearest monkey. The little creature died as the sharp piece of metal pierced its head, while the rest of the group fled as fast as they could. They howled while jumping from one tree to another; this action of theirs notified the other monsters about the man.

However, Kizeler ignored their cries; after all, one monkey was enough to satisfy his grumbling stomach, but as he turned around to go back. He heard sounds coming from the leaves getting scratched.

And the moment he looked behind him, he saw two giant monkeys swinging at the tree branches with great speed. Their yellow eyes were fierce as they looked at Kizeler with bloodlust. Smaller monkeys were hanging on their backs.

"Here come the parents," Kizeler uttered.

"But I can’t recall if they could really grow this large in terms of size," he added.

From the looks of it alone, the monkey’s height was twice that of an adult human, which he believed impossible. Then he smiled as memories of Priscilla entered his mind. After all, she was always the one who gave plenty of information regarding the monsters they encountered.

"I miss her already!" He exclaimed before raising his sword to prepare himself for what was to come.

The giant monkeys went straight into him with their fists. They let out a battle cry, which reverberated throughout the forest.

Kizeler let go of the small monkey as he parried the punch and evaded the other one by leaping backwards. His hand felt numb after deflecting the fist. The strength behind the attack was not to be underestimated.

Then, the next moment, he fought with the three-eyed creatures while carefully dodging their attacks and making some small cuts throughout their bodies.

’Once I get hit, I will be done for,’ he thought after ducking to dodge the fist that hurled from the right side of his head. Then he tried to kick the monkey in the leg, but it managed to evade, and it spun to flick its tail on his face. It was followed by the other monkey plunging downward from one of the branches.

With a little bit of time to dodge, Kizeler rolled sideways the fastest he could, but as soon as he stopped, one of the monkey’s feet struck him in the abdomen, sending him flying meters away. He tumbled in the air before landing on a tree trunk.

"They’re too fast for their huge build," he said after standing up.

Upon seeing the two monkeys charging at him, his left eye’s pupil turned purple, and a strange white hexagram pattern appeared on it.

The wind blew as he remained motionless in his position while staring at the monsters, and the scattered leaves rose up in the air as if they were dancing under the sunlight.

"How come I’m pretty useless without my Legacy?" He complained.

Then the monkeys circled above him. They were confused; seeing their target standing still made them think twice before approaching him. But as they noticed that Kizeler had no intention to flee, They began to commence their attack.

However, as their eyes came into contact with Kizeler’s left eye. Their ability to move was stolen from them. They fell on the spot and let out shrill cries, which terrified the smaller monkeys.

Their limbs went in a peculiar direction as their bones broke inside them, and Kizeler didn’t let their suffering last any longer. He killed them off by piercing his blade into their heads.

. . . . .

Meanwhile, Zeno, who was wide awake, watched Kizeler’s battle through Eliana’s Legacy. He couldn’t help but smile as he observed the fight.

"Should I teach him how to properly use his eye?" He said.

He thought for several seconds and spoke once more.

"But that’s too troublesome... and tiring," he added.

Then he stared at the sun through the gaps in the leaves.

’Let him discover it himself. He will be a nice piece to fend off those freaks. However, if he fails to do so, I’ll have no choice then,’ he conveyed inside his thoughts before closing his eyes.

He wanted to return to sleep, but the dark elf’s words wouldn’t let him do so. He was thinking about the keys.

"The underworld, huh?" He uttered.

Then a couple of minutes passed when Kizeler returned, pulling a dead monkey through its tail. He glanced at Zeno and sighed as he saw him still lying beneath the tree.

However, the demon, whom he thought was sleeping, suddenly asked a question out of nowhere.

"Have you heard something like keys or anything related to that?" He said.

Kizeler tried his best to search his memory, but nothing came to mind.

"No. Never heard of them," he answered, then pulled out his sword to peel and dismember the monster.

"Why?" Curiosity piqued him, so he asked back.

Then Zeno sat up from lying down and replied with another question. "How about the Gate of the Underworld? Does it ring a bell?"

"Are you referring to the prophecy of the Celestial Seer?" Kizeler questioned him.

The demon’s brows knitted as he answered. "Prophecy? What prophecy?"

After that, Kizeler told Zeno all he knew about the thing he was asking; he even ascertained that it was the real reason behind the Demon King’s subjugation, which happened a few weeks ago.

Zeno remained staring at the ground while digesting all the things that Kizeler had said. Then, after several seconds of contemplation, he looked at the man and spoke.

"This seer, I need to meet her," he stated with a cold-blooded voice.

. . . . .