Now Grid’s thinking ability wasn’t easily buried.

He didn’t neglect the title of Different Species’ King because he was lazy or lacking.

Rather, it was because he concluded that he could be wasting energy if he cared about it and chose to be patient.

He needed a reliable helper to utilize the Different Species’ King title.

[Different Species’ King]

[You have proved your king’s qualification by embracing non-human species.

★ Permanent Effects

* Difference species are very favorable to you.

* If the target is a different species, the probability of increasing affinity will double.

* However, some warlike species will want to test your abilities.

★ Limited Effects

* The ‘contract’ system is activated with the title effect.

* There are three contracts available. (3/3)]

[Contract]

[If the target is another species, you can propose a contract.

The target you contract with will ‘awaken’ strengthened racial characteristics.

You will acquire some of the racial traits of the contracted target.

You can’t destroy a contract once it is made.

However, the other person can destroy the contract at any time and the racial trait you acquired will disappear.

Additionally, the contract will be canceled if the target permanently dies and the racial trait you acquired will disappear.

In both cases, the contract count can’t be recovered.]

The effect of this contract was unconditionally positive.

It was a tremendous benefit to acquire the characteristics of other species.

For example, if Grid signed a contract with a member of the evil eyes species, he was likely to open an evil eye even without affinity with the king.

However, Grid didn’t propose a contract with the evil eyes king. He didn’t even contract with his close confidant Sticks.

This wasn’t because he didn’t trust them, nor was it because he was worried they would break the contract.

It was painful, but he was concerned about the possibility of their death.

Unlike players, NPCs were mortal, and death was a fate that even a high elf with a life span of thousands of years couldn’t avoid.

What if an accident took away their lives?

If he couldn’t protect them, the contract could be wasted at any time. Thus, Grid concluded that the target of the contract should be a player.

It was clearly a reasonable conclusion.

The problem was that the difficulty was very high.

First, the fundamental problem was finding a player who had a non-human race—dwarves, orcs, elves, goblins, and so on.

Unlike normal games where different species could be chosen when creating a character, there was no such option in Satisfy.

Players could only change to a non-human species by performing a hidden quest.

It was a quest similar to the quest that gave Grid a chance to become a half-god.

So far, Grid had only met a small number of players with a different species, and there were problems even if he found them.

The problem was that the target must be a species with ‘usable’ characteristics.

He also needed to determine if he could trust the player.

If the target one-sidedly destroyed the contract, Grid would waste a contract and lose the racial trait.

Thus, he had to find someone he could trust.

How could that be easy?

His trust in his colleagues was accumulated over the years.

Grid thought it needed a great deal of time to find new people and establish a trusting relationship.

However—

[The title effect of Different Species’ King is limited to three uses. Are you sure you want to use it?]

“I will use it.”

Today, Grid saw Hao’s willpower, and he felt Hao’s liking toward him.

He was convinced he could trust Hao, who was a half draconian.

“I will contract with Hao.”

[The player ‘Hao’ is the target of the contract.]

[......]

[.....]

[....]

[The target has accepted the contract!]

[You will randomly acquire of the half draconian’s characteristics as a contract reward!]

[...Interacting with your amazing luck!]

[Congratulations! You have received the top trait of the draconian ‘Dragon Wings’!]

“...!?” Both of Grid’s eyes widened, and he trembled.

Then he lost his dignity in a scene where hundreds of rankers had died.

The Overgeared members and dukes were watching him as it happened.

Grid spread his arms wide open and cheered loudly, “Niceeeee!”

Was it because the sound was too loud?

The old door of the silent temple covered in fog started to open.

The eyes of the dukes, who were stunned by Grid’s action, naturally turned toward the temple.

Step.

Step.

An old monk in a cotton robe walked through the fog.

“

Huhu

, it has been hundreds of years since someone visited,” he muttered with a kind smile while raising his long white eyebrows. “Now, come in. You should visit the war god’s shrine first.”

“...”

The attitude of the monk guiding the party was very kind.

However, the expressions of Grid and the Overgeared members were stiff.

It was due to the name of the monk.

The name of the monk wasn't a follower.

“What are you doing? Come on in.”

[Bentao].

The benevolent smile on the round face of the old monk didn’t disappear, just like how a clown’s thick makeup wasn’t erased.

***

In the capital of the Ark Kingdom, at the center of the Rebecca Temple...

Pure white light started to gather at the place called the resurrection point.

The light gradually expanded and formed the shape of a human.

Soon, the light faded.

“

Hrmm...

” A man showed up.

It was a man with long black hair.

The man was handsome with impressive eyes and a pointed nose.

As a high ranker, the process of ‘death’ and ‘resurrection’ was a system he had long been used to.

After opening the status window and inventory, he found that he lost 38% of his experience, the durability of his items was lower