Arc 1: Luxuria

Chapter 5: Monad of the Sinful Stone

 

When Monad opened his eyes, he met the triumphant gaze of a dark-eyed young man dressed in dark blue robe, black undergarments and white slacks.

A Human? No, it was a Demon. And a Demon with a noble aura, to boot. He stood a little bit away from Monad, who was sitting down in the middle of a small pool full of liquid Mana that had turned into a foul black color.

"Are you dizzy?" asked the Demon, his night-hued hair almost shining in the thick Corruption that permeated the atmosphere.

Shocked at the sight of the beautiful man before him, Monad was a little late to respond. Frowning, the raven-haired Demon turned to the flying round creature hovering beside him. "Did we make a mistake? Why isn't he speaking?"

The floating fluffy ball, which Monad recognized as a Familiar, looked affronted at being questioned. "Asmo did not make a mistake. Asmo is very proficient at creating Summoning Circles!"

"Apologies..." Monad finally found his voice, which was hoarse from exhaustion. He coughed, trying to get back the feeling of using his vocal cords. "I didn't mean to be rude..."

"No biggie," replied the Demon. He was expressionless as he spoke, but Monad noticed his eyebrows were twitching. "So, uh, you must be Monad of the Sinful Stone?"

Monad was surprised; it had been a long time since someone mentioned his full title. A plethora of memories rushed through his mind, making him smile a little. "That's right. My name is Monad."

The young Demon sighed in relief while Monad reflected on the prior conversation and the pool of Corrupted Mana where he laid. "Since your Familiar mentioned a Summoning Circle, then I must have been Summoned by you?"

"That's right, my name is Haruki." The Demon called Haruki was quiet for a moment, as if thinking to what extent of personal information he could afford to share. "I'm the current Sovereign of Lust."

Monad was once again rendered speechless. He quickly stood up, stepped away from the pool and bended a knee. "I greet the Lord of Lust."

"St-stop, you're n-naked!" Haruki covered his eyes and turned back, avoiding his gaze from witnessing Monad's nude body.

This was the third time Monad was struck silent. Why was the Sovereign of Lust showing apprehension at seeing his body? Confused, he looked back at the pool, trying to see his reflection. Although the Mana had been fully Corrupted, it was still clear and mirrorlike.

Monad had tanned skin, translucent red eyes and short, dark blue hair. His face was as still as handsome and full of vibrancy as before and his strong yet lean physique was chiseled to perfection. His physical appearance was renowned all over the world and his former lovers once waged a war for the chance to possess his body. His manhood was long and thick, and his title "Sinful Stone" was also a lewd remark on his ability to remain "hard" at the most opportune of times.

Were the Sovereign of Lust's preferences a little too high? Or maybe he disdained men? Monad was a little disappointed; he once heard that spending a passionate night with the Lord of Lust was an experience one would shake the heavens and hell for. It was a pity that the Sovereigns of Luxuria tend to die young.

While Monad was busy figuring out how to coax Haruki into sharing the bed with him, the Demon in question was panicking. "A-asmo, please give Monad something to wear!"

The familiar named Asmo produced some garments and accessories and asked Monad to dress as ordered. He wore a simple silver tunic with azure embroidery - a common item for members of the Luxuria faction but it made Monad look dashing instead of ordinary. The brown trousers were a tight fit, which accentuated his long legs. A black sash was tied up on his waist and a pair of black boots covered his feet.

"Phew..." Haruki stole a glance and relaxed when Monad was no longer naked. He still looked a bit flustered, as if trying to smother the memories of the Hero's exposed body.

How cute, thought Monad. Rather than disliking him, the Sovereign was just a bit shy? He moved a bit closer, noting that he was a head taller than the currently blushing Haruki. The other Demon's body tensed up but didn't step back life before.

Haruki looked up to him in a calm manner, coughed lightly and the redness on his cheeks receded. "Just to be sure, you are the 'Hero' Monad who created the 'Labyrinth of Vorre'?"

"I do not know the qualifications of a 'Hero' but the Labyrinth of Vorre is indeed my life's masterpiece." Monad paused before correcting himself. "Former life, that is."

"Former life..." Haruki was quiet for a moment, gazing straight at him like he was studying a thought-provoking specimen. Monad thought it was too bad that the other's interest was more of an appraisal of a subordinate and not a lover, but he respectfully waited for him to finish. "So, when I Summoned you, you were reborn?"

"I believe so. The last memory I had was when I died at the hands of the Human who wielded the Seraph's Blade."

"Mistilteinn?" Haruki's eyes widened at the mention of the holy sword. "This is troublesome..."

Haruki mumbled something to the Familiar, which the creature responded with the shaking of its fluffy body. Then he turned back to Monad. "Can you tell how many years had passed since you died?"

"Apologies, but I recall little from the time I died." Monad shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "I might have wandered in this world as a ghost? Who knows? We know nothing about what lies beyond death."

Monad turned to his Summoner with admiration and gratitude. "But now that Lord Haruki had given me the chance to relive my life, will you allow me to serve you for this lifetime?"

Haruki gave him a look of feigned superiority, like a kitten trying to one-up the tiger. It was a little playful, as if the young Demon was acting a role for the world's benefit. His mischievousness stoked the flame in Monad's heart; the Demon Lord's challenging gaze was extremely provoking. He was like a rugged rock hiding a gem within, one that held many secrets.

"My goal is to conquer this world and let the Luxuria be the sole owners of the continent. Knowing that, will you follow me as my servant?"

"Of course," replied Monad with no hesitation at all. He was bound to the Summoner unless their Contract was dissolved, but Contract or no Contract, Monad will follow this intriguing Demon King with lofty ambitions. It was a Lust Demon's instinct to follow his desires, after all.

Haruki had a big grin on his face. "Then, Monad, I'm putting you to work right now."

~

Monad of the Sinful Stone was Builder-type Hero from the Lust faction. Haruki easily remembered him, as this guy was one of the more popular Builder Heroes in the game. Builder Heroes were engineers and architects and they possessed flexible Skills that assist in developing a growing Territory or harass others. Haruki chose Monad as his first Hero precisely because of these Skills.

However, like everything else in the game, Builder Heroes have a weakness - they were very ineffective at combat.

Take a look at Monad's Stats, for example.

[Name: Monad of the Sinful Stone]

[Level: 1/???]

[Class: Builder Hero]

[Race: Demon]

[Affiliation: Luxuria]

[Affinity: Lust (100%)]

[Affection: 55/100]

[Stats:]

[HP: 400/400]

[MP: 250/250]

[SP: 0]

[Strength: 25 (+2)]

[Stamina: 40 (+4)]

[Intelligence: 25 (+2)]

[Resistance: 40 (+4)]

[Agility: 30 (+3)]

[Charisma: 60 (+6)]

[Luck: 20 (+2)]

[Hero Ability: "Labyrinth of Vorre" - Build the masterpiece "Labyrinth of Vorre" in allied or neutral Territory. All neutral and hostile units within the area will be forcibly transported inside the maze-like structure. The Labyrinth is indestructible and will only disappear after a certain duration or if all trapped units had successfully escaped. This Ability can only be used once every three days.]

[Current Level: 1/?? (Labyrinth size and duration depends on Ability Level. Ability Level increases through spending a corresponding amount of SP.)]

[Current Labyrinth Size: Five square kilometers]

[Current Labyrinth Duration: Three hours]

[Skills:]

[Summon Stone Stele (Unique, Level: 1); Mana Vein Detection (Rare, Level: 1); Seduction (Common, Level: MAX); Earth Magic (Common, Level 1); Spear Arts (Common, Level 1); Rapid Construction (Passive, Level: MAX)]

[Blessings:]

[Luxuria Faction Bonus: "Devil's Fertility" - All territories of the Luxuria Faction gain an additional 30% (current total: 130%) harvest output for all resources. All units receive a 10% combat bonus as well as increased HP and MP regeneration when the Sovereign of Lust is within 100 meters.]

[Luxuria Faction Bonus: "Avatar of Desire" - All followers of the Luxuria Faction receive the MAX Level "Seduction" common skill. All followers with Psychic Magic will gain an additional 2 levels.]

[Combat Rating: E]

[Written Assessment: At least he looks good, yeah?]

Whoever is making this [Written Assessment] definitely held a grudge against Haruki. Can this guy be nicer for once?!

But he does agree - despite the very average Stats, Monad looked exceptionally handsome. His overall sex appeal was at least a hundred times greater compared to his official pictures in the game's manual or even the many fanarts that emphasized his "assets". Well, it was to be expected of "the Demon coveted by the Kings and Queens".

In Monad's backstory, he was an Incubus that possessed incredibly potent Earth Magic. He was not a fighter, but a lover of beauty, especially jewels and stone sculptures. His handsome appearance and gentlemanly manner attracted all sorts of lovers, both of the Demon and Human kind. Monad was not picky and had relationships with whoever wanted him. However, some of the Human royals he "entangled" with - both men and women - grew obsessed and turned a little unhinged, waging a war to completely possess him. Monad disliked people who restricted his freedom the most, so he built the impenetrable Labyrinth of Vorre with Earth Magic, proclaiming that he will be devoted to the first one who can escape from the maze. Of course, no one ever did and all who tried and were trapped within died of either hunger or thirst. This actually led to the fall of some nations - one kingdom had the king, queen and crown prince all vying for his love and dying bitterly inside the Demon's wicked construct.

Monad's Hero Ability was a watered-down version of the mythical Labyrinth of Vorre. However, it was incredibly useful at stalling armies in border Territories, though in the game its duration was in "turns" instead of actual time. The "escape" condition was absent from the game, but Haruki thought it would be extremely difficult for anyone to clear a huge maze in just three hours. The three-day cooldown was a little alarming, but the Ability will be an obvious gamebreaker without it.

The other Skills were similar to that of the in-game Monad, with his signature Earth Magic and Spear Arts. Too bad they were all at Level 1, but the Demon was just "reborn" after all. "Mana Vein Detection" was what it says in the tin - it would be very useful pretty soon. The lone Passive Skill would speed up any construction in the Territory where Monad is currently located. However, "Summon Stone Stele" was a very special Skill that was the major reason why Haruki wanted him at all costs.

Haruki was now watching Monad erect a thin cylindrical monument made of stone, standing tall at around two meters in height and with a half meter in diameter. It was the largest size he can build at his current Skill level. He had the Demon Hero build one on four cardinal points surrounding the tower, each mini-tower around two meters away from the edge of the structure.

Asmo observed the proceedings with a confused look. "Asmo knows that Steles are Magic conduits, but Asmo still not understand what you and Monad are doing...?"

Haruki was now developing an immunity against Asmo's inability to do an in-depth analysis; all the knowledge crammed inside its small body was wasted. Still, he needed to boost the Familiar's confidence in him, so Haruki took some time to elaborate.

"In theory, conduits can hold a Magic spell inside it, right?"

"Master is right. Asmo knows that a Magic spell can be imbued to a Stele, which will immediately activate when an enemy is detected nearby."

"Correct. I'm planning to cast a low-cost Psychic Magic spell on the Stele, one that will muddle a person's senses when they got close to our home."

"A Confusion spell? With Master's Level 3 Psychic Magic, it will neither be very effective nor will it last long. Asmo thinks it will do little in protecting the Demonic Den."

Haruki grabbed the mouthy Familiar in a stone-hard grip. "Whose fault do you think it is, huh? You should be glad I'm setting something up rather than leaving its safety up to fate."

Squishing and kneading to calm his emotions, Haruki ignored Asmo's protests as he deliberated on the current problem. "Monad and I are still too weak. We should start hunting some nearby beasts and monsters so we can quickly level up. I'm also a big noob at casting Magic and fighting, so I badly need to practice."

"Sh-should the Sovereign need to take up arms? Asmo thinks that Master's life is precious and should stay away from the battlefield..."

A small distance away from the two, Monad had finished constructing the last Stele. He noticed Haruki's gaze on him and gave a gentle yet attractive smile.

Ack, a super effective hit to the heart! Haruki blushed - this Demon was too handsome for Haruki's own good. He quickly averted his eyes and rushed to respond to the Familiar instead.

"It's precisely because my life is precious that I need to fight and become stronger."

That's right, he shouldn't forget the life lessons he had accumulated from his original world. No matter how many Heroes and allies he will be recruiting in the future, Haruki can only rely on himself at the end.