[4 days, 11 hrs., 38 min.]
Two hours went by like nothing. The respawn time wasn't long enough to bore Jin, to begin with. He spent the entire two hours pondering what he would do right after he spawns. It only worked to his favor and nothing else. 'I'll have to rush over to that secret cave.'
Jin felt like time was now really against him. He was still in his first quest.
If the preceding quest would be just as hard, it would simply be impossible for Jin to finish all thirteen without exceeding the timer. He could just continue, though. However, players would soon arrive, and with how greedy most of them are, even if the threat of an S-rank area would not deter their selfish aims and intentions.
…
It took around an hour of travel for Jin to reach the northern caverns.
In his hands; a rugged map of the lands around the Priyan Kingdom. To avoid wasting any more time, Jin opted to look for a map first before traveling. It was best for him not to wander aimlessly. Unlike the forest, the north part of the kingdom does not have monsters randomly lurking around.
He needed to reach the caverns first before he could proceed.
"This should be the place. It… doesn't look much."
A mountain-side filled with holes rather than huge caves could be seen. Jin expected something else, like a dungeon entrance of some sort, but seeing that these were mere cavern holes dug by something or someone, his expectations gradually dropped.
"Huh, It's not like my gramps said anything good about this place. He just said it was a 'secret' place of some sort. Was he just trolling me back then? Tsk… That could be the case… damn. Should I just return to the forest?" Jin wondered if it would be better for him to just go back to the forest and continue what he was doing back then.
The idea was tempting, seeing that the caverns weren't what he expected.
However, just as Jin was about to leave, a series of footsteps resounded from inside one of the caves. "See? Me tell you there food outside. Me smell far. Smell good." A giant figure with yellowish-green skin appeared. Behind him, a similar towering figure, but with a much more distinct green skin. At a glance, one would mistake them as Goblins, but with their outrageous size, it was apparent that they were probably mixed breeds.
"Huh? Hill Trolls? No… that's not right. Hmmm, Ogres? Wait— Orcs? This is… confusing."
Jin turned to see who was talking in such a gibberish language. A pair of indistinguishable creatures suddenly appeared in front of him— Their height was that of Ogres, their bodies built like that of a prideful warrior Orc, their faces; with bearing under fangs and flat noses, made them look like Trolls, specifically, Hill Trolls. What made things all the more confusing were their oddly mixed skin color; green like that of a Forest Goblin.
'What kind of an unholy orgy happened here!?' If Jin didn't know any better, he'd think that some sick bastard purposely went and collected different monsters and did some weird interbreeding on this very mountainside. 'Wait, a sick bastard… Holy crap!? Gramps!?'
No wonder the old demon had such an ecstatic expression all the while mentioning the cave. No wonder it was something he kept as a 'secret' that only his "dear grandson" could know…'I could've lived my entire life not knowing about this place and I'd still be happy… Heck, I would've been happier!' Jin finally came to the conclusion that his grandfather was indeed a sick fuck, a genius with a twisted sense of humor. A true demon indeed.
…
"That don't smell like food, Gor. Food no smell like that. Keh, he smell like that guy..." The creature with a greener skin wafted the air once more, sniffing Jin from afar. "No Gor, move back, He from Demon people!" A hint of fear appeared in the eyes of the odd creatures after realizing that Jin was a demon. "Why you come now? We live here quietly! We no go near your wall, we no bother you!" The creature protested
Although they were on their guard, none of the pair drew their clubs.
Somehow, even though they were almost double the height of Jin, they were still fearful.
Jin paused for a moment. What caught his curiosity was that these creatures were showing some degree of intelligence, far greater than any of their counterparts, even that of the Orcs. If his hunch was right, then these monsters were bred by his late grandfather. If that was the case, then they had been left unattended for more than a decade, causing them to breed with each other uncontrollably.
...
[Ding! Player discovered the late Demon King's breeding project]
["Splicing the 'good' from all the 'bad', Demon King Krell once aimed to create the perfect race. The demon race isn't the only minority in the world, with that, Krell knows that sooner or later, it is only right for everyone in the minority to join hands against any oppressors. Special Project: Frey Race. 'To my beloved grandson, continue my legacy...'"]
...
[A side quest is being issued. Would you like to accept?] [Yes/No]
Jin's guess was on point. It was indeed his grandfather that made the place. A twisted breeding ground of some sort. Jin had always been close with his grandfather, and seeing that the latter wanted him to continue he had started, it was obvious that Jin would accept.
'Yes'
…
[Side Quest: Lead the Freya Race]
["Now that you're a king of an empty kingdom, you have to at least rule over something. Convince the Freya race to reside within the Priyan Kingdom. Make use of their amazing abilities. Make Demon King Krell proud… he's watching you from beyond the grave."]
[Reward: Demon King Krell's journal]
…
Jin immediately accepted the side quest. Although he was unsure how to achieve such feat in a short period of time, he already had the proper background of leading people, and he was actually good at it, so it was natural that he'd feel confident that he would be able to do it. The only downside to his rulership was that he was, and still is, a terrible fighter.
What really caught his attention, however, was the reward—
"Gramps journal… that should be interesting,"
All perverted and twisted thoughts aside, Jin had always revered his grandfather as a genius, capable of thinking beyond the norm. If he could acquire the records of such a man, then everything might go smoothly for him in the future. With that in mind, Jin braced himself; this side quest is just as important as the main questline.