Prince Varlian looked attentively at the Drakkhan kneeling in front of him, listening to his words. Soon, the Drakkhan was done with his report.
"Very well. You're dismissed."
The Drakkhan bowed while kneeling, then suddenly disappeared. Varlian crossed his arms, a frown clear on his face. The pressure from the other princes and princesses was mounting. They desired to exterminate humanity for the immediate XP and increase in the power of their forces within the Empire, as expected. It could be considered to be a short-sighted urge at best. The nobles, on the other hand, insisted that all of humanity should be housed and bred to increase their numbers over time; under this system, they would kill those who were too old or unfit to reproduce. This strategy focused on long-term growth and systemic slaughter, however, the problem with it was that there was no guarantee that the Empire had enough time to execute it properly and reap its benefits. This was why the royals were pushing for humanity's immediate extinction; the Empire as a whole was running out of time.
Despite all of this, Varlian could decidedly say that he knew better. He was sure that an alliance with humanity was the only thing that would ensure the survival of his species and Empire. The reason was simple. He had personally met the individual known as Liam Allister. The prince looked at the floating information window displayed by the black sphere in his grasp. A slightly detailed Status Window on Liam could be seen. Varlian narrowed his eyes.
------------------------------- Estimated Status Window------------------------------------
Name: Liam Allister
Level: ??? (30 – 40)
Species: Human
Race: There is no racial variation among this species
Personal Attribute: ??? (Survival and Stat Increase function)
Attributes:
Strength: 4,200
Dexterity: 4,150
Constitution: 6,000
Intelligence: 420
Aura: 5,100
TITLES:
???
Skills:
. Passive Skills:
Danger Sense (A); Long Distance Runner (B); Advanced Spear Mastery; Aura Incorporation; Expert Aura Path; Advanced Footwork Mastery; Intuition (A); Grand Flow (S); Undying (S); Iron Mind (A); Masterful Aura Conservation; Aura Condensation (B).
Titanslayer
. Active Skills:
Unknown Unique Skill; Aura Blade; Unknown Unique Skill; Flying Spear; Aura Sight; Aura Manipulation; Unknown Skill Series
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A considerable amount of information was still missing, but based on what they had already mapped out, Liam Allister stood far above the rest of humanity, especially when it came to potential alone. While the other leaders of their species were certainly outstanding when compared to the average human, in the grand scheme of things, they weren't worth mentioning. In terms of stats, Liam wasn't much either. There was only one thing that made Varlian value him above all others.
'Conversion.'
The ability to convert XP into stats. It was the strongest Personal Attribute that Varlian knew of, even considering some of the more battle-oriented ones that had been discovered among humans on the planets of Norus and Trilles. The reason was both obvious and incredibly simple: it allowed Liam not to level up. Of course, aside from that, the Attribute also had the extremely valuable ability to keep him alive.
'The more time goes on, the stronger he'll become without increasing his Level at all.'
No matter how Varlian saw it, it was a nonsensical power superior even to the Empire's royal family's ability. Fortunately, he seemed to be the only one who knew about this, but the others would pick up on it soon. Liam would try to grow as fast as he possibly could. Soon, questions would arise as to how his strength could increase so consistently, even though it should take longer and longer periods of time to level up. When those questions were asked, the human's secret would be exposed. When that happened, the prince needed to be fully ready for the commotion that would ensue. His brothers and sisters would either try to kill Liam or pull him over to their side, and neither of those could be allowed to happen.
This was all without mentioning his Skills. The human had multiple S-ranked Skills, the kind that was found only on the Second Level of the Library and above. It meant that he had learned those Skills on his own, being indicative of a tremendous amount of talent and System awareness. His Unique Skills were created by and tailored for him, while he also seemed to have learned a spearmanship style that included powerful Active Skills.
Varlian closed his eyes and made the window floating in front of him disappear.
'I can't underestimate him.'
He had a feeling that he would dearly regret the decision to underestimate Liam's growth speed. Liam possessed the type of potential that could lead to the downfall of their Empire if allowed to grow. It was a preposterous conjecture, but the prince didn't doubt it for a second. The Empire's King, his father, was the strongest figure that Varlian had ever known, but deep in his heart, he suspected that it wouldn't take long for Liam to reach that level. Once that happened, the Empire would be done for.
'Wait until he reaches Arimiar's level, use him as much as possible, then kill him.'
It was a simple plan, but one that sought to maximize the benefits the Drakkhan Empire could reap while also handling one of the biggest threats to their existence. For now, Varlian had no choice but to wait until Liam grew further and became a powerhouse, but he shouldn't lose track of the human's growth. Even if he happened to overestimate Liam's development speed, it would be better than the opposite.
The prince inserted Aura into the Communicator in his hand.
"Arimiar."
A voice soon emerged from the device.
"May the Empire's Sun forever shine upon you, Your Highness. I can hear Your Highness clearly."
"Is Liam Allister still inside the training room?"
"Yes, Your Highness, sir. I checked earlier today and he remains inside the Ether pond."
Varlian frowned.
"Notify me as soon as he's out of there and send him back into the field immediately. Analyze his newfound prowess to the best of your ability. Expect around 10 levels of growth or even more."
"…10 levels, Your Highness? Pardon my insolence, but isn't that too much for five months inside an Ether pond, especially one as small as that one? That kind of development is only achieved by stacking many powerful Skills, and- "
"I am aware. My statement remains the same."
"Understood. I shall keep tabs on him once he emerges."
"Report back as soon as you obtain concrete information. Dismissed."
Varlian cut the connection with a pensive expression on his face. He did not waste his time thinking about whether he was overreacting or not. He had already made the decision to consider Liam an equal and a threat to the Empire.
Having settled this matter, Varlian's thoughts turned to other ones. Specifically, what he should do to protect his people. Reaching this point, Varlian's eyes turned cold. Anger bubbled up within him. The reason was that in spite of his best efforts to protect the Drakkhan, some idiots still seemed not to be aware of the position they were in and constantly hindered him. His siblings and many of the nobles were the worst examples of this. It was as if he was the only one truly aware of the danger the Kingdom of Luweth posed, though that would be ridiculous. There was no way the higher-ups of the Empire didn't understand that they were losing the war. When the result would be annihilation, what pushed them to get in his way? Were they not afraid of losing all they had, including their lives?
Varlian knew he was. He was incredibly, terribly afraid of being forced to watch his kind be slaughtered like animals, butchered for the good of another species. He abhorred the very thought. That was why he would fight. Not for himself, not for his family, not even for his father. A young female Drakkhan's figure flashed by his mind, but Varlian hurriedly pushed the thought away.
He would fight for the Drakkhan. He would save his species, no matter the cost. How he would go down in history didn't matter; he did not care about leaving behind a legacy and had no other desires.
All that mattered was his people's survival. And…
…The image of the Drakkhan girl consumed his thoughts once more.
He would fight for her, too.