The Conquerors Path

"You've made quite a mess," Ralph said as he sat beside me. I nodded in agreement and took a sip of the drink that was given to us.

"I told you I would make it right," I replied, dodging a hit that was aimed at the top of my head.

"You... sigh," Ralph muttered, taking a big sip of his alcohol and trying to calm his nerves.

"Just how strong are you?" Ralph suddenly asked out of curiosity. I paused my eating for a moment, turned to look at him, and asked in a serious tone, "Do you really want to know?"

He fell silent, shaking his head and taking another sip of his alcohol. "This is gonna be the end of me," he muttered.

Seeing his reaction, I chuckled and focused back on my drink. After my fight, both Ralph and I were quickly brought into this room where we have been kept for about half an hour now. The old folks are probably discussing what should be done since I have now made my demand after three wins.

According to the ancient custom in place, they are obligated to fulfill one of my desires. It was designed to ensure that the War Council itself would never falter and would always strive to improve. Even the person who created it probably never imagined it would come into play.

Of course, there are ground rules. You can't just simply challenge anyone. The challenger should be of considerable power or influence within the War Council. An Imperial cannot straight up challenge an Origin level.

The challengers should be of the same age and reasonably similar power level, as pure bullying is not allowed.

I wondered what they would do in this situation. The image of Zelda passed through my mind. The fight was much easier than I had expected. I had limited my powers to Origin level 8, and in truth, I didn't bring out all of the powers in my arsenal.

The power of fire burned in one hand, while frost resided in the other. These were the two powers I had acquired for myself: powerful offense and ultimate defense and crowd control. Before meeting Razellia and involving myself with several powerful Gods, I faced the challenge of dealing with the hidden powers of the world.

Apart from my special bloodline, I lacked a special flair to overcome my formidable enemies who surely would have come my way. The easier way would have been to sleep with powerful women to gain their powers, but I quickly dismissed that idea as it would have led to my downfall.

Instead, I traveled the world to acquire powerful artifacts from past eras, building the knowledge and power that I lacked. Although in normal circumstances, it should have killed me, as combining different powers in one body is not logical.

That's where the perfect body came into play. It was the first gift I received from the system, and it helped me become a powerful figure. The perfect body allowed my muscles and movements to adapt to any weapon, but it seemed to have deeper implications than that.

It is this very same body that helps to balance the blessings of all the Gods within my body, helping me survive. It is this very same gift that helps me balance all the gifts and powers I try to take into my body. And it is this very same perfect body that helps me override the fixed power level system of professions.

The profession I have isn't one that Eleanor gifted me, nor is it a profession passed down to successors. No, mine is something much more complex than that. It is another gift given to me by the perfect body. In a way, it is the game changer that helped me gain powers beyond common sense.

It was as if the "God of Games," who brought me here, knew what I would need. It's as if everything was predetermined, a feeling that I don't like at all. After all, this was the first clue that gave me a hint that perhaps there is much more to the issue of me being here. Just as I was thinking this, the door to the room opened, and five elders walked in.

Their presence was commanding and powerful. Even with their advanced age, I could still see the beauty in several of them, holding considerable charm over the masses. My eyes scanned their attire and the badges on their chests, indicating the faction they belonged to or led within the War Council.

The five of them were of different species, with two women and three men. The entourage consisted of an elf, a human, a demon, a beastman, and surprisingly, a dwarf. The women belonged to the elven and dwarf lineages.

"We pay respect to the elders," both Ralph and I spoke as we stood up. Regardless of our positions, they were still respectable figures in the world.

"Um... please have a seat," the demon elder spoke as the five of them entered the room, taking seats in front of us with space between each of them.

"Uh... shouldn't we head towards the meeting?" Ralph asked, sweat forming on the top of his head due to the sheer pressure emanating from these five individuals. They weren't doing it intentionally, but their presence alone was heavy for others, creating a natural barrier that made the atmosphere around them feel heavy.

"The meeting has been postponed for two days. It can be delayed for a few more hours..." the human elder, who appeared to be the oldest among the five, spoke. His voice was calm and amiable, but the disappointment and pressure in it were immense, adding another layer of hardship for poor Ralph.

Meanwhile, I remained calm, keeping my gaze fixed on the elders who were completely focused on me, seemingly attempting to peer into my mask and see my face. Inwardly, I chuckled at their futile attempt as I spoke in a respectful voice.

"I presume the elders are here to address the request I made?" I said, bringing an unnatural silence to the room. All their eyes were fixed on me, and the elven woman spoke with a soft voice.

"Indeed, as per tradition, your request will be granted," she said.

As she spoke, I felt a prickling sensation in my soul. Along with that, I noticed the eyes of the older elven woman widen in surprise, followed by a slight blush on her face.

'I must say, that look on a gilf is a killer...' I thought to myself.

The elven woman was on the older side, her sparkling golden hair touched with hints of grey. Her eyes had small wrinkles, and her body exuded an aura of time and experience. It was something I could easily recognize due to my several interactions with similar women. Even now, the elven woman maintained a captivating appearance, giving her the perfect gilf look.

Silence filled the room, and I could perceive subtle changes in the expressions of the elders.

'It seems they are discussing amongst themselves,' I thought.

I could sense what the elven woman had done to me. A dangerous idea soon blossomed in my mind as I looked at the elders, my eyes focusing on the elven woman.

'It looks like you will be my first target here...'