System's POV

I am Titanus the Mighty.

A Minotaur born in the harsh lands of Gomorra, driven by my wish for greatness.

From the very beginning, my dream was to become a King.

But reaching this lofty goal came with various difficulties.

Minotaurs were known to have short tempers. And in some cases, our lives were just as short.

From a lowly Minotaur, I clawed my way up the top ranks by fighting nearly every day.

I have scars covering my body, each one a badge of honor for battles won.

Of course, I didn't win all the battles I fought. At times, I had to run away to save my life.

Unlike those stubborn fools who refuse to back down even at the cost of their lives, I knew how to retreat whenever faced with far stronger enemies.

There was no honor in dying a dog's death—at least, that was what I believed.

I chose my battles, and I chose them well.

As the years passed, my reputation in the lands of Gorath-Kar spread, and Minotaurs from different tribes gathered under my banner.

Soon, we became ten thousand strong and started to expand our dominion.

And, just like always, I chose my battles.

Using force when necessary and diplomacy when the enemy was too strong.

Decades passed, and I finally managed to become a Rank 7 Sovereign.

Though no longer weak, I still was not strong enough to be called a King.

At most, I was an Overlord of a region.

Suddenly, one of my subordinates told us that a rift had appeared in our domain.

These rifts would appear in our land from time to time and were sought after by the Majin Princes and Majin Kings.

It was a rift that allowed us to cross over to this world called Pangea, where we could lay down our own kingdom.

Fortunately, the rift that appeared in our domain was inside a deep cavern.

I ordered my people to keep it a secret, knowing that if those powerful Jinns caught wind of it, they would force us to leave our domain.

Or worse, kill us off to claim the rift as their own.

Right now, my territory could no longer expand.

I am sandwiched between powerful forces with which I had diplomatic ties.

With nowhere else to go, the appearance of the rift was a godsend from our ancestors.

So, we waited.

My entire tribe made our preparations. Written in our ancient language, it was cited that the rift would fully open in half a year.

But something happened.

The rift suddenly changed, and we would now be able to enter it within a week.

This set the entire tribe into a frenzy.

Everyone doubled their efforts and preparations for our planned invasion.

Yes.

We planned to invade the world of Pangea, and there, I would build my kingdom and be called a King!

A world that was fresh for the picking!

Of course, I knew that the inhabitants of that world would resist our invasion with all of their might.

It was not only we who would be invading their world after all.

Many powerful kingdoms, far stronger than our beloved Gorath-Kar, had prepared for their invasion for years.

Still, I believed that if we wait things out and look for an opportunity, we can carve our own paradise in that new world.

So, with excitement, bloodlust, and battle lust, I led the charge to enter the rift when it fully opened.

And just as the rumors have stated, we did arrive in a new world.

The air smelled different.

It smelled of opportunities and untapped potential.

As my people started to get used to this new world, I ordered my scouts to look for an ideal place where we could build our dens.

Fortunately, the rift opened beside a mountain range, which was perfect for making caves for our people.

When the scouts returned, they confirmed that the location was ideal for establishing our base, a temporary abode we'd use before launching our assault on the surrounding territories.

A few days later, we found other Jinns in the area.

It was a rule that any members of the Jinn Race should cooperate when invading a world.

But this rule wasn't set in stone.

Some Jinns didn't want competition and tried to eliminate us to take control over a larger territory.

Unfortunately for them, they had greatly overestimated their capabilities.

We fought tooth and nail against them, and against all odds, we managed to win, driving them out of the territory.

My people were starting to think that we had made the right choice in coming here.

I feel the same way as well.

That was until I met him.

Zion Leventis.

That damnable human boy.

He and his subordinates came without warning and subdued us, who were just recovering from our recent battles.

My people tried to fight because we still outnumber our enemies.

But the humans were using weapons that we didn't know about.

One by one, my people fell, and yet, they still fought on like the brave warriors that they were.

Not wanting to see my people suffer, I, too, charged at the front lines, roaring with all my might as I charged at the human army with my axe raised to strike.

But I was repelled by an old human, who chose to fight me in a one-on-one battle.

While my subordinates fought against the humans, no one interrupted our battle.

It was an unwritten rule among minotaurs that if a single creature challenged their leader, no matter what it was, no one was allowed to interfere.

This ancient custom was passed down from one generation to the next because Minotaurs recognized only one thing.

Strength.

That was all that mattered in our world.

The strong rule the weak.

And the weak should obey the strong.

Our battle lasted for nearly ten minutes before the human boy, Zion, spoke to stop our battle.

"Do you still wish to fight? You no longer have anyone around you."

I didn't know how this human was able to speak our language. But he spoke so well that, for a brief moment, I thought that he had spoken wrongly.

But as I glanced around my surroundings, I realized that all of my brethren had already fallen.

For the first time in my life, I felt rage.

Uncontrollable rage that made me see red.

The only thing I wanted to do at that moment was to kill everyone in sight and make them pay for killing my people!

So, I swung my axe, intending to cut the young human in half.

However, how could it be that easy?

The old man I faced blocked my strike and fought me without backing down.

In the end, exhausted and out of breath, I collapsed on the ground, waiting for the killing blow that would allow me to reunite with my comrades.

Perhaps, all of us could find our own paradise in the promised land where proud warriors or the Minotaur Race go after dying valiantly on the battlefield.

I waited, and waited, and waited some more.

But the killing blow never landed.

Confused, I used all of my strength to prop myself up and gazed at the human boy, who was looking at me with an amused look on his face.

"By the way, your people are not dead," the human boy, who goes by the name Zion Leventis, said. "They're just asleep."

"You dare mock me and my brethren?!" I roared in anger, feeling aggrieved after hearing the other party say my people were merely asleep.

Minotaurs never sleep during a fight.

The only time they would close their eyes was when they slept outside the battlefield or when they were dead.

"Toss one of them, so he can understand," Zion ordered.

A golem-like human lifted one of my people and tossed them to my side.

At first, I thought that they planned to humiliate the dead, which was a taboo for our race.

However, I noticed that the chest of the minotaur in front of me was rising up and down, albeit slowly.

I didn't want to believe it, but after placing my hand on my brethren's chest and feeling their heartbeat, I confirmed that they weren't dead.

"See?" Zion asked in an amused tone. "I've always respected the Minotaurs, you see. All of you guys are born for war. However, you seem different. You're very smart. It's just unfortunate we hit you when you least expect it."

I didn't know if the boy was praising me or insulting me.

However, that gaze he gave me made me feel as if he knew me more than I knew myself.