The entrance to the dungeon was a large cemetery which was actually on the surface of the Plains. This was considered the first floor despite that and the entrance to the second floor was in a large crypt within the cemetery.

There were low level undead creatures scattered everywhere throughout the cemetery, although most would lay dormant until an enemy arrived. These undead had never left the dungeon as an invasion force and instead they had just grown stronger over time while the dungeon continued to expand further.

We hadn’t entered the cemetery yet and I found myself contemplating the actual function of a dungeon while I observed from a short distance away. Behind me were the one hundred greatest warriors of the different clans as well as the Khans themselves, and others who came to see us off. It was a large gathering and there was almost a coming of age feeling to it.

Many of the warriors chosen seemed to be relatives of the Khans or other influential people within their clan. Most of them were young and there was a good diversity of gender. It was pretty close to evenly divided between male and female warriors.

I had given instructions to the Khans to select their best warriors, but I wondered whether they just chose relatives so that I might notice them.

Well, this is fine too, I thought.

It wasn’t as if they were weak, and it wouldn’t hurt to take notice of these influential youths. One of my goals for this expedition was to prepare future leaders for my eventual military establishment. This would help them build camaraderie with each other and should be a good experience for them, assuming they make it through this.

In order to ensure the success of the expedition as well as the safety of those participating, we made sure to prepare sufficient supplies. The clans were also asked to choose warriors proficient with fire and healing magic so that each party would be well balanced. Each clan’s chosen warriors were then split up into five member groups with warriors of other clans.

“It’s really an amazing sight to see.” Reia was standing next to me and spoke in a clear voice, waking me from my thoughts.

“What, the cemetery?” I wasn’t sure at first what she was talking about since I was staring at the cemetery in the distance.

“No Fayde, I’m talking about them.”

She drew my attention to the scene behind me. All the warriors that had been chosen for the expedition were saying their farewells to their families and also discussing various tactics with their party members.

“I think she’s talking about the young warriors. It is quite a sight to see the clans working together so enthusiastically. My brother and I could never have imagined something like this.” Interjected Laila with a bit of awe.

“Ah… Well, get used to it because this is only the beginning. There are many more surprises to come. Just wait until you see them farming.”

I chuckled a little at the thought of Demihumans plowing the field. It will be a drastic change from their lives on the Plains, but it would be something to come in the future.

“That would be something to see.” said Reia with a hopeful smile.

Reia and her tribe had lived in the forest as hunters their entire lives, but she had frequently lived in Human society. She desperately hoped for a future for her people and for all the Demihumans.

“It looks like the supply wagons are just about here, let’s head back and say our farewells too.”

I led the two back down the small hill we had climbed to get a good view of the cemetery and returned to where our people were gathered. Many wagons were already gathered and it wouldn’t be long before our expedition began.

The atmosphere was one of excitement and adventure and even with my own problems, I could almost feel it moving my heart. Despite the uncertainty many Demihumans felt with the idea of going into a dungeon, the younger warriors were aching to prove themselves and many of them cheered as I approached.

Without me being fully aware at first, I had become an object of reverence and great pride for the clans. Obviously, becoming Great Khan and the leader of the clans, it wasn’t as if I didn’t expect that there would be something like this. What surprised me though, was the almost worshipful behavior the Demihumans had begun to show towards me.

There was always the respect they all showed after I became their Great Khan, but if I had to point out the moment that their reverence had grown, it would probably be the first time they saw me fly through the air. At the time, I didn’t really think about what kind of effect it would have on them, I had just wanted to kill some monsters as quickly as possible.

Truthfully, I didn’t care. It made my life that much easier and solidified my position as their leader. Most of the time, I had been keeping hidden from the people. I would normally only show my face while the wagons were moving and it wasn’t like I was approachable at that time. Whenever we made camp, I was mostly secluded and would only come out when it was dark.

It wasn’t as if I was intentionally trying to avoid them, but at some point, I just didn’t want to deal with it. Everything became troublesome, so I only did the things I had to, and at other times I did my best to escape. It wasn’t behavior fitting of a leader, but I was having some difficulty bringing myself to care enough to change.

If it wasn’t for the promise I had made to Reia and Laila in my heart, I think I might have just abandoned everything.

“Great Khan! A moment please!”

Khan Rhaegnar called out to me and walked over with two Wolfkin youths following close behind him. He seemed to be in a festive mood and had a wide grin plastered to his face.

“You may know these two already, but I wanted to introduce them officially to you! This here is my grandson and the next Khan of the Wolfkin clan. Largear! Come introduce yourself to the Great Khan.”

Rhaegnar pushed his grandson forward and took a step back while observing his son’s interaction with me.

Largear was a large man, although most Wolfkin were quite large in both height and width. They were extremely muscular and gave off a certain ferocious air. He looked a lot like a younger version of his grandfather. He wore a thick hide vest and carried a huge 2-handed battle axe strapped to his back.

If not for the wolf-like ears and tail, he would look much like what I would imagine an overly muscular body builder might look like. I could just picture him wandering around in trousers and shirtless with his muscles bulging out, swinging his mighty battle axe.

“Great Khan! I am Largear, son of Rhaegnar and I just wanted to say that I admire you greatly! Your victory against Accadeas in the Grand Council competition was amazing! I have never seen anything like it!”

Despite the image I had of Largear in my head, the way he spoke was a huge contrast to that. He was nervous and he spoke rapidly, almost saying one word over the other. For some reason, his eyes went wide when he glanced at Reia and he became even more nervous. I just couldn’t reconcile his actions with his physical image, not to mention he was twice the size of me.

“Haha, you flatter me. Khan Rhaegnar, you have a fine grandson. I am sure he will become an excellent Khan in the future!” I just threw some flattering words out there and Rhaegnar seemed extremely happy.

“Ah, I remember you! Erikkar right?”

Seeing the other Wolfkin patiently waiting his turn to speak, I called out to him.

“You remember me? I am truly honored.” He said humbly.

“How could I forget, you left a strong impression on me.”

“You know my cousin Great Khan?” asked Largear.

“Yes, we met when I first arrived at the sacred grounds, he was one of the guards at the Khan tent. The Wolfkin clan is truly blessed to have two excellent youths such as the both of you!”

I could see that the memories I possessed of Peter’s salesman days were really paying off. My flattery was taking them all to new heights of pride. They were truly good people, though, the Wolfkin. Honorable, and fair, without any malice or ill intent.

As if to outdo the Wolfkin, Rajal Khan soon made his own appearance in grand fashion with a female warrior in tow. I still had no idea why he was addressed as Rajal Khan rather than Khan Rajal.

“Great Khan! I think you have showed the Wolfkin enough favor for a day, allow me to introduce my daughter, Felicia!” said Rajal Khan boisterously, which would normally elicit an eye roll from me but I controlled myself.

“Felicia, present yourself!”

There was no timidness to be found in Felicia. She stood forward proudly without hesitation and her long flowing blonde hair flowed magnificently as she approached. Her height was almost six feet, so she was about as tall as I was and her almost feline chestnut colored eyes stared intensely at mine as if it were a contest of strength. If I had to imagine what an amazoness might look like, I would picture her, minus the tiger ears and tail.

This was our first meeting and I was surprised to see that his daughter was far prettier than I would think possible for him. She truly was a magnificent beauty without a flaw that I could see. Well, I suppose he had a lot of wives so one of them had to give birth to a beauty.

Reia and Laila seemed to be sizing her up and I kept catching Largear nervously glancing at Reia from the corner of my eye. I’m going to have to have a talk with him about staring at another man’s wife.

Well, he’s young, and I can understand why he might admire her.

“Great Khan, I have been looking forward to meeting you ever since I saw your magnificent fight with the Demonkin brute! And when you flew in the sky, it was amazing! I have never seen anything like it in my life!” Her eyes were practically sparkling as she spoke and her voice was surprisingly more feminine than I thought it would be.

However, Laila flinched when Felicia called her brother a brute, but she kept her calm and seemed to be happy with the praise being thrown on me. If not for that, she might have murdered the poor girl with her monstrous strength. Laila really didn’t like anyone insulting her brother, well other than herself.

“Hehe... Well, good luck on this expedition. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.” I was at a loss for what to say and ended up saying something awkwardly, but it made her especially happy and she smiled at me while striking a pompous pose.

Her father seemed happy as well and gave me a knowing smile.

He could at least try to be a little more inconspicuous with his motives. Does he think I’m an idiot? Or maybe he just doesn’t care, whatever.

I gave my greetings to the other Khans as well as various warriors while giving a lackadaisical speech which still inspired them for some reason. In some ways, the Demihumans were a lot simpler than I expected, or maybe it was the circumstances and environment we were currently in which made my speech pointless. Morale was very high either way, so it was a good thing.

With the preparations all complete and after having spoken with everyone, I finally had a moment to speak with Aylil in order to check my status.

[Level: -1 EXP: 0/0]

[HP: 171/171]

[Health Regen: 1/min] [2/min while resting]

[VP: 3000/3000] [Void Threshold: 3200 Next level 5400]

[Void Regen: 5/min] [20/min while resting]

Strength: 17 ( Modifier +4, Representation of your attack power as well as your physical strength)

Dexterity: 16 (Modifier +3, Representation of your reflexes, movement, agility, and evasion)

Constitution: 17 (Modifier +4, Representation of your resilience and affects health/health regen)

Charisma: 14 (Modifier +2, Representation of how others perceive both your physical appearance and personality as well as your skill at social interactions)

Intelligence: 142 (Represents intellectual capacity, Affects Skill Growth)

Wisdom: 240 (Represents an accumulation of life experience and common sense)

Acquired Proficiencies: Sword (Level 8/10 Superior), Evasion (Level 7/10 Advanced), Tactics (Level 7/10 Advanced), Leadership (Level 7/10 Advanced), Endurance (Level 7/10 Advanced), Spear (Level 2/10 Beginner)

Acquired Martial Arts: Sword Whirlwind (Sword), Poised Strike (Sword), Seven Sword Slash (Sword), Sword Mirage (Sword), Piercing Wind (Spear)

Blessings: Blessing of the Void (The ability to unite with the soul of a ‘Child of the Void’ through the ‘Mark of the Void’)

Special ability: Molecular absorption (Absorbs dark matter contamination strengthening host), Molecular transfer (Transfers dark matter contamination from host, to those bearing the ‘Mark of the Void,’ strengthening them), Molecular reconstitution (Through dark matter contamination transference, reconstitutes entirely, the body and soul of those bearing the ‘Mark of the Void’, amount of VP required is dependent on severity of the condition of the one being healed)

Inherent status: Immortality (Immortality grants agelessness, your body and soul will no longer age)

Affinities: Void (Your natural and innate magical affinity, Void Element)

Void Element: Void Flame (Maximum) (20VP - 7VP/min) (Imbue the power of the ‘Void’ across your entire body and unleash flames that devour space and time over a limited area)

Void Strike (200VP) (Unleashes the power of the ‘Void’, limited dimensional strike)

Phantom Image (Greater)(100VP - 20VP/min) (A type of magic body enhancement that circulates ‘Void’ element throughout the body which creates ‘Phantom Clones’. These clones allow for short range cross-dimensional teleportation. Clones act as minor versions of the user and can cause direct damage to targets)

Void Beam (Minor) (100VP)(A concentrated beam of Dark Matter which moves at the speed of light)

Void Flight (100VP - 20VP/min) (The body of the caster is entirely encased in ‘Void Flames’ which allow minute control over gravitic forces affecting the caster’s body)

Void Fireball (Minor) (200VP) (A much more powerful version of ‘Void Flame’ with explosive properties striking over a wide range)