Lilith stood proudly at the edge of the village, watching the shifting anthill of goblins, when she suddenly felt her blood stop boiling.
The purple glow of her armor flickered and died, and the scales began to fade, revealing her ordinary demonic skin. The gigantic talons retracted with a quiet hiss, and her horns returned to their natural size.
A notification flared before her eyes:
[Duration of Primordial Succubus Monarch Body has come to an end.]
[Monarch Form has been deactivated.]
In that same second, Lilith felt as if someone had suddenly placed a ton of lead on her back. Her movements became heavy, and her senses, just a moment ago sharpened to their limits, abruptly dimmed.
She gave a crooked smile, leaning against a nearby tree.
"This sudden change in stats..." she muttered under her breath. "Going back to normal after being a God is truly hard to swallow."
Suddenly, the system interface flashed with a warning red:
[WARNING!]
[Your body has been extremely overstrained under the influence of Primordial Power.]
[Status: For the next 12 hours, all your stats are reduced by 50%!]
Lilith raised her eyebrows and then snorted loudly, though a note of respect for the world's mechanics was audible in her voice.
"Oho, I see! I knew there had to be a price for such a sick buff. It's just a shame this 'helpful' system didn't mention a word about it beforehand."
She wiped sweat from her forehead, feeling a growing fatigue.
"If this had happened during a fight with someone stronger, and I hadn't managed to finish them in those five minutes... I'd be dead. It's a double-edged sword in its purest form."
To distract herself from her body's weakness, she remembered her reward. With a smile, she pulled the Magnificent Bronze Treasure Chest from her inventory. The lid popped open with a quiet click, and a beam of light shot out from inside.
[Loot from the Chest:]
Gold: +10,000 pieces
Item: "Low Evolution Catalyst" x1
Item: Book of Life & Book of Mana
Accessory: Bracelet of Eternal Silence
Lilith picked up the Low Evolution Catalyst.
[Low Evolution Catalyst]
Description: A mysterious essence that allows for the breaking of structural limits. It allows for the immediate leveling up of any structure or object (Level 1 or 2) in the user's territory to the next rank.
"This is even better than that necromantic counterpart," she noted, analyzing the description. "I can use this to upgrade any building or structure on my territory. This has much broader applications."
Next, Lilith grabbed the two books.
[Book of Life]
Description: An ancient volume written in the blood of higher beings. Upon reading, the book is destroyed, surrendering its essence to the user.
Effect: Permanently increases maximum HP (Health Points) by 100 units.
[Book of Mana]
Description: A tome written in the language of the stars, pulsing with pure magical energy. The knowledge contained within directly expands the mana channels in the body.
Effect: Permanently increases maximum MP (Mana Points) by 100 units.
Without hesitation, she used both.
The papers immediately disintegrated into golden and blue energy particles, which were absorbed by her body. She felt her maximum reserves of mana and vital strength grow by a solid 100 points each. Although her stats were currently cut in half, her "pool" had become deeper.
Finally, she pulled out the last item.
[Bracelet of Eternal Silence]
Description: Capable of sealing all the skills of the wearer. Effective only against beings of "low power level."
Lilith smiled enigmatically, turning the jewelry in her fingers.
"I wonder how this system defines 'low power level.' Would I fall for it too?" she wondered aloud.
For a moment, she was tempted to put the bracelet on and test it on herself, but a warning light suddenly went off in her head.
"No... that would be quite a mess. If the bracelet worked and I couldn't take it off because it sealed my strength, I'd be stuck as a weakened demon in the middle of the Forest of Chaos. Better save this for a special 'occasion'."
She stowed the bracelet in her inventory and leaned against the tree trunk, waiting for her new goblin servants.
As Lilith put away the bracelet, her hand brushed against one more item she had forgotten in the heat of opening the chest loot. She pulled an old, worn parchment from her inventory that pulsed with a strange, almost tangible rhythm.
She used analysis, and an exceptionally laconic description appeared before her eyes:
[Ancient Skill Upgrade Scroll]
Description: An item of unknown origin. Allows for the forced immediate evolution of a selected skill into its Ancient form.
Lilith furrowed her brow, reading the short text for the third time.
"Ancient skill?" she whispered to herself, turning the scroll in her fingers. "What does that even mean? That it will be more OP? Or will it just turn into something completely different?"
She wanted to analyze her skill list more deeply to see which one would be best suited for such a drastic enhancement, when suddenly the ground began to shake steadily.
A massive, green stream of bodies began to pour out of the settlement.
It was Gorgoth. At the head of a massive column of goblins, he walked with a firm step, followed by nearly three thousand of his subjects. Each of them carried something on their back: from sacks of grain to primitive tools, to strange, shiny trinkets found in the ruins.
"Mistress!" Gorgoth bowed low as they reached the edge of the forest. "We are ready for the journey. We can move at your command!"
Lilith raised her eyebrows, not hiding her surprise.
"So fast?" she asked, looking at the huge mass of beings. "I thought packing the whole tribe would take you at least a few hours."
Gorgoth nodded with pride mixed with gravity.
"For us, every minute in this place without the Guardian's protection is a risk. We packed what is most important. The rest we leave to the past."
Lilith swept her gaze over the crowd. She saw mothers clutching small goblin babies, elders leaning on staves, and warriors looking into the depths of the dark Forest of Chaos with uncertainty.
Everyone was looking at her - some with pure, paralyzing fear, others with almost religious adoration.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar figure. It was Bungo. He stood in the middle of the group, and his only possession was a large, strange-looking, and probably quite dirty pillow, which he clutched with both hands.
The goblin stared at the treetops with an open mouth, as if he still hadn't quite registered the fact that his previous world had just ceased to exist.
Lilith sighed lightly, feeling the weight of responsibility for these three thousand lives, even though her stats were still cut in half. She straightened up, and her wings, though less powerful now, still made a staggering impression on the small creatures.
"In that case, let us move," she announced, pointing northward toward the Great Valley of Darkness.
And so, under the lead of a weakened Monarch, a gigantic column of three thousand goblins set off through the dangerous reaches of the Forest of Chaos.
The sight was surreal - a powerful purple demon marching at the head of an army of green-skinned refugees, beginning a great migration.