The earth rumbled as massive slabs of stone were conjured by the mountain giants. After roughly shaping them according to blueprints, they handed the pieces over to the cloud giants, who had more artistic skills, to refine the statues into more delicate forms.
Atop a hundred-meter-tall boulder, Leon, the demon hunter knight, gazed down at the bustling giants below, his thoughts drifting back to a recent conversation with Muria.
...
"How's your training going lately?" Muria, seated on a crystal throne, smiled warmly at Leon while playing with a giant baby that was even larger than a typical adult human.
"Very well. I'm about to break through to the seventh rank of legend!" Leon replied, glancing at the baby in Muria's arms, whose face bore a slight resemblance to Muria's. He silently wondered why Muria had summoned him.
Despite possessing the combat power equivalent to a legendary dragon of the same rank, Leon had little presence in Senaps. The reason was simple: there were just too many ancient dragons in Senaps. It was not uncommon to find an old brass dragon casually telling stories at any random cloud island tavern, sometimes even in their true forms.
Under such circumstances, Leon's existence had little significance. Even his nearing breakthrough to high-level legend did not change much. Senaps was now, in every sense, a dragon's island, and whether Leon was there or not didn't make much difference.
"Leon, I've summoned you because I have a task for you," Muria cut straight to the point, realizing there wasn't much casual conversation to be had with the demon hunter knight.
"Please instruct me!" Leon stood straight. His growth to this point was largely due to the protection of Senaps and the unrestricted supply of training resources it provided.
"It's about the legacy of the demon hunter knights," Muria said, stroking his chin. "Although there are many fools among humanity who believe the demon hunter knights are obsolete, I still think this profession must be preserved."
Leon pressed his lips together, saying nothing. He was fully aware of how much the demon hunter knights had declined in modern times. Despite his status, he hadn't met any other demon hunter knight apart from his father. Of course, it wasn't that they didn't exist, but they had become so reclusive that they disappeared the moment he received any information about them.
The knights who had once protected humanity's prosperity now had to hide like moles, unwilling or unable to reveal their presence openly. It was a ridiculous situation.
"So, I've spent considerable resources gathering demon-hunting weapons. So far, I've made some progress." With a wave of his hand, Muria revealed seventeen weapons, including spears, short swords, and daggers, all of which floated before Leon.
These weapons appeared dull and unremarkable, some even looking as if they were in such poor condition they should be reforged. Yet, these were demon-hunting weapons, capable of unlocking their true power for those deemed worthy, summoning the demon-hunting armor.
"Your Highness!" Leon's face lit up with excitement as he sensed the power contained within the weapons floating before him.
"The profession of demon hunter knight must continue. I can't speak for other nations, but my empire will need demon hunter knights. I'm assigning you the task of creating a place to pass on these weapons and finding them new owners!"
"At your command!" Leon, though unsure of how to create such a place, was fired up by Muria's words. Kneeling on one knee, he accepted the mission.
...
"Leon, what are you thinking about?" A thick voice broke Leon's thoughts. He looked down to see a towering mountain giant gazing up at him.
"I'm thinking about how to complete the task Muria assigned me," Leon admitted somewhat sheepishly. The mountain giant before him stood sixty meters tall, a being who had broken past the limits of his race, granted Titan blood.
"Not sure how to set up a legacy site, huh?" The giant smiled warmly.
"Uh, yeah." Leon nodded, feeling a bit awkward. He had received his own demon-hunting weapon from his father and hadn't gone through any particularly challenging trials.
"You accepted the mission without knowing anything?" The giant looked at Leon with an odd expression.
"I got too excited!" Leon chuckled. He knew that Muria planned to establish an empire—an empire ruled by long-lived beings.
"In fact, creating a legacy site isn't all that difficult. We've done this before!" The mountain giant waved nonchalantly.
"You know how Senaps selected the first generation of dragonmen?"
"I've heard some things. There was a talent test and a willpower selection process, right?"
"Exactly. I even helped build that trial path."
"So…"
"So, what are the qualities needed to become a demon hunter knight?"
"The conditions for becoming a demon hunter knight? Hmm, firm will, a strong sense of justice, disdain for power and wealth, indifference to fame…"
"No wonder there are so few of you," the giant muttered, smirking at the lengthy list. He scratched his head and continued, "Willpower's easy. Just set up a path with increasing gravity. As for the rest, you'll need to bring in the mages to create illusionary tests."
...
Senaps moved quickly. Shortly after Leon submitted his request, a team of mages arrived at the sprawling construction site where massive boulders constantly rose and fell.
Half a month later, Leon stood in the air above the now nearly completed trial grounds, rubbing his nose as he looked at the giant beside him.
"Twelve tests? Isn't that a bit excessive?"
"Every one of the twelve trials was set according to the requirements you gave," the giant responded, rolling his eyes. "If you think it's too much, you can remove a few."
"No, it's fine!" Leon chuckled awkwardly. He descended into the almost-finished trial grounds and walked in to experience the twelve tests firsthand.
"The glory of the demon hunters!" As Leon stepped onto the first trial path, the increased gravity settled over him, but it was no challenge for him. He even had time to admire the carvings along the walls, which depicted the real-life deeds of demon hunter knights, based on records gathered by the long-lived races.
...
It took Leon a full day to complete the twelve trials. At the end of the journey, he arrived at a space filled with towering stone statues of demon hunter knights clad in armor.
"The glory of the demon hunters shall endure!" Leon stood silently as he placed the demon-hunting weapons Muria had given him on the pedestal beneath the statues, each inscribed with stories of their heroism.
Leon was confident that anyone who passed the twelve trials would be worthy of picking up one of these weapons and becoming a demon hunter knight.
After placing all the weapons, Leon returned to the sky, watching silently as several ancient dragons from Senaps worked together to seal the trial grounds and exile them to a sub-dimension.
"Now, it's time for the final task," Leon muttered, drawing his own demon-hunting weapon and summoning his mount. He would travel across the world, personally selecting humans fit to become demon hunter knights and sending them to the Senaps subcontinent.
For those humans, this would be the thirteenth trial—or rather, the first trial.
...
"Son, did you see how much effort I've put in for you?" Muria stood in a room filled with over a thousand semi-transparent light screens, holding Aeolus.
Each screen displayed a maze or legacy site, either fully formed or nearing completion.
Muria's grand project, originally conceived for his son, spanned the entire subcontinent of Senaps. He intended to turn it into a land of opportunity—a continent of miracles.
Muria was transforming every city on the Senaps subcontinent into a dungeon filled with monsters and opportunities: career legacies, divine weapons, secret arts, treasures... In the future, anyone who entered these dungeons and killed monsters would have a chance to gain life-changing opportunities.
This was Muria's continent-level testing ground, created to shape his son's future, and also the perfect way to attract new residents.
Senaps had been almost emptied of life after Muria's army swept through, and he urgently needed new inhabitants from various races. Without a population base, what empire could he establish? A nation with less than ten million people? That was laughable! The smallest of the top ten empires had a population exceeding a billion.
"Wah!" Aeolus didn't understand his father's words but curiously stared at the countless light screens surrounding him, babbling incomprehensibly.
"To become an emperor, you must understand the weight of the crown on your head. So, I'm sorry, son!"
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