Lan and Ging Freecss seem to be doing nothing in the capital.
But in fact, every move of the Ant King and his Royal Guards is under their control.
"Shogi, Go, Chess..."
In Marcos's luxurious room, Lan threw the chess pieces casually, and they landed accurately in each game box.
"Honestly, I still think Gomoku, Ludo, Chinese Checkers, and Jungle Chess are more interesting."
He clapped his hands while watching a live feed of everything happening inside the East Gorteau palace.
Lately, as Meruem waited for the selection process, he had begun reading books and studying various human board games, both to pass the time and to assess the intellectual gap between himself and humans.
Thanks to his unparalleled intellect, which matched his formidable physical prowess, he quickly mastered the essence of multiple board games within a short period.
In order to verify his learning results, he summoned various national champions from the Republic of East Gorteau to challenge him.
With his extraordinary skill, he systematically defeated each champion, dominating every board game.
When he first summoned the national Shogi champion to the palace, Lan had already prepared in advance and secretly attached his own split cells to the champion.
As the trembling champion was led into the palace, Lan's cells took root within the palace itself, allowing him to observe everything that transpired.
Naturally, this also meant he witnessed the champion's death.
"Checkmate."
Meruem placed a decisive piece on the board with an expressionless face.
"You have no moves left."
Resting his chin on the back of his hand, his demeanor remained utterly indifferent.
In contrast, the national Shogi champion, his pockmarked, chubby face drenched in sweat, was trembling.
"Why didn't you admit defeat before?"
Meruem asked casually without even looking at him.
"..."
The champion's body quivered, but he remained silent.
Slash!
In the next moment, warm blood splattered across his face.
"Ahh!! It hurts!!"
He realized it belatedly and covered his cut ear with a cry of pain.
"Don't make me say it again."
Meruem didn't care about his cry: "The victory or defeat was already decided before the 22nd move, right?"
His pair of creepy eyes locked onto the now blood-streaked champion.
"Why didn't you admit defeat at that time?"
"Or do you think I would made the wrong move?"
His green face darkened ominously, making the champion turn even paler.
Finally…
"Aaaaahhhh!!!"
Consumed by terror, the champion screamed and scrambled to his feet.
In his panic, he overturned the board before frantically fleeing.
Meruem's gaze turned even colder.
Swish!
With a flick of his tail, blood splattered across the hall.
"How foolish."
Shaiapouf, who was standing by, had already gotten used to it and arranged for someone to clean up.
Then he stepped forward respectfully and handed over the Go rulebook and study guide, having also summoned the national Go champion.
Meruem was also learning this seemingly simple but actually very complicated game.
This is more difficult, more complicated, and more time-consuming than the Shogi he just played.
Meruem was looking through the rules of Go. At the door, Menthuthuyoupi dragged a human in.
"Don't kill me, don't kill me..."
The national Go champion was a man wearing glasses and dressed like an office worker.
At this moment, he didn't even have the strength to struggle. Or rather, in front of Menthuthuyoupi, he couldn't even struggle and could only repeatedly beg in fear.
"Silence!"
Shaiapouf raised his eyebrows immediately: "His Majesty stands before you."
The national Go champion raised his head tremblingly.
Before he could see Meruem's full appearance clearly, he caught a glimpse of the bloodstains left by the dead Shogi champion beside him.
"...!!!"
A violent shudder ran through his entire body.
"Make a choice."
The cold tone coming from the front made him subconsciously shudder.
"It depends on whether you want to sit down in front of me immediately or..."
In front of Meruem, there was a Go board and two black and white Go boxes: "Die."
Such a direct threat to life made the Go champion sit down reluctantly with sweat dripping down his back.
In this way, the two sides started playing.
After only ten games, he could no longer lift the Go pieces in the box.
The growth rate of the Ant King Meruem was far beyond the scope of normal people.
Even in a highly complex game like Go, he easily beat the national champion with glasses in front of him.
Still, the defeated champion stubbornly claimed that he wasn't at his best, blaming his loss on illness and fever.
Displaying an unexpected sense of fair play, Meruem generously granted him eight hours of rest and all the necessary medicine.
"I don't have the patience to listen to you making excuses for your failure."
Meruem said coldly: "Just rest as hard as you can."
After the disheartened champion was dismissed, Shaiapouf praised the king's rapid improvement.
"To think you mastered Go in half the time it took for Shogi..."
Meruem replied flatly: "The principles remain the same. Chess, Go, Shogi, once you grasp their core mechanics, they are all alike."
Picking up a stone between his fingers, he added.
"A true master has a distinct rhythm pattern during a match."
"Therefore..."
With a clenched fist, the stone crumbled into dust.
"Disrupting that rhythm is the key to victory."
"This is the universal truth of all competition."
Shaiapouf, upon witnessing this, immediately set out to find Meruem another game.
A strategic board game known as Gunji was about to enter the stage…
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