Lord of The Red Planet

Hearing the familiar voice, Lily Loriart immediately dashed toward the newcomer.

"Merlin!" she cried cheerfully. THUMP! She hugged Merlin with all her might. "Let's go play!"

Merlin coughed lightly. "Oof, Lily, not so tight. I can't breathe, you know," he said, gently patting her on the head. "Besides, we're in the presence of Lord Arthur. You need to be respectful." Merlin chided Lily, though there wasn't a hint of anger on his face.

This young man was Merlin Pendragon, a Level 100 NPC who also served as the Floor Guardian of the Seventh Floor.

Inside Felius Castle, the floors weren't connected sequentially like in a regular dungeon. Although each floor had a number, the digits were essentially just identifiers to keep the guild members from getting confused. The positions of the floors within the castle were designed to shift randomly every second within a spatial dimension. For instance, a gate on the Eighth Floor that connected to the Ninth Floor one second could connect to the First Floor the next.

This defensive system was deliberately designed to confuse intruders and prevent them from memorizing the floor order. They could be thrown directly onto a floor teeming with high-level monsters.

Of course, for the residents of Felius Castle, there was a solution. Besides using the Ring of Avanheim to teleport, a fingerprint scanner was also installed at every gate. This scanner would identify NPCs and guild members, ensuring the gate always connected to the intended destination without going through the random route.

Merlin Pendragon. One of my own creations. Honestly, if anyone were to ask who the strongest NPC in Avanheim was, Rian would answer without hesitation: it was the cheerful and harmonious young man standing before him.

It was all thanks to two of his abilities that were truly… broken, and that no other NPC possessed: Miracle Magic and the Ultimate Skill: Miracle.

His Miracle Magic wasn't even part of Avalon's main magic system, Sequence Magic. This ability allowed Merlin to copy, use, and even create anything, as long as its power was below his own level. Merlin could mimic an opponent's skill or spell without any consequence, as if the power were his own, and the effect would last for one hour. This magic could also grant wishes, for himself or for others, and the results were permanent.

Of course, this wish-granting ability wasn't without its flaws. The greater or more impossible the wish, the higher the chance the result would deviate from the original desire. Therefore, Merlin had to set clear, logical limits on his wishes. The more reasonable the request, the greater the chance the wish would be granted as intended.

Then, there was the Ultimate Skill: Miracle. This was its upgraded version. The skill allowed its user to wish for anything without the weaknesses of Miracle Magic, but with the limitation that the wish would only last for five seconds.

This ability… is completely broken. Rian swallowed hard. Just imagine, Merlin could wish for one of the Fourteen World Class Items, or instantly create an all-powerful item to kill an enemy in a flash! How cheating is that!

With just these two abilities, Merlin could easily defeat all the other Floor Guardians.

Rian wasn't wrong to say Merlin was the strongest NPC in Avanheim. Luckily, back then I gave him a backstory as a good person, with a cheerful and harmonious personality. And most importantly, I added the trait 'fiercely loyal to me'. I only added it to round out his backstory, but who would have thought that setting would be my saving grace now?

Incidentally, Merlin was one of the few Angel-race NPCs in Avanheim. His current race was Seraphim Angel—one of the highest evolutions of the Angel Race—with the Job Wandering Magician, the Class Miracle Sorcerer, and the Sub-Class Showmanship.

This Job and Class were super rare, probably on par with Hero of Justice's. To unlock them, Rian had even sacrificed five World Class Items. He was likely the only one in all of Avalon who knew this secret. He had accidentally stumbled upon the clue in a remote cave in the Great Forest of Spirits on the Yutopian Continent. At the time, he was looking for information to upgrade his Fallen Angel race to a Abyss King of the Fallen Angel, one of the four evolution options available to Fallen Angel players after reaching Level 90.

Just remembering that place made him shudder. The atmosphere was so tense and desolate, even when he was just looking at it on a monitor. He had no idea what the developers were thinking, creating a location with such a horror and mystery vibe in a remote place with no clues whatsoever. Thankfully, when he found the book, a congratulatory notification from the system popped up immediately, so he didn't think too much of it.

"Lord Arthur, I have come as you commanded." Merlin removed his hat, placed it over his chest, and bowed respectfully.

"Yes, thank you for coming." Rian looked at the NPC of his own creation, now brought to life. This feeling… was incredible.

"What are you saying, My Lord? You are the absolute ruler of Felius Castle and also my Creator. Of course I would come if you called," Merlin replied with a calm smile.

Rian nodded in satisfaction. He liked Merlin's calm and comfortable response. If this were any other NPC, their reaction would likely have been far more enthusiastic and over-the-top.

I deliberately set Merlin's personality that way. A Wandering Magician who loves creating miracles and putting on shows. If a person like that wasn't calm and harmonious, it would be hard to draw a crowd. I also set him to be extremely intelligent. In his backstory, I wrote that Merlin was a genius in Magical Sciences, Science, Magic Tricks, and Psychology. Not just writing 'he is a genius,' but writing it in detail.

"By the way, Merlin, what do you make of Avanheim's current situation?" Rian's gaze shifted from Merlin to the surrounding scenery.

Hearing this, Merlin immediately dropped his relaxed expression. "Lord Arthur, Avanheim's situation is quite perilous. For some unknown reason, Felius Castle has suddenly been transported to this place in the middle of nowhere," he answered, his voice serious.

The middle of nowhere? "What about the surrounding environment?"

"Only rocks, the same red color as the soil. As far as I can see, it's all like this. There is no life, nor any vegetation," Merlin reported with a sharp gaze.

"Huh? What do you mean, Merlin?" Lily, who had been standing beside him, had no idea what they were talking about.

Merlin simply looked at Lily and smiled faintly, without answering.

Rian thought hard. Wait, what?! This… this isn't at all what I imagined! I thought we'd land in a green pasture or a lush forest, like in those light novels! Red rocks and soil? Not even any plants? Could it be… we've been transported to the Abyss?

In his memory, only the Abyss had an environment like that. He had been there once with Emperor of Evil to obtain a World Class Item.

But… even if this is the Abyss, there should still be life, right? Demons are considered living beings.

Whatever, I'll let Jarvis explain the details later. He went down to the location himself, so he must know the real situation better than Merlin, who only observed from afar using Miracle Magic.

"In that case, Felius Castle is now in danger. I will ask Secretary-General Emma Wiliams and the Guardian of the Sixth Floor, Belial, to strengthen Avanheim's defenses." Rian decided to leave the matter to those two. One was the Secretary-General, while the other served as Avanheim's Head of Intelligence.

Both of them are geniuses. I'd even say they're on par with Merlin and Felix Aurelius in terms of intellect, in their respective fields, of course. Although Emma is a genius, she wouldn't understand science like Merlin does, because her genius lies in administration, politics, and manipulation.

"Merlin—" Just as Rian was about to say something, he heard Lily shout.

"Here they come!" Lily exclaimed in her cute voice, pointing to the east.

Rian shifted his gaze. There, he saw six people walking toward him, led by Emma Wiliams. The sunlight shining on her white dress made her slender and sexy figure look even more captivating than it had in the Throne Room.

Among the group was a woman with a particularly striking appearance: beautiful fantasy-style silver armor with a Valkyrie-style helmet covered her entire body. The armor was adorned with various magical runes as patterns. Only the lower half of her face was visible, and on her back was a long silver spear whose tip glowed with a golden light.

They finally arrived before him. Merlin and Lily immediately created some distance. Emma Wiliams stepped forward and knelt, followed by the other Floor Guardians, facing Arthur Leonhart—the great ruler of Felius Castle, the only Supreme Being who had remained loyal to the end.

"All right, everyone. Pay your respects to the Supreme Leader of Felius Castle," Emma Wiliams said, her voice filled with reverence.

"The Guardian of the First Floor, Natasha Evergarden, reporting." Her voice was soft, distinctly feminine, a stark contrast to her gallant appearance. She was the woman in the Valkyrie-style full-plate armor, the Valhallan Knight of Avanheim, one of the Level 100 NPCs with the Valkyrie race.

I have to admire the character design Millennium provided. Her appearance alone is beautiful and cool, exactly how I imagined a Knight would be.

"The Guardian of the Second Floor, Felix Aurelius, reporting." A young man with blond hair and green eyes gave his respects. He wore classic wizard attire with a pointed, dark blue-black hat decorated with a Roman numeral motif. A beautiful, plain white robe was draped over a long-sleeved black shirt, paired with black trousers and knee-high brown boots. He also wore white ceremonial gloves. On the cuffs of his shirt, golden, sun-shaped buttons served as decoration. His magic staff, made from the wood of Yggdrasil with a golden hexagonal crystal at its tip, floated gracefully by his side.

Felix Aurelius, another one of my creations. He's also an Angel-race NPC, now evolved into a Time Angel—one of the many highest evolution options for the Angel Race. His Job is Time Wizard, his Class is Mythical Sorcerer, and his Sub-Class is Time Paradox.

Another character whose power is borderline broken, Rian sighed to himself.

"The Guardian of the Third Floor, Monica Megelli, reporting." A woman who looked like an 18-year-old in a classic black-and-white maid outfit with a knee-length skirt and black stockings underneath bowed respectfully.

I recognize this girl. A Level 100 NPC created by Julian with the Automata race. If I remember correctly, her Class is Magic Mechanic and her Job is Magic Doll Crafting, right?

"The Guardian of the Fourth Floor, Velusia Glacielle, reporting." An Elf woman with long white hair, a very beautiful face, a slender 175-cm frame, and sky-blue eyes gave her respects. She wore a casual blue-and-white outfit, a short white skirt, and high-heeled black shoes. Her long, elven ears looked elegant, and on her back was a white sniper rifle with runes carved into its body.

Velusia Glacielle. If I recall correctly, she has the Frost Elf race, now evolved into a Winter Sovereign Elf. Her Class is Frost Marksman, her Job is Winter Annihilator, and her Sub-Class is Ice Phantom.

"The Guardian of the Fifth Floor, Lily Loriart, reporting." Lily gave her respects to Arthur, her expression full of enthusiasm.

Rian nodded. She's as cute as ever, even in a formal situation.

"The Guardian of the Sixth Floor, Belial, reporting." A man with red hair wearing a black Victorian-era suit bowed deeply.

Belial. A Level 100 NPC created by Emperor of Evil with the Primordial Demon race. I don't know his Job and Class as well as the others, but judging by my friend's taste, I'm sure any NPC made by Emperor of Evil is extremely strong and has an extremely evil nature. He's also Avanheim's head of intelligence, so it's a safe bet his intellect is nearly on par with, or perhaps equal to, Merlin's. I have to keep him under my control. That cliché situation from the light novels must not be allowed to happen.

"The Guardian of the Seventh Floor, Merlin Pendragon, reporting." Merlin's expression was now full of respect, a world away from the calm demeanor he had shown earlier.

After that, Rian's gaze shifted to a beautiful woman with green hair and purplish-green eyes, wearing a dress with a nature motif.

"The Guardian of the Eighth Floor, Asuka Morgan, reporting." Asuka Morgan looked at him with a gaze full of respect and fanaticism.

Rian recognized that familiar look, and it made him shudder slightly. He quickly forced himself to recall information about Asuka. A Level 100 NPC created by Kazumi Fuchi, with the Forest Spirit race, now evolved into a Great Spirit of the Sacred Forest. Her Class is Druid, her Job is Nature Witch, and her Sub-Class is Forest Guardian.

If I remember her backstory correctly, this Asuka Morgan is a nature lover and vehemently opposes the destruction of nature by humans. She despises industrial pollution.

Rian still remembered his conversation with Kazumi upon learning that some players were trying to bring modern civilization into Avalon.

"Why do you hate those players so much, Kazumi?" Rian had asked the woman with wooden horns before him. Her clothes clearly reflected a player who followed the path of a nature lover and Druid.

"Because they're trash!! Those people brought that garbage called industry into this beautiful world of fantasy and magic!! I don't understand people like that!! People play this game because they want to escape reality and the atmosphere of a modern industrial city!! But instead, they bring that nightmare to this beautiful place!! That's why I hate it!!"

"Arthur, soon this game will be garbage because of them..."

Rian had watched Kazumi's back as she walked away after her outburst.

"And I, Secretary-General Emma Wiliams, report for duty."

Emma's voice jolted Rian from his reverie. The woman was looking at him with that same gaze—one of obsession and extreme fanaticism.

Damn it, look what you've done, Kohmi Joshua!!

To this day, Rian couldn't understand why Emma was so obsessed with him. He had never altered Emma's backstory like the protagonists in those novels. But this cliché and terrifying situation was happening to him anyway.

Rian was no fool. He knew that the look in Emma's eyes and her behavior was… love.

I'll figure out a solution later. For now, test their loyalty.

"All present Floor Guardians have reported," Emma announced in a soft voice.

"We await your command, Supreme Leader!" the eight figures kneeling before him shouted in unison.

"We pledge our entire loyalty to you," Emma said, followed by the others.

Their gazes were all filled with absolute respect and seriousness. It was as if, should Rian command them to take their own lives, they would do so without hesitation.