Lake Kingdom Dungeon, Zone 10. The Farm.
In the heart of the city, a vast expanse of land suddenly unfolded. Endless rows of fruit trees, planted at precise intervals like blades, stretched out before the eyes.
On one side, a barn; on the other, fields and paddies...
Originally, it was a top-grade farm exclusively supplying the King's Castle, reserved for the royal family.
Covered with pristine glass walls, this facility maintained optimal temperatures and lighting for plant growth through magic.
Even as the kingdom fell to ruin, shrouded in darkness and monsters, this place continued to operate.
Guided by the will of its current owner.
Trickle, trickle.
From the terrace of the central mansion, overlooking this wide and beautiful farm.
Into the wine glass on the outdoor table, red wine poured with a clear sound.
"Do you know the difference between fermentation and decay?"
The burly man, having filled the glass halfway, slowly set the bottle upright and began to speak. His deep voice flowed from him.
"The principle is the same. Microbes multiply, and, simply put, rot. But the outcomes are different. When rot deepens the taste and aroma, its fermentation. When it produces foul odors and toxins, its decay."
The man swirled the glass in his hand. The red wine rippled, nearly spilling as it spun inside the glass.
"Its all rotting, but if it benefits humans, its fermentation; otherwise, its decay. Quite a convenient standard, isnt it?"
"..."
"Even in decay, there are flavors like this wine, a time for harvest, and the subtlety of maturation. Yet humans neither understand nor try to appreciate its true taste."
Slowly, the man raised the glass, examining the red liquid in the light of the farm.
"So, I sought to enlighten humans with the aesthetics of my decay. But failing to embrace my philosophy, they branded me a monster."
The man chuckled.
"Oh, the irony! When it suits their taste, Im hailed as a great doctor. But when I follow my own path, they treat me as a plague monster. Really, so arbitrary. Ive always consistently studied rot."
"..."
"So, as people wished, I became a monster. Using my body as a breeding ground, I infused all my researched decay into myself... I became the embodiment of plague."
Gulp-
The man downed the glass.
Having savored the last drop of red wine, he let out a satisfied exclamation and set the glass down, then looked across the table.
"Ive rambled on. Why not have a taste? Its my farms own brew. Quite good, actually."
"..."
"Afraid to drink something brewed by the Plague Master? Or has my bare face put you off your appetite? Either way, I suppose I understand."
Wiping his mouth, the man picked up a mask lying beside the table. A white crow mask.
Donning the crow mask and a black top hat, he took his place.
The fourth-ranked commander of the Nightmare Legion.
The lord of the Plague Legion - Raven, sat and faced his visitor.
"So, what brings you here today?"
"..."
"Your silence makes me prattle on all by myself."
Sitting opposite Raven was a Frost Giant.
This Frost Giant was remarkably small for his kind, only slightly larger than a typical human.
Yet, this man was the commander of the Frost Giant Legion, the Last King.
One of the most formidable among the hellish monsters beneath this lake - King Hraim of the Frost.
Hraim, who had been silently staring at Raven, finally parted his heavy lips.
"I'm done."
"What are you referring to?"
"Im done being a dog for your Plague Legion."
Hraim, having bluntly stated his purpose, pushed back his chair and stood up. Raven tilted his head to the side, puzzled.
"Does this mean you're abandoning your wife and children, held hostage by my legion?"
"...!"
Hraim, his eyes flickering wildly, growled fiercely.
"For hundreds of years, youve held my wife and children hostage, using my Frost Giant people like your slaves."
"I thought it was a decent collaborative relationship."
"I sent my forces to capture the Succubi Queen on your orders. But the result was annihilation. Many of the few remaining warriors of my race were needlessly lost due to your command."
"You speak as if I killed your warriors."
Raven smirked mockingly, shrugging his shoulders.
"I requested cooperation, and you accepted. The annihilation by the Succubi Queen was due to the weakness of your men."
"..."
"To lose all your subordinates and not even capture a single Succubi, the Frost Giants have really declined."
Insulted to his face, a terrifying malevolence erupted from Hraim.
Looking as though he might draw the greatsword on his back and attack Raven at any moment, Hraim eventually exhaled a long breath, suppressing his rage.
"From this moment, the Frost Giant Legion severs its master-servant relationship with the Plague Legion."
Hraim turned and began to walk away.
"Do as you wish with those held hostage. Kill them, spare them. They're no longer my concern."
"How cold, King of the Frost Giants. You intend to abandon your wife and children?"
"After holding my wife and children hostage for hundreds of years, refusing every plea to release them, you're hardly one to talk."
Hraim strode out of the mansion in the center of the farm. Or, he tried to.
Stagger.
"...?"
Suddenly, his vision lowered.
Confused, Hraim soon realized he was kneeling on the ground, his legs having given out.
"What's...?"
His stomach churned, and his vision swirled.
Hraim belatedly realized blood was pouring from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.
Collapsing in a gruesome pool of blood from every orifice, he ground his teeth.
"I didnt even touch the wine you offered, what is this..."
"Such foolish talk."
Raven, who had slowly approached Hraim, tapped his mask with his fingertips.
"If you were wary of my power, you shouldn't have even breathed in my presence."
"You... monster..."
"Hasnt it been hundreds of years since we first met face to face? Did you really think I hadnt planted a plague in your body by now?"
Leaning down in front of the trembling Hraim,
"Worry not, King of the Frost Giants."
Raven chuckled heavily, his voice filled with unmistakable mockery.
"You're merely returning to the hell where your wife and children await."
"You vile, filthy... plague monster..."
Hraim cursed Raven with his last breath, glaring at him.
"Mark my words. The power of frost... will not... forgive you..."
Those were the last words of King Hraim of the Frost Giants.
The Frost Giant lay there, his body rigid and fallen.
Though he wasnt dead, having been paralyzed by the toxin Raven introduced, he was now captured alive.
And there's only one outcome for those captured alive by the lord of the Plague.
"A field for a new plague to grow. Of quite a high quality, I must add."
Becoming part of the farm, where seeds of plague are sown, nurtured, and harvested.
"A plague cultivated from the body of the Frost Giant King. Surely, it will yield a decay of remarkable flavor."
Raven savored the sight of the Frost King's formidable body, already anticipating the new plague that would be born.
Snap!
With a flick of Raven's finger in the air,
Caw, caw...
Hundreds of crows swarmed in, grasping the body of the Frost King with their talons and began to move it.
"The Frost Giant Legion has served well as my limbs for a long time, but now they part from my embrace... Which legion shall I enlist next?"
Raven clicked his tongue in disappointment.
The Plague Legion didnt have forces in the conventional sense.
Flies and crows, rats and bugs living embodiments of the plague, these carriers he could control, but there were no subordinates with intelligence and will to move at his command.
Because merely being near him for an extended time led to poisoning, nobody could withstand being at Raven's side for long.
A One Man Plague.
A legion in himself, a plague in himself. That was Raven, master of the Plague.
Thats why the Plague Legion always suffered from a manpower shortage. Even with Raven creating duplicates of himself, there were clear limits.
Hence, Raven always formed alliances with other legions and enlisted subordinates in this manner.
But the werewolf and succubus legions he had allied with were annihilated. Now, even the long-serving Frost Giant Legion had broken away...
"The remnants of the werewolves and Frost Giants will all be used as fields for the new plague..."
Raven clicked his tongue again.
"But the succubus legion, which I was most looking forward to, still eludes capture."
What form would a plague cultivated from the physical body of a mental being like a succubus take?
As a researcher and seeker, Raven was always curious about this.
However, the succubus legion was decimated by the human players on a whim... and now Salome, the only remaining sample, was frequently eluding capture.
Despite dispatching various minor legions under his command to capture the lone succubus, she cleverly escaped each time.
When he sent the Frost Giant Legion, instead, they were the ones annihilated.
"Anyway, as a monster, your legion is beyond recovery, Salome."
Heading deeper into the farm, Raven muttered softly.
"Then, wouldnt it be better to serve as nourishment for my research?"
To Raven, comrades were just that.
Beings too weak to stay by his side for long without being poisoned to death.
Then, wouldnt it be better to use them as fields to conceive a new plague?
Thus reborn into a never-before-seen plague, they would inhabit Raven's body an eternal companionship.
This, Raven sincerely believed, was true camaraderie.
Having moved King Hraims body to an appropriate location, Raven sowed the seeds of decay into the Frost Giant's body.