"That just means that we have to get strong enough before that time frame to snatch the authority from that mongrel and his allies," I confidently said, trying to dispel the foul, depressing mood that began wafting in the room, .

  Dungeon Master 07 chuckled, "Considering things, that’s how it ought to be done, but I think it is essential to understand that we have two major obstacles to that goal other than, of course, our ability to get that strong. One is obviously the Faith."

  Dungeon Master 07 went on to explain that since we Dungeon Masters can only reincarnate as Highbreed or Verdenkind, the moment we are born as a Highbreed, we are more or less destined to be tied to the Faith. There are exceptions like being born in a noble and royal family, but that’s the exception, not the rule. The rule is that the moment we are born as a Highbreed, we are tied to the Faith and the Seraphims and their angels. The moment we as a Highbreed get strong, at least to a level that can truly be considered strong, we will be compelled into integrating the faith. We will be made to take an oath to one of the Seraphim, one that strips us of all hope of ever getting stronger than how strong that Seraphim would want us to be. It’s not hard to imagine that it’s simply not to a level strong enough to challenge one of them.

  "Sure, you have the option to refuse, but you can easily guess where that’ll lead you. Now, should you reincarnate as a Verdenkind, you’d be free of the Faith’s influence, but clearly, you wouldn’t be able to get as strong as you’d hope to be. That is what happened to Dungeon Master 10."

  I was surprised to hear that sudden mention of Dungeon Master 10. From what he said, I understood that this was related to the reason for which he told me not to wait for Dungeon Master 10 as he wouldn’t be able to make it. I asked apprehensively, "What happened to him?"

  Dungeon Master 07 heaved out a sigh, readying himself for a heavy topic. But then the thing he said next seemed to have nothing to do with what I expected him to talk about. "Say, Dungeon Master 08, in this incarnation, your the daughter of some noble family, right?"

  "Huh, why, yes. Why? And how did you know?"

  "Perk of being in this line of work, you learn to notice things, and I think I know which noble family you’ve spawned in. But to get back to your question of what happened to Dungeon Master 10, since you’re a noble, I’m sure you’re familiar to a certain extent with the Emperor and his way of ruling and overally doing things, right?"

  I nodded.

  How couldn’t I, being born in the Wei? family, I’ve been hammered time and time again, as if it were a children’s story, about what the Emperor did to the Wei? family, how unfairly they were treated despite being loyal for generations. The child that I was back then couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the stupidity of their words, as clearly, the fools believed the nonsense they were spouting.

  The way the Wei? family talked about their ancestor’s ascension to kingly status was one where it was given to them because they deserved it, because apparently, their ancestor earned it through earning the respect of Cleon, the self-proclaimed "One and Only Emperor." But very obviously, that wasn’t what happened. To me, it was clear that their ascension to the title of King was one forced upon them, one that they had to accept as the only other alternative was to be killed by this man, who was very obviously stronger than them. The seven kings’ story was never about respect or heroism. It was one of submission, imprisonment, the land they were given to rule over being their prison. That kingly title they were given by the Emperor doomed them to never get close and even less surpass the Emperor they yielded to, making death their only release. Such was the way of the Emperor.

  Having a bad feeling about where he was coming at, I asked Dungeon Master 07, "What did he do to Dungeon Master 10?"

  With a weary sigh Dungeon Master 07 went on to explain that Dungeon Master 10 was, in his last incarnation when they met, the son of a noble family in circumstances that very much reminded me of mine as Faye. But unlike the Wei? family, the Carmillo family, which was the royal family that used to rule Eldoria, this very kingdom, relinquished their rule to another family years before the king supporting them died. In other words, they simply gave up their kingly title to become a noble family, one that, despite the change, remained a very powerful one. It was inside that family that, having not gone to the lengths the Wei? family did, still remained a peon's family, that Dungeon Master 10 was born. As he grew up, it quickly became apparent that he was blessed, being a Verdenkind born in a peon's family, he, despite his effort to hide his special nature, stood out like a red rose in a field of daisies. And that would be the first step toward his downfall. The second one was that he managed to effortlessly acquire the so-coveted skill Longevity. The third and arguably the fourth steps that led him past the point of no-return was him leveling the said-coveted skill twice in less than 30 years and being less than level 15.

  The thing about that skill was that once unlocked, leveling up became less of a priority. After all, when mortality is no longer a concern, leveling is only a matter of time. The focus shifted to doing so safely, avoiding threats that the longevity skill couldn’t protect against. This skill granted an abundance of time to grow stronger, freeing one from the pressure of a looming death. Naturally, all sentient races, not just humans, coveted it. Dungeon Master 10, having acquired the skill on his second reincarnation, was pleased with his foresight and the possibilities it offered. But he also understood that the empire was not the best place to fully exploit its potential. With the Emperor, who had already forced the first seven kings to bend the knee, Dungeon Master 10 knew he’d be doomed to a lesser fate. The empire, with its current royal family and the king who replaced their ancestor, was the most hostile environment for someone like him.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Dealt with those cards, leaving the continent became Dungeon master 10’s only option, and as a designated destination he’d set Quel'Thalas, the elven lands. Unfortunately for him, the Emperor and his puppet king sprang into action and caught up with him before he could leave the continent. He was killed, and the Carmillo family was wiped out of history.

  With a stern expression on his face, Dungeon Master 07 said, "That is why I said it was futile to wait for him. It’s been five years since that happened. By now, I believe in his new incarnation, Dungeon Master 10 should be, at best, a four-year-old boy somewhere…"

  I could almost imagine what he is feeling right now, wondering if he is the only one who didn’t make it to today’s rendezvous, with a yearning heart beating in his chest as interference did nothing but make his anger and annoyance rise. That is what I felt ten years ago, back when I was a soon-to-be five-year-old, spending the whole day staring into the eastern horizon. The thought brought down a weight on my chest, both sadness and anger simmering within me.

  Dungeon Master 07 continued, "On one hand, we have the Seraphims through the Faith having Highbreed kneel in worship, and on another, we have Cleon the One and Only having Verdenkind bend at any sign of closing in on his level…"

  "It’s beginning to make me wish I was born an elf or some other random race, not that I think it’s any different. Most likely their equivalent of the Emperor is also doing the same, it’s just that we don’t hear about it," I responded.

  Dungeon Master 07 chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Most likely. But now that you mention other sentient beings, I have another piece of information…. Cheer up, it’s a good one…At least it is in a sense. I’ve discovered the whereabouts of a fellow incarnate and authority wielder."

  "Where?"

  "Dwarven lands."

  "A dwarf?"

  "Nope. A human—a Verdenkind, one at the same level as our One and Only Emperor, if not even stronger."

  I frowned. "I’ve never heard of another emperor. And what would a human emperor be doing in Dwarven lands?"

  "You can’t be blamed for never having heard of them, as it’s a very exclusive piece of knowledge considering what it’s about, one that I gained through the perks of my appointed position as a Divine Emissary. Yes, there’s another emperor, one that preceded the current Cleon. As for what he’s doing in Dwarven lands, let’s just say that about 1000 to 1500 years ago, he left the land of men where he used to live and rule to then headed to Dwarven lands, killing several Dwarven equivalents of a Seraphim or Emperor and ushering in what I heard was a dwarven era of slavery, calling himself, along with comrades, Iron Overlords."

  So far, I had encountered and heard about five of my fellow incarnates, people that all have in common that they came from that hellish place. For a while, I began to wonder if we were the only person out of that place aware and accepting that we’d been terrible people and actually deserved to be there. While Dungeon Master 07’s delivery took me by surprise, hearing someone coming from that place doing something like that didn’t surprise me. In fact, it was strangely comforting. But that put aside, it begged the question, "Why?"

  "That I don’t know. As I said, anything related to "him" is a very exclusive knowledge, something that the Emperor and the Seraphims and the higher-ups of the Faith are hellbent on keeping a secret. I was only made aware of it because I’d been, for a time, assigned to overlook the matter."

  "I see."

  "Here’s another piece of information that’ll bring a smile to your face. I was assigned the task of overlooking the matter because the Seraphim of Love and, by extension, the Byg'm?k faith are very interested in the development of the situation in the Dwarven Land, more than the Emperor and the two other Seraphims. There’s a simple reason for that. Not long around the time the Overlord did what he did in Dwarven Land, the Seraphim of Love and Jason headed there to—how to put this—talk sense to him." With a large smile showing all his teeth, Dungeon Master 07 continued, "Guess how it ended?"

  Responding to his smile with another as I remembered something we learned from a fellow reincarnate, I replied, "On a hostile note. So it was him?!"

  "Yes," Dungeon Master 07 nodded.

  Kevin Karstark, the reincarnate from whom we acquired the authority that allows us to reincarnate again and again had, by his own words, in the past encountered Jason. Jason mentioned encountering another of our fellow reincarnates, with whom the encounter, unlike with him, ended on a "hostile note."

  "It was him, that’s for sure. And he managed to drive a Seraphim out of his territory. More importantly, whatever offer Jason came up with was something the Overlord didn’t align with, which means…"

  "There’s a huge likelihood that he might get on our side, on the Goddess’s side."

  "I would not say huge, but there’s a chance. He disagreed with Jason’s way and the Seraphim’s, so there’s a chance that unlike that traitor, he didn’t forget what he was saved and given an authority for. So yes, he might get on our side," Dungeon Master 07 said. "But once again, it’s not for sure. We don’t even have any idea what he’s currently up to, though I can easily imagine it having something to do with the authority he wields. But we don’t know what his authority does… bref, we need more information before we can try anything."

  I nodded.

  "We can’t risk allying ourselves with someone who might turn out to be a traitor all along."

  Having only since our arrival in Fiendfell as a Dungeon Core encountered traitors and ungrateful bastards, I began to wonder if there wasn’t something about the air of this world that made everybody turn their back on their savior. The thought of finally stumbling upon another reincarnate that isn’t a treacherous bastard was a comforting one.

  "I understand that feeling, just as you do," Dungeon Master 07 said with a warm smile, "but let’s not act on those feelings but on logic."

  "Of course."

  "Now then, I have told you my life story. I believe it is now your turn to tell yours."

  "Sure, why not," I began, recounting how I ended up here.