"Great Lord Ruler, your strength is beyond belief! To conquer the nineteenth floor of the abyss in such a short time, with such power—it is simply unfathomable!"
The Palace of the Succubus Queen
The four hundred and thirty-seventh floor of the abyss.
Within the opulent palace of Meikanxie, the Succubus Queen, a seductive smile graced her lips, her red-painted fingers lightly covering them.
Nine Floors in a Single Breath
After merging with the blood of the Demon King, Novak had done the impossible—
Pushing his conquest forward by a full nine floors!
Previously, in his battle against Odu , he had already been forced to unleash his entire arsenal—
The Plague Sun.
The Plague Disease.
His myriad self-enhancing abilities.
Through sheer will and overwhelming tactics, he had managed to crush Odu with his own strength.
But now?
With the blood of the abyss coursing through his veins, he had ascended nine entire floors in record time!
These conquests had granted him 135 fixed attribute points—a tangible testament to the raw power of an abyss Ruler!
The true nature of his potential was finally beginning to reveal itself.
Yet, this was not solely due to his bloodline.
Novak had another hidden trump card—
The Time Hourglass.
Its Time Reversal ability allowed him to negate even the cooldown of the SSS-level Demon King's bloodline, instantly wiping away the exhaustion and aftereffects of Demon Transformation!
With this advantage, he had relentlessly pushed forward, clearing three more floors—
Bringing his conquest to the nineteenth level of the abyss.
Beyond this point, however, the challenge grew exponentially.
From the twentieth floor onward, the abyss Demon Lords were all level 40 and above—their sheer power creating a massive gap between them and Novak.
The difficulty of battle would be far greater.
Recognizing this, Novak chose not to press forward recklessly.
During his conquests, Novak stumbled upon an unexpected truth—one he wasn't sure was a blessing or a curse.
His experience gained in real abyss combat was far lower than what he had earned in the Gods and Demons Trial Grounds.
At first, he was puzzled.
But upon reflection, he understood why.
In the Gods and Demons Proving Grounds, the Cosmic Will itself actively drove all evolutionaries toward growth.
However, deep within the abyss—
Even the Cosmic Will had limited influence.
Because of this, Novak's evolutionary template was weakened in the abyss, and his level progression slowed.
For most, this would be a devastating setback.
But for Novak?
It was neither entirely good nor entirely bad.
As the Ruler of the Abyss, his level-ups granted him attribute boosts by percentage.
Thus, the lower his level while maintaining high attributes, the more terrifying his growth potential would be in the future.
Because of this—
Despite slaying Demon Lords from the eleventh to the nineteenth floor, his level had not increased once.
The only way for his experience gain to normalize was to leave the abyss and enter a realm where the Cosmic Will was unrestricted.
But did Novak care about something as trivial as levels?
Not in the slightest.
If he had ever been fixated on levels, he would have never overpowered foes more than ten, even twenty levels above him.
Meikanxie's honeyed flattery echoed in the grand hall.
Listening to Meikanxie's flattery, Novak's bursting desire due to the rapid increase in strength was quickly relieved.
The Succubus Queen's charm was undeniable—
A delicacy unlike any other.
At that moment, Meikanxie suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a playful lilt:
"By the way, Great Master, last time you left, didn't you promise me a little gift? Something I'd like—something that could even strengthen my power of desire and push it to new heights? Surely, you haven't forgotten, have you?"
Her enchanting tone carried a hint of teasing, yet there was an unmistakable expectation in her words.
Novak exhaled slowly, pausing his movements before flashing a knowing smile.
"Of course, I wouldn't forget something like that. I just had more pressing matters to attend to before. But now, I finally have the time. Here—take a look."
Meikanxie turned her divine body toward him, her crimson gaze locked onto Novak. Yet, neither of them made any effort to change their current… positioning.
"Oh? Then show me!" she said, excitement flickering in her eyes.
With a flick of his wrist, Novak pulled a few items from his inventory, presenting them as if performing a magic trick.
Meikanxie's beautiful eyes widened in astonishment, an unexpected shiver of joy coursing through her very soul.
Yet, at the same time, she couldn't help but stare in confusion at the colorful objects before her.
"These… what exactly are these?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
Novak didn't answer immediately. Instead, he picked up one of the delicate, shimmering silk garments and began dressing Meikanxie himself.
As the lustrous black silk wrapped around her slender legs, her originally soft pink skin contrasted strikingly against the deep, elegant sheen.
A completely different kind of allure radiated from her body.
Meikanxie may not have understood many things about otherworldly artifacts, but she immediately recognized the transformation caused by this garment.
And more than that—
She could feel its magic.
She didn't even need to look into a mirror to understand its effects.
Just from Novak's immediate subconscious reaction, she could sense the unique charm this fabric carried—
A magic that made all male creatures lose control.
"What... is this?" she asked involuntarily, glancing at Novak, who had momentarily frozen.
A smirk played on his lips.
"A special item from the Gods and Demons Trial Field. A decorative garment for women that exponentially increases their lethality toward men—while enhancing their charm. It's called... silk stockings."
Meikanxie nodded in understanding, her mind already racing with new ideas.
"I see… It seems that across all realms, in every civilization throughout the multiverse, there are creations of true brilliance. Even though the world you came from lacks extraordinary power, there are still things within it that are desirable in their own way~"
She ran a hand across the smooth silk, her eyes shimmering with newfound inspiration.
"But… the materials of these are far too low-grade. If I use advanced materials to recreate them, their effects will be even stronger! Great Master, I can feel it—this item holds the potential to refine my authority even further! Thank you for this gift!"
Novak blinked, momentarily stunned.
Wait… What?
These simple silk stockings could actually help Meikanxie refine her authority?!
A sudden realization struck him—
His understanding of authority was still too shallow.
Perhaps… this was the very reason he had failed to reach the Emperor level in his past life!
His thoughts churned, his mind diving into possibilities he had never considered before.
After a moment, he spoke, his curiosity outweighing any pride.
"Can something as mundane as this, something with no connection to the extraordinary… still contain authority?"