Antariel the Magic Swordsman
Antariel was a magic swordsman. He was cut from the same cloth as me, but far superior in raw combat prowess, excluding divine authorities. He'd mastered healing magic, which had shaped him into what he was today.
By maximizing the efficiency of his healing spells, he'd achieved regenerative abilities surpassing even a troll's, sustaining his stamina and combat strength. He'd even modified his body through altered healing magic.
Not just Antariel—others in the upper ranks of combat power shared similar traits. Ben Bezarel, the mad mage I ranked second, was conducting brutal human experiments. From what I'd seen, he'd kidnapped hundreds for his tests. If he were just a simple villain, I'd have dealt with him myself. But I left him alone because he only targeted the worst criminal scum.
His goal with the human experimentation was to create stronger humans. He'd made significant progress, and his obedient enhanced humans were incredibly powerful. In short, Antariel was modifying his own body to become a god, while Ben Bezarel was doing it to others' bodies.
Claiming third place was the alchemist Pulka Nellias, who was crafting an omnipotent substance. Ingest it, and a human could transcend their limits into a superhuman. Use it in magic, and you could unleash grand spells at will. It wasn't perfect yet, but he'd advanced quite far. Pulka Nellias was challenging the divine realm by creating a new substance.
If the heretic inquisitors knew, they'd rush over in an instant. But they didn't, and even they couldn't take on those three.
"We'll keep watching."
With that, I returned to the Akasha Viscountcy manor. Body modification wasn't something that happened overnight, and I could leave an avatar to monitor it—no need to wait around endlessly.
Bastet woke from her nap, fixed me with a meaningful look, then closed her eyes again. Was she annoyed I'd woken her, or was something else up? I wished she'd just say it.
A few days of observing Antariel's body modification later, I spotted something new at the southern tip of the Eastern Continent. This demanded my immediate attention. I stopped recording and stood.
[A good male brings home prey when he returns to his den.]
Just as I was about to teleport, Bastet chimed in and shut her eyes again. But wasn't that by cat standards? What should I catch? Maybe detour to the Great Forest and grab something on the way.
What I'd found on that small island at the southern end of the Eastern Continent was four half-dead dwarves. Friends of the first two who'd arrived ahead.
I teleported in and immediately used my healing authority to stabilize them, then pulled out booze and food to share.
"Thanks, human."
"Fine liquor. I'll forge you a sword later."
After saving and feeding them, they got awfully cocky. Was this just dwarf nature? Drakan, you were right. Types like this needed a firm hand to keep them in line. Mentioning Drakan a bit, like with the first two, turned them into meek lambs.
"Gran Goldbasher and Dural Boldbeer are already in my territory, building a ship to take them home. No humans there."
Well, the New Continent was mine anyway.
"Really?"
"How else would I know their names?"
"Those bastards are alive!"
The dwarves got emotional, shedding tears and making a fuss. Once they'd calmed, I spoke up.
"You heading there too?"
"Of course. Please take us."
I began teleporting with the dwarves in tow, pausing deep in the Great Forest. Like the first pair, these guys suffered severe motion sickness. Something in dwarf physiology must be vulnerable to spatial jumps—worth researching when I had time.
This area hosted a peculiar beast: a mix of rat and bear. Living deep in the Great Forest, it had no official name since humans hadn't discovered it. I figured catching something rat-like might please Bastet, so here we were.
I pulled sweet-smelling food from my subspace and laid it out. The dwarves sniffed the air.
"Not for you."
"Where's this, anyway?"
"Deep in the Great Forest."
"Eek!"
The dwarf recoiled in horror. The Great Forest's infamy lingered even among dwarves.
Soon, the beast drawn by the scent appeared: a bear's body with a rat's tail and agility. A massive monster over ten meters tall—naturally, only the strong survived this deep.
"Gaaah!"
"Hiiik!"
The dwarves screamed at the sight. Weren't dwarves supposed to be brave?
I bound its feet with earth magic, then used my plague authority to clog its bloodstream and stop its heart. It collapsed without a fight. Other methods were faster, but I wanted minimal external damage.
"Woooah!"
As it fell, the dwarves cheered like they'd slain it themselves—though they stayed well back.
"Quiet down, or others will come."
They shut up instantly. I stored the corpse in my subspace and resumed teleporting.
We arrived at my office. They needed a break before the New Continent. The dwarves were out cold from nausea, so I teleported to the manor grounds, dropped the beast, informed the steward, and returned.
A monster like that? The hide alone would fetch a fortune, and as an undiscovered species, it'd be priceless to scholars.
[Is this sufficient?]
[A fine male indeed.]
Bastet approved. Good enough.
Once the dwarves recovered and I'd regained some strength, we teleported again. No point letting normal eyes spot them. Finally, the six reunited dwarves embraced and made a racket.
"This'll speed up production, right?"
"Of course!"
That was the goal. Might need more housing, but plenty of materials left—they'd manage.
This time, I detoured underwater for a massive tuna, then headed home. Hunting prey like this was oddly burdensome yet fun. Food stocks needed replenishing anyway; better stick to edibles from now on.
Back at the manor, I stashed the tuna in the pantry and returned to the office. Bastet meowed for the first time and pounced.
[Tuna. Give me tuna.]
She hadn't eaten anything till now—was it just not to her taste?
[How should I serve it?]
Should I cook it, or raw since she was a cat?
[Raw tuna, obviously?]
I ordered a servant to slice some fillets. Bastet sat before the mountain of tuna flesh, chomping chunks with gusto.
Bastet loves tuna. Note to records.
A few days later, Antariel's modification neared completion. He removed his heart and transplanted an unknown one, passing out as thread-like strands erupted from his body, forming a massive cocoon.
Through my avatar, I saw his body fully transforming inside. The end was near.
Just in case, I brought Howard to Antariel's cave. If he lost his mind and turned into a rampaging monster, we'd eliminate him.
"What's that?"
"Was once the strongest human."
Howard, dragged along cluelessly, eyed the cocoon. I gave a simple answer.
He glared at it. "Was, huh."
Antariel was no longer human—now something else.
"Argin will like this."
"Why?"
"He's jumped from seventh to sixth among humans."
"Oh, true."
Tell him he'd hit sixth through training results, and he'd train even harder. We sat, laid out drinks, and waited leisurely. The leaking aura gave us a rough idea.
Hours later, the cocoon cracked, revealing Antariel's new form: purple hair with a pair of jutting horns, dark gray skin, protruding fangs like a vampire mid-bite, and bat wings.
"Satisfied?"
Antariel didn't answer, too busy inspecting himself. He was definitely stronger than his human days. But godhood? Not even close. He'd failed his goal.
"Satisfied, Antariel?"
He gritted his teeth. "I've grown stronger."
"Yes, stronger than your human self. But that's it. You were the strongest human I knew back then. Now that you've shed your humanity, what are you? Among non-humans, you're insignificant. Neither beast nor human—can you survive in the human world? Or the beasts'?"
His gray face darkened, and he lunged at me. "Don't mock me!"
Fast, but I had solid backup. His claws bounced off Howard's casual swat, followed by a kick that sent him skimming across the ground into the wall.
"Cough!"
Antariel spat blood from the impact. But he'd survive—regeneration was his old forte, now doubled.
Suddenly, Howard started stripping. I knew what for, but it was always unsettling. He could handle Antariel without transforming. This was deliberate showmanship.
Howard, who'd lived as a beast against his will yet clung to his humanity, wouldn't look kindly on someone who'd willingly discarded it.
In moments, he became the Beast King, his overwhelming presence leaving wall-stuck Antariel gaping.
Kroooaaargh!
The roar shook the narrow cave, killing intent storming like a gale. Antariel drooled, mouth agape.
"See? That's a non-human."
The Beast King was exceptional, but the world teemed with greater non-humans. Even the cat rolling around my residence daily outclassed him.
Antariel was half-mad, his life's work invalidated.
"Wh-what have I...?"
Still, I didn't think he'd been entirely wrong. Humans challenged limits; the result wasn't a failure. He'd failed godhood but created a new species. Ancestor of a new race? Pretty damn cool.
Regaining his senses, Antariel eyed Howard, who was dressing back to human.
"Who are you?"
"Howard Callista."
"Hah! How many like you are out there?"
Howard tilted his head, pondered, then said, "Ask that guy."
Why think if you're passing it to me? "Non-humans as strong as Howard: about five. Stronger than him: at least three in this world."
"Oh yeah?"
Howard seemed more surprised, unclear why.
"Anyway, Antariel—what now? Plan failed, goal gone."
"Dunno. Wanna lay low for a while."
"This place isn't bad, but how about somewhere uninhabited?"
"Such a spot exists?"
"New Continent."
And so, my New Continent gained its seventh resident. I assigned Antariel far from the dwarves' area—per his wish, after briefing them.
With wings, he could visit them anytime or even cross back to the continent if he wanted.
As Antariel settled into a new cave, I arrived at the Southern Western Continent warzone to meet someone else.