Hatching (1)

In any game, rankings fire up the players' competitive spirit. RPGs have people dumping hundreds of millions into them, and skill-based AOS titles or fighting games are packed with people grinding away their time.

Even back in my school days, the friend with a high game tier got roughly the same respect as the friend who aced every exam.

I'd figured the War of the Gods would have a ranking system too — I just never expected it to unlock only after ten straight wins. Shouldn't it have been available from the start? Did they take a page from some game that locks ranked matches behind level thirty?

"Whoa! Rankings! Guys! We're rankers now!"

I had no idea why Sophia was making such a fuss. Don't tell me this was like those notorious gacha games where a high rank actually nets you rewards?

"What do we get out of being on the rankings?"

So Cheonsol was curious too. Still buzzing, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Sophia launched into an excited explanation.

"Gods harvest divinity from their believers' faith, sure — but they also pull a faint trickle of it from other gods who simply recognize their existence. The more gods know your name, the better the yield. And rankings are the best way to get your name out there!"

"So once you're a ranker, the money basically rolls in on its own?"

"Exactly!"

A pretty reasonable reward system, honestly. Same as gacha games — higher rank, better payout. Common sense said the recognition you got as rank one versus top ten versus top hundred was completely different.

Hell, even I never remembered anyone outside the top ten. Sure, the occasional maniac dug through the top few hundred and actually remembered names, but those people were rare.

"Where are we ranked?"

"Let's check together!"

"Why are we only ninety-eighth? Ten wins, zero losses — shouldn't we at least be tied for first?"

"Hold on. Let me pull up the ranking formula too."

"The formula's a little complicated."

"Back when it was pure win-count, people just spammed matches to climb, and the rankings lost all meaning. And when there were no restrictions at all, gods who'd locked in a high rank early would get hard-countered and dropped into the gutter overnight — total toxic meta. So the rules got complicated."

"Truly a god-tier game."

Any game that actually patches for player convenience is a god-tier game. Korea had way too many studios still clinging to traditions that stretched back to the twenty-first century.

Which was another way of saying they treated the people who played their games like livestock.

"Yohanie gets it. What about you, Cheonsol?"

"It is similar to the ways of the murim, so this lady finds it easy to grasp. Martial artists, too, travel the jianghu or duel in public contests to build their renown."

Come to think of it, the murim method of earning fame was pretty rational too. Die in a fight and you get forgotten; win and you climb the rankings.

If I'd been a murim guy myself… I probably wouldn't have had nearly as much fun. Back home, the best part was toying with lower-ranked players who ground their teeth and came hunting for me. In the murim, you might not even get a few rounds in before someone just killed you.

"Shall we look at the gods ranked above us?"

"Scouting the future competition, are we?"

"As expected of the Mad Demon. A truly fine fighting spirit."

Not really. I just wanted to see which gaming addicts had been skipping meals to battle nonstop. Maybe I was too stuck in Earth-gamer brain.

"Let's start with rank one!"

"Forty-eight matches undefeated?"

Running forty-eight battles in just three days was already insane — and not losing a single one was even more so. Sophia, though, looked like she'd expected exactly this.

"So a trainer from the Johannes family took first."

"Is he a famous god?"

"One of the most powerful houses in the frontier leagues. They own more than ten planets, and they've produced a ton of trainers who made it into the Central League."

"Didn't you say Lady Dohoyo, your friend, also comes from a good family?"

"Dohoyo's house is decent, but not quite top-tier. They only have four planets, and they run elves as their main force, so there's a ceiling."

Four whole planets and they still only used elves? If I were Dohoyo, I'd have been recruiting every species I could get my hands on.

Sophia volunteered extra context without being asked.

"Of course, Dohoyo's planets have more than just elves — there are monster-class races too. Orcs, ogres, minotaurs, that sort."

"This lady has fought orcs before. Their strength and durability were formidable."

"They are, but… those races don't get along with elves. They fight every other day, so putting them on the same entry is basically impossible."

This reason I had a harder time buying. Why wouldn't elves and orcs get along? Elves were the species that got skewered on orc cocks and moaned about it.

Hell, even Evrande had pretended to hate it at first — then once I put it in her, she couldn't move.

I voiced that particular theory out loud, and Sophia shot me a look of pure contempt.

"That is an extremely racist take."

"But is it wrong?"

"Of course it's wrong! Every race has different standards of beauty. Yohanie, would you enjoy getting ravaged by a female orc?"

"I'd kill myself first."

Getting raped by a fat green woman with buck teeth? Just picturing it gave me chills.

"Elves are the same. A few insane gods tried crossbreeding monster races with elves, but after every single elf involved committed suicide, nobody tried it again."

"Then what about Evrande? Was she some kind of human-loving elf?"

"Hmm… maybe it's your skill? No, wait — why are you only thinking about Evrande? Cheonsol's right here!"

Right. Cheonsol wasn't human either. Pointed ears, pointed fangs, red eyes, pale skin — how had I ever clocked her as human?

I must have gotten too used to her.

"Cheonsol! What did you used to think of humans?"

"This lady regarded them as slaves."

"And what's the Vampir standard of beauty?"

"The sharper the fangs and ears, the richer the complexion, and the thicker the scent of blood — the more beautiful. In terms of overall form, the standards are similar to a human's. In the Mad Demon's case, both complexion and form are satisfactory."

Meeting two of the criteria was a relief. I nodded to myself in quiet satisfaction — and Cheonsol's face went red. So that was the complexion she'd just been describing.

"And… his bedroom arts are exceptional."

"See? Sex is a universal bonding method across every nation."

"That's just what you think, Yohan! Normally it's not like that!"

She was deep in denial. Once I used Impregnating to pick up one more minion, I'd try the three-person consensus approach. If three of us insisted sex was great, even Sophia would have to admit it.

"Anyway, it's just the skill carrying you!"

"Skill carrying? This is affection forged through physical conversation between Cheonsol and me. Cheonsol. Back me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up here."

"It is true that this lady felt resistance at first. Yet beyond the carnal pleasure, she found herself drawn more deeply to the Mad Demon's human strength and good humor."

"Hear that? It's not just because of that!"

"But the biggest trigger was still the sex!"

"It wasn't… just… the s-sex…"

She used to clam up the second she heard the word "sex," and now a little experience had her firing back point by point. Next time I got my hands on those breasts, I'd re-educate her until just hearing the word made her blush again.

"Anyway! Let's see if there's anyone we know among the rankers!"

"Running out of arguments and changing the subject, huh. That's usually what people do when they lose a fight."

"Aigh! Just stop already!"

The top of my head where Sophia hit me stung like hell. I'd make her pay for this headache with her chest…

"Mad Demon. Let us heed Master's words."

"Fine."

Scanning the upper ranks, I found two familiar names.

Dohoyo I could live with — but Absolu sitting above us was just irritating. Four minions already. He'd probably bought them wholesale and was brute-forcing with numbers.

"Hmm…"

Cheonsol let out a low hum as she checked Absolu's rank and entry. Sophia muttered to herself.

"Looking at the record, he lost to us once and won everything else. Who did Dohoyo run into to drop two matches?"

"Probably someone in the top ten. Either way, Evrande must have had a rough time."

"To fight nineteen battles on her own strength… a truly remarkable minion. Is Evrande truly Alali's mother?"

"She is."

"Then a splendid child shall be born. A most welcome thing. Once hatched, she will make a reliable addition to our forces."

Cheonsol gently stroked Alali. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠felt the same way — I just had no idea when the hatching would actually happen. Preferably before our entry filled up completely.