The Dreamer's POV

<2 months: 1 day: 20hours>

<Number of participants: 37, 324>

Once I was done checking the quests I needed to achieve, I nodded, steeling myself for what was to come. With the Emoni Gorilla, and the Black Constrictor being nothing short of gigantic, I sort of had an idea on how large the giant gnat I would tame ought to be.

And though I wasn't looking forward to it, I was hoping to complete the quest before coming across a horde of angry monkeys.

[Lord of Flies: Tame a giant gnat and subdue it, presiding over it as its lord]

I let out a sigh and went on my journey. As I walked, my mind drifted to the participants, the rankers that wreaked havoc on Mage'Earth, I thought back on what the king had said before he died, and though, I knew so little of the king, I understood from his body language and his choice of words that he was a monarch who loved his people, but also beared the fortitude to do damning terrible things for a grand purpose. He seemed like the ends justify the means sort of person, and I personally related with that.

I then thought back to Theo, to Drius, to the Lyma region, and what my absence would cause. Though I left a number of my minions back to protect the domain, I still worried like a cold father would for his offspring.

The buzzing of an insect tore me off the thoughts, and I hit my temple as I squashed it to my face.

"Yuck!" I exclaimed, rubbing off the sticky yellow fluid that stuck to my hand. Fortunately, it didn't reek.

With Absolute Appraisal on, I viewed the name of the fly, <Butbbtle bub fly>.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

'Well that's a silly name.'

I summoned <Haven> over me once more, as I heard more buzzing, it seemed like I was heading to the more insect populated region of the forest.

"Oh mother of God!" I exclaimed as I left the last row of trees, approaching what looked like a battleground between two distinct insects.

The insects were huge, but a lot diminished compared to how I had imagined them.

[Emoni Gnats]

I was notified. All that was in this little wet space that wasn't overridden by trees for some reason were bugs, large and angry looking ones. But why were they killing and feeding on each other? I mean I was here, and they paid me no attention.

Though under <Absolute Appraisal>, they were all gnats, of which I'm to lord over to achieve that particular quest, to my eyes, they seemed quite distinct.

First was the colors, it seemed that there were sides to this, as the only ones I saw on each other, whether stinging or tearing each other with their large mandibles. The gnats were of red, and of yellow, and they went at each other like fierce lifelong goes despite seeming the same under the eyes of absolute appraisal.

The battle was gory but fairly interesting, and it had me wondering.

'What is the backstory to this? I'm curious. And how am I supposed to lord over gnats as meanspirited as these ones are? I don't think that would be possible.' When I was told that I would lord over some gnats, I had expected them to be gnarly at best, not whatever this was. This was nothing but bloodlust in physical form.

"Just like humans."

Yes, they were awfully like humans in that regard, the indiscriminate killings, and how almost certainly they were pawns in a larger scheme.

'What do I do though? Should I try to subdue them with <Dragon Cry>?

Yeah, that seemed like the best course of action. That was, if it didn't kill them.

I undid Haven, and yet they didn't think to look my way, not even one, with the large number of them around. I had read somewhere that bugs had a keen sense of smell, shouldn't they be able to smell me somewhat?

I sighed, "The smell of their kind's blood probably drowns mine."

I strengthened my footing, threw myself forward, and then screamed, <Dragon Cry>

A wave of powerful sound energy erupted from my vocal cords, and it swept into the battlefield, tumbling the gnats away, rending the flesh of those who were unfortunate to be close to me thereby taking the brunt of the attack. The trees parted and the soil sank. Some got thrown so strongly that they struck trees and went splat! Some were injured, particularly in the limbs, while a few were just disoriented.

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They slowly gathered themselves in place afterwards, and I watched as some shook their heads, trying to undo the dizziness in their heads, and then I waited forward. I moved forward to them, and I saw their features even better, I saw how ugly they were, and strangely detailed.

Their heads were like that of ants and wasps, but theirs were covered by a bundle of hair which was either yellow or red, their bodies were in fact largely covered by bundles of hair, and I saw the dark tiny yet hard legs that jutted from beneath their bodies.

Their eyes were on me, as I tried to decipher whether they were intelligent or not, however, I was glad that they didn't attack me. I didn't want to kill all of those I had to dominate.

The quest had asked me to just subdue and lord over one, but every gnat here was more or less the same, how was I going to pick? I knew how, I wasn't going to pick just one, I was going to rule them all.

Perhaps it was the scale of destruction my <Dragon Cry> caused, or perhaps it was the <Lord of the Jungle> title I had received earlier from the Emoni Gorilla, but then, the gnats contrary to my expectations, began descending, and each and every one orderly and slowly bowed at me.

It was strange seeing bugs do something that seemed so human, although cowering or bowing in subservience and fear wasn't something exactly unique to humans.

I liked that they did that, that they were intelligent enough to recognize my superiority.