Refuse?
Sivis paused for a moment.
He acknowledged the crystal Stone Demon's judgment. At present, the forces of the True Gods were overwhelmingly powerful, and as monsters, they would naturally avoid trouble when possible, doing their best to survive.
However, to think that it regarded him as a servant of the Evil God?
"Do you not know that I am not a mere servant, but the true presence?"
Sivis internally scoffed. He knew that revealing his identity would easily allow him to control the Stone Demon tribe.
But he merely sneered.
The identity of an Evil God could never be revealed to the outside world.
The True Gods were high above, watching over the world from the heavens. If this information were exposed, Sivis could be struck down by the gods...
Directly annihilated!
As Sivis pondered this.
The crystal Stone Demon muttered a few strange syllables, and the Lava Stone Demons in the cave slowly stood behind it, subtly exerting pressure and adopting a posture of dismissing guests.
Sivis's eyes sharpened. "You dare!"
He shouted.
Sivis cast another Bronze-level spell — Mental Shock.
Normally, this spell, when used on a child, would only stun them for a few seconds.
But when used against these Stone Demons, Sivis's suppression over the monsters became immediately apparent.
With the sound of stones grinding and breaking, the Stone Demons let out cries of pain and collapsed to the ground.
Even the crystal Stone Demon, who had prided itself on its strong resistance to magic, was not immune to this spell. Its expression grew dazed, and its body swayed as if it was on the verge of shattering!
"Do you still think you have room to bargain with me?" Sivis sneered, once again gathering his mental energy.
When dealing with the adventurer squad, he had to be undercover and dared not act openly.
But when dealing with monsters, he simply used brute force to force them into submission!
He knew how to bully the weak and cow the strong.
Sensing that Sivis was once again gathering energy to strike, the previously defiant crystal Stone Demon was the first to kneel.
"Wait, my lord! We are willing to obey, willing to serve, willing to be at your command!"
The crystal Stone Demon had a deep understanding of the survival of its tribe, but it also knew that if it didn't comply with the demands of this mysterious being, its tribe might not see the light of day again.
Under the lead of their chief, the other Lava Stone Demons, somewhat clumsily, scratched the back of their heads and slowly began to kneel as well.
They looked at Sivis, their confused eyes tinged with reverence.
Monsters by nature respected strength, and the relatively low intelligence of the Lava Stone Demons made them even more likely to submit to Sivis's imposing presence.
The only one to kneel was the crystal Stone Demon, its eyes filled with a trace of helplessness and sorrow.
It looked around. There were fourteen ordinary Lava Stone Demons, each of them nurtured and raised by it with the advantage of the terrain here, like its own children.
"I'm sorry, I can't protect you... I can only let you follow this ambitious man to your death," the old Stone Demon muttered, its crystalline body flickering with a sad glow.
The light in its body had dimmed significantly.
It faintly saw the tragic end of its tribe in another battle—total annihilation!
Decades of painstakingly raised elites...
In the end, will my tribe still be doomed to extinction?
The crystal Stone Demon was in unimaginable pain!
Meanwhile, Sivis's eyes glimmered with anticipation.
The average strength of the Stone Demons was at the Bronze 5th level, with only a few of them at the Bronze 4th level.
The crystal Stone Demon was at the 5th level, and in addition, it had extremely high resistance to magic and physical attacks.
With such a powerful group of monsters on his side, even if Johnny's adventurer squad had a well-rounded composition, all coming from noble backgrounds and having undergone complete field combat training—stronger than regular Bronze adventurers—Sivis no longer had to worry.
At the very least, with the monsters suffering heavy casualties, Sivis could defend his territory and preserve his life.
Without hesitation, he bit his finger, drawing a drop of blood, and flicked it with a snap. The blood splintered into countless specks of light, merging into the bodies of each Stone Demon.
The "Servant Contract" was a basic skill of the Monster Lord class, one Sivis had learned without a teacher.
As the blood entered their bodies, the ordinary Stone Demons didn't show any particular reaction. They simply felt an even stronger sense of submission to the powerful being they had already respected.
The crystal Stone Demon trembled slightly, feeling immense humiliation and pain, but it also knew that it had no other choice!
The next moment, it froze in place.
"My body is glowing?"
"Such an effect isn't supposed to happen from signing a master-servant contract."
The old Stone Demon paused, then suddenly noticed that several other Lava Stone Demons in the tribe were also glowing.
In just a few seconds, they underwent a transformation. Their forms became sturdier, the previously fragile stones on their bodies became incredibly tough, and their aura surged violently, effortlessly breaking through to reach the Bronze 6th level!
The Bronze 4th-level Stone Demons all stood still for a moment, then with a slight tremor, they broke through to the Bronze 5th level!
The crystal Stone Demon itself was radiating light, and a string of crystal beads like prayer beads appeared around its neck. The old Stone Demon felt as though it had not only broken through its limit to reach Bronze 6th level but also that a strange current was rising within it—this was the awakened elemental magic that only the Stone Demon race could possess.
Sivis, seeing this scene, couldn't hide his joy. "Not bad, the number of evolutions triggered this time is quite substantial."
Although it was only a contract, the monsters were sharing the blood of the Evil God!
The Goblins in Sivis's territory had originally been at the Bronze 1st level, weak in strength and lacking in intelligence. However, after signing the contract, many of them had significantly improved in power and had developed wisdom.
This was the status of an Evil God!
Sivis felt in an exceptionally good mood!
This was the second time he had subjugated monsters, and he was unsure of the evolutionary effects it would have on the Goblins. He wondered if it would trigger again, and how much it could further enhance the Stone Demons.
Now, it seemed the benefits were quite substantial!
"With the territory's forces directly engaging, even with some monster losses, we should be able to secure a solid victory against that adventurer squad."
"However, I still need to maintain my cover. If Johnny's adventurer squad falls near my territory, the Adventurer Guild will record their mission failure, and soon there will likely be a continuous stream of new adventurers coming to attack."
"I need to stay in the squad and backstab them, securing better results and protecting more of my monsters so that the territory can develop faster."
After a brief moment of joy, Sivis calmed himself once again.
To the many Stone Demons observing him, his demeanor seemed incredibly profound and mysterious.
The crystal Stone Demon had just regained its senses. It stared at Sivis with an expression of disbelief, sensing the immense power within itself, and internally shouted, "This can't possibly be a servant of the Evil God. It must be some kind of even stronger existence!"
"Could it be the offspring left behind by the Evil God? Or perhaps... the backup plan left by the Evil God when he perished! Otherwise, how could a single contract cause such a massive improvement in my tribe? It even helped me comprehend the 'Crystal Blade' ability!" The helplessness and shame in the crystal Stone Demon's eyes instantly transformed into fervor.
Monsters instinctively pursue strength. The crystal Stone Demon and its tribe, due to the materials that naturally make up their bodies, lacked sufficient magical energy.
Their racial limit was Bronze 5th level.
Sivis thought he had merely improved the monsters' overall strength.
In reality, his blood had shattered the racial shackles of the Stone Demons!
It was as though they had been reborn!
All the talk of being forced or subjugated...
Nonsense!
I—no, we, the Stone Demon clan—are here for the sole purpose of being claimed by the great lord today!
The crystal Stone Demon instantly understood, and its entire body seemed to light up!
Guided by the Evil God's bloodline, and driven by its own inner submission, the crystal Stone Demon began to "thunk, thunk, thunk" as it bowed its head on the ground.
"Great master, great lord, I am willing to give up everything to serve you. All my strength is yours!"
Hm?
I haven't even spoken yet.
The crystal Stone Demon froze for a moment. It was still bowing its head, trying to think of how best to praise this great existence.
What's with that stuttering voice from earlier??
It looked around and saw the foolish Stone Demons, their eyes now much more intelligent. They had even quickly learned the common language, something the crystal Stone Demon had attempted to teach them countless times before.
The first thing the Stone Demons learned when they gained intelligence was how to please their master.
They still respected their old chief, but everything paled in comparison to their loyalty to their lord!
At this, the crystal Stone Demon paused for a moment, its eyes flashing with both surprise and fervor.
"These fools, now that they've gained intelligence, have made the right choice. Only by serving the great lord can our tribe grow strong and prosper," the old Stone Demon said, not with anger, but with joy, joining in the celebration.
...
At that moment, a system prompt appeared before Sivis.
[Congratulations, Player! You have leveled up!]