Unlimited Power 02 - The Ranger's Domain

"I don't know all the details since I haven't been around since the beginning, but I can guarantee you that the age of gods existed," Titania said. "It was a period where humans prospered thanks to us and eventually, they stood above the other mortal creatures, also thanks to us, but after some incidents, you people began to lose faith in us. That led to a situation where we couldn't exist on the physical realm of Earth anymore. That is why we left…"

"I find it hard to believe that people still believed in creatures like you after this long," Ryan said. "So, how come did you guys manage to return?"

"Mana is overflowing on Earth again, that is why we can return now," Titania replied.

"However, since pretty much all of us want to return, we can't have the same power as we possessed before. Nostalgia is a powerful thing, after all."

"I can see that… you are feeling pretty nostalgic of killing and fooling humans, huh," Ryan said.

"The situation is dire, so we had to take some drastic measures, but as you can see, I tried to save the lives of as many humans as possible," Titania said. "I even gave them powers to survive."

"Yes, just like Yomotsu Shikome, you truly are pretty generous," Ryan shrugged.

"Like I said, the situation is quite dire," Titania said. "If we don't do anything, other creatures will take over the Earth first and prepare a terrain where they will have total advantage. You see, pacifist species like us are pretty rare nowadays. I can see the human potential, that is why I am talking to you, that is why I am doing what I am doing."

"You are stalling for time because you think we have potential?" Ryan frowned. "Does that mean that nothing is heading to the dungeon right at this moment?"

"… You heard me, Ryan," Titania lost the smile on her face for a moment. "These are hard times even for us, we have to prepare for every single possible outcome."

"I can respect that, in any case, since we are already talking, why don't you tell me why you guys returned now?" Ryan asked. "After so long, why do you guys still are interested on Earth when not a single human remembers or respects you? What triggered your return?"

"We noticed that mana would flow on Earth again, that is why we decided to return, that being said I can only talk for my species and despite everything, Earth will always be our home planet," Titania replied. "In essence, we returned because we obtained a chance to do so."

"Can you explain the system? Things were like that back then?" Ryan asked.

"We had access to the system, but humans didn't," Titania replied. "That is to be expected though, since too many things changed in the last few thousand years."

Titania didn't seem like she was lying. Even if she was trying to stall for time, her story made too much sense from Ryan's perspective.

Demons, myths, and humans from legends… all of them were walking on Earth now. While some creatures seemed weird, they were more or fewer creatures that humans have registered in their history in a sense. They didn't look like aliens, so Ryan assumed that whatever was happening to Earth, it was due to those three types of creatures. It wasn't an alien race or something that had suspicious plans for Earth and the human race. In a sense, that was a relief.

"Now is the time where you try to convince me to join your side, right?" Ryan asked. "Let's hear what you have for me before I make my decision."

"I can offer you everything you always wanted," Titania said. "My eldest daughter is many times more astonishing than any female you might on Earth, you will have my permission to make a contract with her and you will have absolute control over and thus she will never betray you. While you are not one of us, you can become one of our most influential generals, all you have to do is to make sure that we will be the species that will be able to return to Earth first."

Ryan asked just for curiosity's sake, but in the end, he was left speechless by what he heard. Did she read his mind, or was Ryan just that easy to understand? Deep down, it looked like he didn't change all that much. It looked like he was still the same guy from six months ago who just wanted to marry a beautiful woman and then have a nice family while he proves his skill at his work.

That somehow made Ryan annoyed, and at the same time, it made him feel relieved. Despite everything, Ryan's thirst for power was just a means to an end. Maybe Ryan still wanted that, but he wouldn't let someone give that to him… he didn't want to receive a new life on a silver plate.

"That is an interesting offer, but I will politely refuse," Ryan said and then pointed his crossbow at Titania. "I might fail in the end, but at the very least I won't give up until the very moment. I will prevent Earth from falling on the hands of you monsters, or die trying."

"Well… it is a pity, but it doesn't matter," Titania said after a long sigh. "Even without your mind, you will be a fine addiction to our army."

Before Ryan could pull the trigger, he heard some nuzzling coming from behind. In the end, he summoned his magic bows and aimed them at Titania, and pointed his Power Shot in the opposite direction only to see thousands of small creatures that seemed like very small versions of her. While those fairies were also cute, that was the last thing that appeared in Ryan's mind. Their eyes were red and vicious, and that was more than enough to make Ryan want to some distance from them.