Will of the Unyielding [LitRPG Apocalypse • Progression]

Daniel was silently staring at the two.

Since this involved military matters and he had no role in them, he had already assumed the position of a spectator.

Across from him, Troy remained silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"An investigation is underway as we speak."

His words did nothing to lighten the President's mood.

Jonathan echoed, "An investigation?"

Troy nodded. "Hayden and Lavinia are heading toward Quarath as we speak. It won't be long before we have the details of what happened."

"Five and Four…" Jonathan muttered to himself.

Those were Hayden and Lavinia's numbers, respectively.

The two's names were widely known, especially in Univara, Altura, and Tritus, as they ranked in the top three of their year's Birth of Deities.

After the tournament, they had also received an offer to join Nemesis, but, as Troy had done years earlier, they rejected it. Instead, they officially joined the Federation, becoming part of Numbers.

Jonathan's gaze sharpened.

"This is of the highest priority. Anything that could make our soldiers disappear into thin air, with no way to even report to us, must be identified or we risk wasting many other Grade 1s, and that cannot happen. Report anything you find within two days."

Troy nodded solemnly.

He wasn't in the best of moods either.

After so many years of working for the Federation and attaining his current high grade, Troy considered the military his soldiers, movable pieces he could command at will.

Losing them didn't impact his situation but it stung his pride.

Jonathan then turned toward Daniel and asked a few questions to bring himself up to date with the other matters before dismissing the two of them.

He watched them leave and sat in silence.

Minutes later, he stood and walked through the empty corridors until he reached his room.

He took a deep breath, and a polite smile surfaced on his face before he entered.

The first thing he saw was a man in elegant clothes sitting on a chair-like throne, his head tilted back as he downed a bottle of wine until the last drop, several empty ones already littering the floor.

This was Jonathan's room, or what could be considered his former room, before Murdok, the man in front of him, took it for himself.

It had been roughly two or three years ago when Murdok suddenly barged into his room, asking if he was the owner of the planet and, if so, demanding that he should serve him.

At the time, Jonathan frowned and punched him, but it only took Murdok one look to paralyze him.

It wasn't just his body that refused to move.

His soul seemed to freeze too.

So much so that he felt he would die if he dared utter a protest.

Since then, Murdok had taken his room and ordered Jonathan around, all while enjoying a lavish lifestyle.

Over the years of speaking with him, Jonathan had learned a few tidbits of information that greatly broadened his horizons.

Stolen novel; please report.

For one, Murdok was a fugitive who had stumbled upon Earth while fleeing in his spaceship.

This didn't give Jonathan any peace of mind, in fact, it only made him more apprehensive.

He didn't know Murdok's exact strength, but if he had to guess based on his experiences, it would be around Grade 2, if not higher.

That meant if this person suddenly woke up one morning and decided to devastate Earth, nobody would be able to stop him.

He was housing a ticking time bomb that could go off any time.

Another piece of information he had learned was that Earth was situated in the Red Phoenix Empire, a human empire with the bloodline of the phoenix that spanned hundreds of galaxies.

When Jonathan learned this, he was dumbfounded.

It took several weeks for him to finally accept the reality that he was nothing but a speck of dust in a empire that had a mythical beast's bloodline.

His mind couldn't even fathom how vast and powerful a medium-sized empire would be.

There was another piece of information Jonathan had learned that made him act without hesitation and splurge on the Numbers.

That was, when a civilization successfully advanced, an envoy from the nearest empire would be dispatched to asses the civilization's potential and strength.

The leader of said civilization could then earn benefits based on the two.

There were a wide variety of them.

Ranging from better resources to direct ownership over solar systems and finally, the biggest benefit of them all in Jonathan's opinion, becoming a member in the empire's council.

Achieving that would open countless possibilities for him.

Just the amount of people he could interact and connect with would make his potential earnings and power skyrocket in a matter of weeks, if not days.

During the first month after learning about this, he barely slept, constantly coming up with new ideas.

From then on, serving Murdok wasn't too difficult for his pride to handle as he could occasionally ask for information and assistance.

Murdok heard the door open but didn't bother looking toward it.

"Good that you're here," he said.

He shook the now-empty bottle of wine and sighed in contentment. "Ahh, this is good stuff. Get me more of these from the Store."

"Yes, yes." Jonathan quickly walked up to him and took out ten more bottles, carefully placing them on the table.

Murdok grabbed one and downed it while Jonathan respectfully stood to the side.

After drinking, he shot Jonathan a sidelong glance. "Don't stand there like that, you're ruining the mood. If you have something to say then say it."

Jonathan quickly nodded, his voice quiet, as if he were a child before his parents.

"There has been a problem. A few of my soldiers have disappeared into thin air, and I think it has something to do with those rebels I often mentioned in the past."

"So?" Murdok said languidly. "What's that got to do with me?"

Jonathan hastily replied, "I'm asking for your help to uproot that cancer that has been growing on my planet for years. Removing them will also benefit you, as the amount of Gold coins earned will increase."

Murdok looked at Jonathan as if he were a clown and laughed.

"Sir?" Jonathan tentatively asked, taken aback by the sudden reaction.

He'd offered more Gold coins, was there really a need to laugh?

A few moments later, Murdok calmed down. "You know, I've been to that city."

The statement stunned Jonathan, but Murdok wasn't finished.

"Those people have bought walls sturdy enough to resist a Grade 2 being for at least a minute. That means a strength equal to or higher than that is needed to breach them, and the commotion it would cause…"

He pulled out a device and pointed at the more than a dozen dots blinking on and off.

"Do you know what these are?"

Jonathan focused on the dots but ultimately shook his head. He had no idea what they were for.

Murdok already expected it.

He pointed up at the sky and chuckled. "It's been more than a year since they started coming, and many more will soon arrive. In short…"

He smiled. "This planet is surrounded."

Jonathan's face paled, but then he gathered his courage. "Then… isn't this bad for you? Aren't you a fugitive?"

Looking at Jonathan's face, Murdok shrugged.

"The ones above aren't a problem for me, but if their devices sense a strength above Grade 2 they will quickly inform the empire and that will be a problem."

Jonathan's hands trembled as he asked, "What about the empire's envoy?"

"Anyone with a bit of connection can become an envoy. It doesn't mean they're from the empire. Vassal civilizations can also come for inspection, they'll just report to the empire later and by the time they are done reporting I'll be long gone."

He grabbed another bottle, downed it, and muttered, "This problem of yours? You've gotta deal with it on your own."

"Now go. I'm tired of your face." He waved his hand dismissively.

It took several seconds for Jonathan to snap out of his daze. When he finally looked up, he was outside the room.

He had unconsciously walked out on his own.

His teeth ground together, and his breath came in ragged gasps as he made his way to another room.

As soon as he entered—

BANG!

Jonathan slammed his fist against the wall, which immediately lit up, blocking every bit of power from directly hitting it.

"Damn it!" His face twisted in anger.

He didn't know how long he had stood there, but eventually his breathing calmed.

He straightened his clothes and then entered the training room.

Everyone in the Federation thought the President was the highest authority, but the reality couldn't be further from the truth.

Jonathan's desire to be a true ruler kept being suppressed, over and over again.