As we emerged from the carriage to observe the forest which would lead to the inheritance, we were left with an obvious question

  'Hey old man, this looks just like the forest around us for miles?' I said, pointing out the obvious and Servante nodded until stopping, feeling an indescribable itch.

  As if something was wrong.

  "Oh-ho? Your friend is rather sensitive Earl. Did you notice something young elf?" Pangu asked and Servante responded with doubt.

  "There's something there, but every time I try to sense it, it disappears. "

  Surprisingly, Willow had something to say at this moment.

  "It's calling out to me." she announced calmly, yet that was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

  "What did you sense Willow?" Servante asked as calmly as he could, yet his clenched hands and eyes fixated on her.

  "The sun. It's watching us. It's standing on a very big tree. It's a really big tree." She said much to Servante's confusion.

  The old man had a thoughtful look on his face, twirling the cage in his hand thoughtfully, yet saying nothing.

  "This secret realm is well hidden." Servante said thoughtfully, and Lenore joked.

  "It's almost as if the entire forest around us is the inheritance site!" She said, jokingly elbowing Maria but instead, Maria paused thoughtfully.

  "That's not impossible. I've heard that the kaiju residing in the core of the Earth can reach hundreds of meters in height.

  Dungeons and secret realms can actually be comparable to the continents in size.

  For this entire mountain to be it is not unheard of." She said thoughtfully, and Lenore shrugged.

  "Yeah, but for it to be this entire mountain would make it really big."

  "That's cause it is." Pangu said before asking me.

  "You must've wondered what connection I had with the deceased senior right?"

  I nodded.

  Seeing this, he explained, carefully watching my face.

  "Well you see, Maria's right to a certain extent. This entire mountain is related to the inheritance site, but it's more than that.

  This entire mountain is the shell of the deceased."

  My jaw dropped, causing the wicked old man to laugh.

  "Seeing a turtle with that look on his face! Ha ha ha!" He laughed giddily, pulling out a customized image recorder tool and pressing the button.

  Click!

  I knew what he was up to, but I didn't really care.

  "Is that possible?" I asked in disbelief, and Pangu nodded, still clearly amused.

  "Amongst the 72 earthly transformations, there is the ability to grow then thousand feet tall, called the embodiment of Heaven and Earth. I'll admit, I didn't teach my three sons really anything, but that one, that one's mine.

  I learned it here. To be more precise, observing the aura of the mountain here, the remnants of whatever spell she used, I managed to realize that technique.

  So yeah, before she died, she was likely still using that spell, or something similar."

  Hearing that, Servante objected.

  "Wait, but a spell shouldn't last that long after a person dies.

  A spell can last a long time after a person dies, sure. But this long? Long enough to allow a natural mountain to develop?

  No way! Maybe with a magical circle in place, but even a magical circle has its limits.

  Honestly, the only way I can manage this spell being maintained would be for her to be still alive."

  This thought however, chilled everyone here, me included.

  ... Still alive?

  Anyone who has read a good book or two has heard rumors of old and dying powerful beings leaving behind inheritances, only for these inheritances to be used as traps to lure in fresh new bodies.

  Like so.

  Seeing our concerned looks, Pangu laughed. "Don't overthink it. Servante, you might be a decent mage, but you lack experience.

  Spell is the wrong word. Racial skill might be more correct. I might've derived a technique from it, but for her, it was more likely a racial skill considering how old she is.

  And that's another thing. The ancestor here was from an age before man existed. To put it bluntly, those kinds of conspiracies didn't come into existence until the age of man. With how old she was, why bother stealing your body when she could just make a new one?

  And I know a few people who knew this old senior. They're reassured me that this site is perfectly safe.

  But most of all, I'm stronger than her, in life or in death. Even if she were trying something, with me here, nothing would happen."

  Hearing this, we felt more assured.

  Me in particular, since it's my body on the line.

  "Anyway. OLD TOAD! GET OUT HERE!" His roar echoed throughout the forest, to be heard for miles.

  Seemingly in response, a fruity scent began to travel through the air.

  Maria sniffed it and guessed.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Is that... wine?" Maria asked unsurely,

  HO HO HO HO! In response to her unsure statement, a booming laughter echoed in response, verberating throughout the forest.

  "You have keen sense young lady! Would you like a sip!? URP!" The voice offered a sip before a burp could be heard in the wind before the wind curled, unveiling a gaudy old man.

  The man was dressed in pure purple robes, lathered in treasures. Even his peg leg was clearly some sort of treasure.

  The man himself was a plump old man, his welcoming smile revealing a tooth of gold teeth.

  He stank of wealth.

  And wine.

  Yes, the origin of the smell of wine was clearly emanating from that greek vase, so thick a scent that purple gas could be seen emanating slovenly from the jar.

  The smell was heavenly, even I had to appreciate it.

  The old man waved away the purple hair, his face showing appreciation, but also wariness as he warned Maria.

  "Yeah, don't drink that. this is Jin Chan, the first three-legged golden toad, and one of the pets of the deceased. As a 6th level powerhouse, that wine he's brewed is a great tonic which could drastically boost your development but would also knock you out for a century or so."

  Hearing this, Maria took a big step back. Even though she was a s-rank monster now, capable of living for centuries, it didn't mean she was interested in being knocked out for the next century!

  The old toad seemed quite proud of his status as pet, as he puffed out his already engorged stomach out.

  The old Jin Chan boasted proudly. "Indeed, I was the mistress' favorite toad because of how shiny I was! I used to protect her shinies back in the day. "

  His gaze traveled for a moment before landing on me and Maria, who was cradling me at this moment, his pupils shrinking for a moment before he changed shape.

  His body changed briefly, revealing the form of a giant golden three-legged toad, though its species seemed unknown to me, and its aura was similar to the one Pangu emanated, but older, more primitive.

  More bestial.

  Its body was wealth. Plated in gold, exuding wealth. With but one breath, the land around them transformed into gold, and trickles of golden wine sprayed from its mouth, its eyes like living jewels.

  Even the spikes emerging from its backs were jade needles.

  He returned to his human form, concealing his edge, yet the truth of his form could not be concealed.

  Like Ausir Hades, his every step brought wealth to the land of the living.

  No, perhaps its effect was even greater. Hades merely revealed the world's wealth.

  This toad was wealth.

  He changed back yet his gaze was still on us, giving us a deep look, indescribable emotion plastered on his face.

  "How nostalgic." he murmured before returning to his previously jovial appearance, bragging.

  "I'm no ordinary toad you know. I'm a beezlebuffalo, an example of ancestral reversion. Few could compare to me in her majesty's garden! Not even those noisy crows or her majesty's pearls could compare.

  She may have gotten more beautiful over the years, but nothing in her majesty's garden was more beautiful than I!"

  The floodgates burst open, as the golden toad began to brag about how wealthy and glamorous he was, the weird comment being quickly buried under this noisy cacaphony, before Pangu, the only one capable of doing so had to speak up and shut him up.

  "Alright, alright you old man, enough talk. How about you bring us in so we can start the inheritance test?" Pangu waved impatiently, and Jin Chan laughed, patting his belly in assurance.

  "Sure, sure! She's been waiting for a very long time." He waved his jug of wine, and the world around them began to change, the space around them rippling.

  "I wish you the best of luck young man!" Pangu shouted, which confused me for a moment until the transition stopped.

  When it was done, everyone else was gone, leaving me alone.

  Damn it! That old man knew this would happen!

  Immediately I bristled in worry, my other head's metal form changing violently.

  "Calm yourself. The others are in the waiting room. The others can't interfere in this test meant for you after all.

  No worries, you know that Pangu is with them at this moment. With him here, there's nothing we can do to you." Came a calm voice as a lamia slithered into view.

  Well, it looked like a lamia, but different.

  Not physically. Physically, it looked very similar, though the human half was eastern in appearance.

  It was a regal man in appearance, with a beard trailing down to his neck, but well maintained.

  His bearing was regal, and his eyes were like the stars themselves, glowing and filled with wisdom.

  He had a hint of a smile on his face, stroking his bear and examining me closely.

  His tail was what was weird.

  It was long, absurdly long for a lamia.

  Lamia's pride themselves on the quality of their tail, but to see one with a tail longer than 30 feet, no double in length and double in width showed.

  As a result, his human half seemed small in comparison, even if it was taller than the average man.

  It was merely a curious look from what I could tell, but not surprised.

  "So you are also one of those players... Hm, well we can't have that system of yours feeding you answers." He said, swinging his whisk, and as he did so, I felt something separate from me, something important.

  "You know about players?" I asked carefully, and he nodded.

  "My sister recently adopted one of your kind after he was reborn a snake. He's running a snake shop in the sacred land of serpents if you'd believe it. It makes sense in an odd way." He remarked, but hearing that I felt safer.

  "Then you are one of us? Someone from Olympus?"

  Seeing his friendly nod, my thoughts raced and I quickly picked out a name.

  "You are the snake god Fuxi, or as the East once called you, one of the three sovereigns of humanity, the green emperor."

  While it may seem difficult at first thought, it wasn't really.

  Eastern in origin, lamia in appearance, has a sister, and is clearly strong, it basically has to be Fuxi.

  Were it an obscure matter, then naturally I wouldn't be able to guess, but the choice of Fuxi and his sister Nuwa to leave the east and join the Romana empire was world shaking news.

  Nuwa was the mother of humanity in the east, having been with them ever since civilization emerged there, even sending her brother Fuxi into reincarnation to guide humanity.

  And the two empires weren't exactly on good terms. Imagine how ecstatic the Romana empire was that the Qing dynasty drove Nuwa and her brother out with their own two hands when they condemned her for being a "heretical monster-harlot" and trying to burn up her secret realm?

  It's been well known for the last century, written in the history books so that all nobles remember it and shame cultivators whenever they get the chance.

  Fuxi may just be considered another powerful being, weaker than Jorvus Mars and Isis to some extent, but his sister Nuwa is not a weak figure, that even Chaos could not handle easily.

  Putting that together, Fuxi became the natural guess, though this form could just be a trick.

  Hearing this, the smile deepened as he praised me.

  "Good, good, it seems you are well aware of worldly events."

  He took out a tortoise shell, and quietly hit it with a hammer, and the eyes brightened further, before finally dimming for a moment.

  "Marquis Earl of the Rudalius territory. Your death was unjust, but truly spectacular." Fuxi praised earnestly.

  "You can read fortunes?"

  "Of course. One of my achievements as human emperor was introducing the ability to read the stars and to deduce heavenly secrets." Fuxi spoke frankly, before pulling a table out of nowhere.

  "Come, sit. We have to hurry up since others are waiting for you."

  'Others?' I ask, and Fuxi laughed, giving me a teasing look.

  "Believe it or not, I had to really try to get this spot as one of your testers. Before she died, this turtle did many favors, and I'm not the only one looking to repay debts."

  Hearing this, I couldn't help but be curious.

  Based off what I saw with the old man and Jin Chan standing outside, the deceased has clearly influenced many people.

  'Then why are you here?'

  "Well, she didn't actually do anything for me per say, but she was a junior of ours. Her death pained us greatly. The chance to see her legacy passed on and a chance for her return made me eager to oversee the initial screening.

  And even though I'm famously known for my feats as human emperor, I am ultimately a monster, a titanaboa evolved as otherworlders have called me.

  I have not forgotten the duty I have to monster kind.

  Naturally, I want to see what our juniors are made of."

  Fuxi said grinning, revealing a serpent's fang.

  "Do you understand what I'm saying?" He asked, and I nodded.

  I understood what he meant.

  Our identities here were different.

  "Here, we are not the human emperor Fuxi and the Marquis Earl.

  You are a tortoise monster, and I am a serpent monster here to test you.

  To test your values as a demon in one of the most difficult ways I know how"

  At this moment, his bestial nature fully revealed himself as he coiled up, staring at me as if I were prey, and all my senses were screaming, warning me that I was being stared at something greater than myself.

  With his predatory stare, he spoke.

  "Let this job interview...

  ...begin."