The place was the Monster Realm.
One of the domains under the Asura Community.
The domain ruled by the Asura Ruler, Kae.
Monster Realm was larger than the observable universe where our protagonist, Pratik, resided.
Thus, ruling it fairly was no easy task.
Monster Realm was divided into millions of Empires.
Each Empire contained thousands of Kingdoms, each ruled by a local ruler.
These Local Rulers were meant to serve as representatives of their subjects.
Their responsibilities were simple.
Maintain law and order.
Protect their subjects.
And present the emergencies, problems, and ideas of their Kingdom during the annual meeting.
However, Monster Realm had one rule that every ruler feared.
The Iron Rule.
According to the Iron Rule, a Local Ruler had to ensure that even the slum areas under their authority were sufficiently developed and maintained a satisfactory Happy Index.
If a ruler failed to meet this requirement, they would either be executed or stripped of their authority and the wealth they had accumulated.
The slums were inspected annually by Kae's loyal guards.
Furthermore, treasures, resources, food, and many other essential necessities were supplied every month directly from Kae's treasury.
Every Kingdom was expected to meet certain requirements, which were used to calculate a numerical value representing its overall development.
If that value fell below 3/10, the Kingdom would be marked as underdeveloping.
And once again, its ruler would either be executed or stripped of their authority and accumulated wealth.
These strict rules ensured there was little room for incompetent rulers, corrupt authorities, negligence, or the unchecked concentration of power.
At least, that was how things were supposed to work.
The Kingdom where Pratik currently stood was different.
Its ruler had discovered a flaw in the system.
His name was Lohit.
Another Dragoling.
Though he usually appeared in his human form.
Lohit had been the ruler of this Kingdom for 120 years.
Before becoming its ruler, he had served as the advisor to the previous king.
Then he betrayed him.
And took the throne for himself.
After becoming the ruler of Ka77, his power and authority grew exponentially.
Unregistered mining.
Resource exploitation.
Illegal transportation.
And countless other activities were legalized through his signatures.
But Lohit understood one thing very clearly.
Kae's loyal guards would eventually discover everything if they inspected the Kingdom properly.
So Lohit created a false heaven.
Whenever Kae's guards arrived for their annual inspection, Lohit would distribute a large portion of Kae's treasury among the slums.
The guards would see happy subjects.
Developed slums.
Satisfied people.
A Kingdom that appeared to be functioning perfectly.
But the moment the inspection ended, Lohit would impose heavier taxes upon those very subjects.
Anyone who tried to object was silenced forever.
Many people were forcibly imprisoned so that no one would dare speak against the King during the inspection.
And there was an even darker threat.
If even one prisoner spoke against Lohit during the inspection, everyone inside the prison would be executed.
A heavenly hell.
That was what Lohit had created.
And the worst part?
Majority of the prisoners were children.
The prisoners were forced into mining, transportation, resource collection, and countless other forms of labour.
All of it hidden beneath the illusion of a prosperous Kingdom.
Lohit had been doing this for decades.
And no one had ever stopped him.
But his story had not begun in Monster Realm.
Two hundred years ago, one of the strongest Dragolings in Dragon Empire began rising rapidly through the ranks.
His name was Crocus.
Crocus was a Dark Dragoling.
Yet unlike most Dark Dragolings, he had never accepted their obsession with oppression.
He was different.
Crocus sought strong opponents.
He fought the strongest beings he could find simply because he enjoyed the challenge.
And two hundred years ago, his rise became a nightmare for the Dark Dragoling race.
His younger brother, Haidoro, joined him for the same reason.
For the fun of the game.
Together, the two brothers became a nightmare for their own kind.
Crocus eventually massacred half of the Dark Dragoling race.
Lohit had been a teenager at the time.
He witnessed only a glimpse of Crocus's massacre.
That glimpse was enough.
The fear remained with him for the rest of his life.
Lohit fled Dragon Empire alongside the surviving Dark Dragolings.
Eventually, he entered Monster Realm.
And there, his rise in authority began.
He slowly climbed the hierarchy until he eventually obtained absolute authority over Ka77.
His right-hand man was none other than his own brother.
Sonavarnah.
Sonavarnah had lost one of his eyes to Haidoro.
Haidoro had spared his life simply because he felt like it.
During the years that followed, while Crocus and Haidoro continued living lives where genuinely difficult battles were rare, Sonavarnah continued growing stronger.
Eventually, he reached a level comparable to the power Haidoro possessed before his death.
Sonavarnah became the third-strongest living Dark Dragoling.
Only Crocus and Griho stand above him in present.
He was Lohit's sword.
He was Lohit's shield.
And with every passing year, that sword and shield became stronger.
Even the neighbouring Kingdoms had a rough idea of Lohit's tyranny.
Yet none dared speak against him.
No one challenged him.
No one defied him.
No one opposed him.
For 120 years, Lohit ruled without facing a single true threat.
He was feared.
He was powerful.
He was protected.
He was undefeated.
Until Pratik entered his life.
And for the first time in 120 years...
Lohit's perfect Kingdom was about to face a problem that could not be silenced, bribed, imprisoned, or killed so easily.
A problem wearing the face of a foolish young sorcerer.
Pratik.
To be continued...