“Nice to meet you too; my name is Sa—”
“We don’t have time for this, Samuel. Teacher Nicholas, I need a transfer of posts immediately. Preferably one on a different continent. Actually, just get me out of here!”
“Why? What is wrong, Sylvia?”
“People think that I am an old predatory witch; how can I stay here?”
“Why would people think that about you? From what I understand, people have a lot of respect for you.”
“I thought so too, but only now do I realize that most probably do not respect me but fear me instead.”
“Bla, bla, bla..."
Samuel stopped caring about what the fuck these two respectless cretins were babbling about. How dare they ignore and undermine him? They have no respect for the greatest thing to ever enter their lives, yet they still behave so ignorantly. Hmph!
Well, if he is not going to be a part of the conversation, which he definitely didn’t want to be anyway, then he might as well just leave. So, he did. Straight up, he opened a tear in space and stepped through. That easy; no tricks or traps. He really just left. The even more baffling thing was the fact that those sons of bitches didn’t even notice his departure as time continued to pass. One minute, two... ten. Only after ten minutes did the slightly more perceptive Nicholas notice the absence of Samuel.
“Sylvia, is it alright for him to wander around as he pleases? Are you not supposed to supervise him because of his threat level?”
“What the fuck are you talking about? Focus on the task at hand; get me out of here. Who is here and who is there, doesn't ma— wait. Where did Samuel go?”
“How would I know? Also, he is your responsibility. Do not come crying to me if you suffer punishment for this. Why do you look so pale? Is he dangerous?”
“Yes, yes, he is! No, he is far more than dangerous. He defeated me in a battle with his Superior Mortal stage cultivation, and he has a mysterious power or person backing him up capable of pulling me into an alternate space without any resistance. We need to find him! Now!”
Seriousness embraced Nicholas after hearing what Sylvia said. If he was this dangerous and they did not know of his allegiances and stances, then he could definitely create great trouble. As a guardian, Nicholas had the responsibility of dealing with the task, or at least distributing the task, of watching over dangerous people. He took this post because of duty and his love for the continent; how could he allow such a wildcard to walk around as he pleases? They needed to find him as fast as possible.
The slit in between Nicholas’s eyes opened for the first time in over a century, revealing the swirling cluster of nothing and everything—an amalgamation of both concepts, bound together by threads of logic. It was really quite bizarre, and definitely a physique of an extreme level. Similar to the way Samuel’s eyes used to bring existential terror to those who peered into them, this eye brought terror to the realm itself and the shard of the Heavens governing it. Reality seemed to tremble, and every human and beast present in the Shattered Realm felt the same fear coming from their very being, becoming alert to the Omniscience’s Omnipotence, one of the great founders of the Overlord Sect, needing to act once again. This situation, which had only occurred four times before in the history of the realm, brought nervousness upon their very beings in addition to the fear from the Heavens, creating mass hysteria, especially on the Cyan continent. What if the battle that takes place engulfs them?
"I... can’t find him! I don’t see him anywhere in the realm, and the Heavens do not possess any information on his position either. Sylvia, do you know of anywhere he might go or something that would allow us to trace him? Seeing as I can’t even find him with all my effort, the threat he possesses is beyond dangerous; it’s existential. He might erase the entire realm when he obtains the required powers. No, I can’t allow this. Eguliam: To all members of the Overlord Sect, this is a code, Rula. I repeat, this is a code, Rula! A potential threat to the realm has emerged, and I can’t find him. The person is named Samuel, or that is the name he goes by; he is of moderate height, fit, has long black hair, and possesses silver irises. If you find him, do not engage; his power is indeterminate. Find him as soon as possible and call for backup when you do."
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Realizing the extreme nature of the threat in front of them, Nicholas pulled out a tiny napkin from his storage ring before uttering Eguilam, thus activating the single rune present on it. Mobilizing the entire Overlord Sect was very extreme, causing even Sylvia to be a little speechless at how seriously he took the situation, even though she was the person who caused this entire misunderstanding. I say misunderstanding not because Samuel does not possess the capabilities to accomplish what Nicholas fears he can, but because he wouldn’t. Especially not in the current situation he was in.
Samuel, after leaving, found himself to be hungry. Very hungry. As such, he decided to find a place to eat, with no consideration for where he was or his sensitive identity. He found a suitable place to eat in the capital of the Lokola Empire, even though he was technically a criminal there. Whatever, that was still not the problem. The problem came after Samuel devoured his food like a blue whale. In mere seven minutes and nine seconds, he was done, ready to pay his bill, when he realized he didn’t have a single penny to his name—no mortal money, no treasures, and no spirit stones—leaving him no way of paying for the meal. Samuel found it awkward for someone as great as him to dine and dash, but he had no choice! But, well, not everything can go according to plan. It turns out the restaurant had a spatial blockade around it, stronger than the one found in the dungeon he was in previously, blocking him inside. His Dimensional Tear would be capable of breaking through it at the third level of the Superior Mortal stage, but not at his current level, leaving him trapped. Not only that, but he also alerted the owner of the restaurant to his antics, causing a great ruckus that definitely did not involve a lot of begging, tears, and snot.
Even as the realm trembled and fear enraptured everyone but mortals and Samuel in it, the owner still continued to yell at him, demanding compensation. Money, money, money. What is greater than money? Your life? Definitely not for this guy. Samuel was certain that the owner would continue to yell at him even if he were to die right now. He would turn into a money-hungry ghost. There is no way Hell or reincarnation would want this bastard.
“... And look at your eyes—you gigolo-looking young piece of shit. There is no way someone with such a physique and appearance does not have any money. Who do you think I am? Your million-year-old ancestor who is decrepit in the head?”
“No, I am sorry, but I truly don’t have any money. It was all taken from me before I was sent to this place! That is the truth! I am so sorry. I promise to go out, earn some money, then come right back to pay you. I give you my word; please just stop shouting.”
Whimpers and sniffles made all he said near unintelligible to everyone, including the boss. Everything other than ‘earn money’ and ‘pay you.' A wide, devilish grin covered the owner's face as he heard that.
“Pay me, you say? How about you repay me, not with money but with your body inste—”
Silence. Crippling silence. The money-grubbing owner, the staff, and the curious and indirectly terrified diners all fell silent. Two-thirds of those did so voluntarily; one did not.
"Watch your disgusting, filthy mouth. What a depraved individual. I don’t feel bad about not paying anymore.”
Blood covered the entirety of the restaurant, almost as if a body had popped like a balloon in there. Because that was exactly what happened. The second Samuel heard what the owner said, he annihilated him as quickly as possible, not wanting to hear a word more coming from such a depraved, disgusting, and filthy piece of shit. Two things: 1. Samuel hated those types of creeps. 2. He was no whore. As such, he put away the silly and sorry side of his personality, leaving only his monotone, angry, and serious self. Do not mess with Samuel when he goes serious, lest you want trouble. God, he is such a badass! At least that's what his mom always used to say.
“Uhm, mister? I understand why you did what you did; I would have done the exact same thing in your situation, but I think you misunderstood what he was indicating. He is one of the sponsors of the House of Galatara, a fighting arena; he was asking if you would fight for him.”
“Well, fuck! You couldn’t have told me that earlier?"
“You killed him as soo—”
“Yeah, yeah, you are not to blame. Well, I messed up, so here is what is about to happen: I am going to walk very calmly and confidently out of the restaurant, like I own the place, and forget what happened here. I suggest you all do the same, lest you spread this story to others, and I have to come clean up in my public image.”
Confidence is key! No one outside the restaurant knew what happened. So, as long as none spread the events, he would be free to posture as he pleases. Everyone in the restaurant had their eyes light up at his excellent mind and plan, agreeing fullheartedly to follow it to fruition. The perks of the Idiot achievement, baby! Whooo, let’s go! Overjoyed at the fact his plan worked, but unknowing about the change in the Heavens, the realm, and the Overlord Sect, Samuel walked out of the restaurant.
Ding!
[Mandatory quest allocated!]
[Congratulations on receiving your first mandatory quest! These occur when you cause ripples in the universe, even very tiny ones, or act in a just or unjust way (other quests are exempt from this premise).]
[You were the perpetrator of a slightly greater injustice than justice in the previous encounter, resulting in your receiving this mission.]
[Warriors Debt]
[You own a debt to the now deceased Golian Howler, the owner of the House of Galatara, and debts must be repaid. You will have to fight and kill 100 enemies at the same stage or higher than you in the arena to repay it.]
[Note: Mandatory quests are quests purposely distributed to give you a chance to remove more talent locks. These missions will always give you rewards, even if you fail, but you will have to make it up in different ways in such instances.]
[Time limit: before you are caught]
[Rewards: removal of ten talent locks.]
[Punishment: You must spin the Wheel of Pain and Happiness ten times as well as experience the feeling of right and wrong in the Dungeon of Karma for 48 hours.]
[Important: You will be caught at 11:46:23, 11:46:22…]
“What the fuck kind of curse is this? Not only is it telling me I will be caught, which is very ominous, but it will force me to suffer if I can’t complete the mission. These conditions would normally not be too worrying, but the fact is, I have to participate in a tournament of sorts! Goddamn, I hate tournaments and arenas. Should I complete or forfeit the mission?”