“I’m curious,” Hayate inquired, his voice steady. “Just how high up in the company are you exactly?”
Hiroshi responded to his question, his voice filled with haste. “I’m an assistant manager to one of the four main managers,” he said quickly, the words coming out in a rush. “And my father is quite well-connected, so I have many connections myself.”
Hayate didn’t know much about corporate positions and had always been fairly oblivious to such things. He had only worked part-time when he was young, and even then, his mother had scolded him constantly for it. He hadn’t pursued a career because he hadn’t known what he wanted to do.
When comparing with his friend group, they all appeared to have full-time jobs, except for Taro, who at 15, was the only one under 18.
Hayate pondered something for a moment, he exhaled and said, “I’ll spare you on three conditions.”
“Firstly,” Hayate began, “I want you to do something for me..whenever I ask for something, money, info or anything else I need you to give it to me otherwise I’ll kill you.”
“Second,” Hayate continued, “You are not to say anything to anyone about this incident and third is…” Hayate paused for dramatic effect.
“Third is that you’re gonna ask no question’s.” Hayate finished. “And if you do a good enough job, I will give you rewards.”
If the man agreed, Hayate could potentially have a spy within one of the mega-corporations, which was more than useful. Hayate didn’t have any possessions to his name in the present, so having someone who could provide him with things was definitely beneficial.
If circumstances allowed, he would prefer to act nicely but he couldn’t afford to be too trusting lest he be betrayed.
Hiroshi agreed to Hayate’s conditions without delay, clearly not wanting to die. He then asked, “Could I request you for a favour when I’m in need? Please?” he implored, his tone as if addressing a deity.
Hayate agreed to grant Hiroshi two favour’s if he asked them. Then, he walked over to Hiroshi and cancelled the magic chains spell on him, causing the blue chains that bound him to turn to blue particles before dissipating into dust. The spell cancellation process in “hollow” was simple: just press any key assigned to undo to cancel it. However, Hayate didn’t have that luxury here, so he simply cut off his mana supply to cancel the spell.
Hiroshi dropped onto the ground on his butt, causing a loud creaking noise and making it seem like the floor might break and he could fall through to the lower flood. He had been lifted off the ground about three inches by the spell, and once the magic had been cancelled, he had fallen. Hiroshi dusted off his suit as the floor was quite filthy, and then raised himself, now standing upright.
Meanwhile Hayate was thinking of a few different methods of confirming Hiroshi’s loyalty. In the game, there were various spells and items to ensure that. He wondered if his inventory was still working; if so, there were various options available depending on the spells and items he possessed. And perhaps the private one was still active. Items placed in a normal inventory usually dropped on death, but those in private ones remained, The private inventory, unlocked at level 40. And only had 50 maximum slots. Each level up, one would gain a normal inventory slot, and at level 100, 100 slots would be available (though this number could be increased through purchasing one additional more for 10,000 gold coins so he spend 5,000,000 ). Hayate was lucky to have invested heavily in his inventory, with a total of 600 slots available. Any item placed in a slot could be stacked till 500 with the exception of weapons and armour.
Thousands of items currently resided within Hayate’s inventory, and if only he could manage to access it..but how in the world did one even view his inventory in the real world?
Hayate considered a simple approach. If spells activated by simply saying the name, perhaps the inventory would operate similarly. He said, “[Inventory]”, and a black circle materialized in mid-air.
The black circle looked like a portal to a different dimension, with a swirling, ominous glow emanating from its centre. The radius was a little more than 12inches in size. It hovered just above the ground. Looking at the black circle that appeared before him, Hayate felt a sense of satisfaction within him. It seemed that the inventory followed the same mechanism, and he felt relief and satisfaction so Hayate inwardly smiled.
Hayate extended his arm into the black portal, expecting a loss of sensation in his hand. To his surprise, he still felt his fingers gripping the air. He was pleasantly baffled.
Hayate was searching for something specific within his inventory: an item called the “Blood Contract.” An item of lesser legendary rank, of which he had only eight. A player must sign it using blood (which would inflict a minor damage, reducing one’s health point). The contract was permanent, effective until the player’s death. There were five types of contracts :
1 — contract of blood : you get +10 stat points to distribute as you wish.
2 — contract of riches : you gained 50,000 gold coins or any lesser legendary ranked item.
3 — contract of knowledge : you gained “discover” a ritual type skill.
4 — contract of power : you gained 10 spell slots for free regardless of your level alternative you may choose any 3 spells 4th tier or lower to use twice per day for free.
5 — contract of soul : you discuss the terms of the contract with the other party and once sighed, you are bound to do whatever those terms say. Hayate felt his fingers make contact with a paper-like texture, and he extracted the item from the inventory.
It was an ancient yellowing parchment scroll with arcane symbols inscribed in an indiscernible language rendered in crimson. In the scroll’s left-hand corner, there was a triangle interlocked with a circle, intended for a signature.
______________________________________
Hiroshi stood there, utterly baffled, as Hayate materialized a piece of parchment from what appeared to be a void. This phenomenon was inexplicable, as it contradicted the known laws of science. Magic! It was the only conceivable explanation.
He had witnessed that inexplicable occurrence, where memories magically vanished, men floated helplessly, chains materialized from Hayate’s hands with mere gestures, and a sense of oppressive dread gripped him the moment he stepped into the room. In the back of his mind, he thought– could this be a deity?
At that exact moment, Hiroshi felt a happy that he hadn’t challenged Hayate. He had chosen the path of submission, avoiding any confrontations that could have potentially disastrous consequences. Without knowledge of the full extent of Hayate’s abilities, his submission, though perhaps unwise, had spared him.
Hiroshi considered the possibility of rebellion against Hayate but for now any form of defiance would be futile. He hadn’t the faintest idea about the extent of Hayate’s capabilities or power.
Thus, for the time being, submission became his only viable option.
______________________________________
Hayate scrutinized the scroll in his hand, his gaze thoughtful. Of the five possible contracts available, the soul contract was the one he needed. However, this was a one-time-use item.
Utilizing it would cause it to disappear, and Hayate didn’t want to expend a lessor legendary-ranked item, especially since he had no notion of where to locate similar items on Earth; he didn’t have the inclination to deplete his inventory unnecessarily. he possessed a few items capable of duplicating objects, but their reliability was questionable. Given his current supply level, he resolved to conserve the items for necessity. His magical endurance was gradually replenishing just as it did in the original ‘hollow.’ Within the game, Hayate’s mana refill rate stood at one point every minute; his artefacts boosted this rate to one point every 27 seconds so for now, he has to mainly rely on his spells.
Taking a brief moment to exhale, Hayate’s eyes wandered upon the rings adorning his fingers. All of them achieved the status of legendary quality, and one of them was called ‘The Ring of Envy’ with the exclusive capability to duplicate any item of a rank below legendary 4 times on a daily basis.
Hayate remembered the origins of that particular item. It had been awarded as a reward for successfully completing an ‘A’ ranked dungeon, an event dungeon dedicated to the Halloween season in the year 2023. His team had been the inaugural raiders and since they all had just graduated out of school they had a ton of free time. After they had finished their raid, they had all received loot boxes, and within his was this ring alongside a 2,000,000 gold coins coupled with an additional item.
Hayate gently touched the ring, Hayate’s mind went back to the day they had successfully conquered the ‘A’ ranked dungeon. It was a time when they were at levels of 70-80, without access to proper gear. However, those times had since vanished, leaving behind nothing but memories. “Ah, those days. I miss you all so much.” Hayate murmured.
Hayate, with a heavy heart, brought the scroll near the ring. He mentally recalled the ability’s name
“[Envy’s Want]” Hayate muttered, and in response, a bright, emerald-green light materialized from the ring. The light enveloped the scroll, and suddenly, in Hayate’s other free hand, an identical replica of the scroll appeared seemingly from thin air.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Hayate placed the original scroll back into the black portal and uttered a command to close it. “Inventory close.” The swirling black hole vanished.
Hayate positioned the scroll in front of both himself and Hiroshi as it floated in mid-air. “Alright,” Hayate began, “once I outline the conditions, you’ll be obligated to adhere to them.”
Hayate laid out the terms of the contract.
“First and foremost,” Hayate intoned, “you must never discuss anything you witnessed here today. Secondly, you will comply with any demand I issue. Lastly, under no circumstances must it be acknowledged that the two of us (you and me) are engaged in a collaboration.”
It was somewhat akin to a master-servant relationship, albeit not an exact match.
Hayate’s gaze fixed on Hiroshi, who responded affirmatively with a simple nod. As Hayate outlined the terms, they magically etched themselves onto the scroll in the language they were speaking (Japanese). The previous words faded away in turn.
“Now, inside that circular mark,” Hayate pointed to the designated area, “you’re going to ink your signature using your own blood.”
Hayate assumed that this was almost certainly the correct method. Given how the game mechanics appeared to be translated into real-life scenarios. His next step would be to cast a healing spell after Hiroshi signed the contract, thereby closing the injury he had inflicted.
To inscribe his signature on the scroll with blood, Hiroshi made his way toward a nearby blade,
Though Hayate interjected, Instead, Hayate then gently ran one of his own sharp nails across the skin of Hiroshi, causing a minor cut to appear.
A thin stream of blood spilled from the small wound created by Hayate’s sharp nails, causing Hiroshi to recoil in shock. He hastily inscribed the initial letter of his name, “H,” within the circle, attempting to finish the task as quickly as feasibly possible.
The moment Hiroshi retracted his hand after inscribing the initial letter of his name, a flash of purple energy emitted from it, the scroll promptly incinerated into ash, leaving no remnants of its existence. Simultaneously, A small, ominous black circle materialized on Hiroshi’s hand, marking the fulfilment of the contract.
“Ah, there it is,” Hayate said feeling satisfied. Hayate lifted his arm, extending his hand towards Hiroshi’s injured finger. He murmured the incantation, “[Heal],” triggering the Tier 2 spell. The spell, though basic, had the power to replenish 2 health points for the low cost of 1 mana point. A gentle, emerald-hued energy emanated from Hayate’s hand, wrapping around Hiroshi’s finger. Almost instantly, the injury vanished, and his finger returned to normal.
Hiroshi couldn’t help but gasp in surprise, as he observed his fully healed finger. Within a matter of seconds, the injury on his finger had completely healed as if it had never existed. Over the years, Despite remarkable advancements within the medical field, the concept of healing wounds within mere seconds like this was uncharted territory.
Hiroshi mentally issued a command, “[Body status],” In response, a signal was transmitted via the Neurochip in his brain. Almost instantaneously, a screen materialized before his eyes.
All indicators appeared normal, except for one notable exception – the state of his lungs, which was unsurprising given the degraded air quality that had become a global issue.
Hiroshi observed something, The absence of any expected bodily damages, such as an increased heart rate, slight blood loss, or any other physiological responses associated with stress and panic, struck him as incredibly strange.
If such technol--- no magic, if he could even call it that, ever became known to the public it would pose an unfathomable threat to the healthcare industry.
Suddenly, Hiroshi snapped out of his thoughts as the man started speaking again.
“Now that the contract is official, you are bound to it until the day you take your last breath.”
Hiroshi silently exhaled, he was now bound to this contract until his inevitable end .
It was not an ideal outcome, but he took solace in the fact that he was still drawing breath.
In the grand scheme of things, serving under the man might prove to be a better alternative than meeting an early demise..
“I suppose I’m bound to this contract now. So, what exactly do you want me to do?” Hiroshi said.
Hayate considered his options carefully. Eventually he settled on sending the group back to their original destination, but with one caveat — Hayate needed to ensure that their memories of this encounter were wiped permanently. It was an essential step to prevent any potential trouble in the future. Suddenly, a new idea surfaced in his mind. Perhaps summoning magic could offer a perfect solution.
Hayate focused his thoughts intently, thinking upon the type of minion he wished to bring forth.
As the final evolution of the basic demonic mage class, he possessed the ability to summon and create demons. The tiers of summoning denoted the power level of each demon, they was divided into nine distinct tiers. For example, tier one was level 10-20, tier two was level 20-30, tier three was level 30-40 and so on and so forth.
Hayate said “ [Create second tier demon – Doppelganger]”, his skill activated. Immediately, a radiant, crimson magic circle materialized on the ground. The circle was immense, spanning roughly 10 feet in diameter and radiating a dark red light that illuminated the entire room, on the circle multiple unknown symbols were visible.
The creature manifesting before them was a level 20 demon, yet one of the rings Hayate was wearing, a legendary rank item called “The ring of the Overlord” worked its magic, elevating the incoming doppelganger’s level to 30 instead of its natural state of 20. This was because one of its passive skills was augmenting the power of any summon or creation he conjured by 1.5 times.
This was a significant boost, elevating the expected level of the Doppelganger from 20 to 30 in terms of raw power. This level 30 doppelganger, however, would boast an equivalent power to a regular player at level 20. This was because doppelgangers commenced their existence at level 10 with stats matching a humble, level 1 player so all of their base stats were “1”.
Their lack of strength in base form was justified since their main attribute was the ability to mimic others’ forms. Doppelgangers possessed a unique ability known as Mimicry. Starting at level 10, they can copy 1% power of anything it copies. Their capabilities expanded with 1% being gained for every one level gained for example a level 100 doppelganger could copy the strength and skills of anyone upto 90%.
The magic circle had ignited beneath Hiroshi’s feet, he swiftly leapt away, positioning himself to observe from a safe distance.
From the confines of the magic circle, a blackish, red liquid pooled into a ball, suspended in mid-air. Slowly but surely, the amorphous mass began to transform, molding and shaping itself into a recognizable form. The doppelganger materialized with a grotesque appearance. Standing at 6 feet tall, it was significantly shorter than Hayate’s towering 7-foot frame.
The Doppelganger’s body was pale and cadaverous, its skin a sickly grey-black hue stretched tightly over its bony frame exposing its protruding bones. A plethora of old bandages, both white and green in colour, were wrapped around its body, covering its rotting flesh. Its legs were unnaturally thin, like the gnarled roots of an ancient tree, and its feet resembled talons, with three long toes facing backwards. The Doppelganger’s arms stretched abnormally long, dwarfing its body, and adorned with four elongated, bony fingers that seemed designed for grabbing or stabbing something. Its spine was hunched over, and protruding from it was a series of bone-like spikes. It boasted an elongated neck, capped off by a stitched-on smiley face mask.
The smiley face mask that the doppelganger wore was gruesomely attached to its flesh. It appeared stitched onto its visage, with the only visible portion of its face being the mouth, which was sewn shut on each side, leaving a macabre smile frozen onto its face.
Hayate glanced towards the doppelganger, feeling a shiver run down his spine. Even he was taken aback momentarily. This creature, once just pixels and lines of code in hollow, now stood before him in flesh and bone. If Hayate had still been a normal human at that moment, he would have likely fainted on the spot.
He glanced at Hiroshi, noting the fear etched on the latter’s face, and remarked, “increadible, isn’t it?”
Hiroshi’s voice trembled as he responded, his words barely audible as he said “Yes,” while nodding in agreement.
Despite his efforts to compose himself, the sight of the grotesque creature had shaken him to his core. To have such a menacing being brought into existence and treated so casually – it was truly terrifying.
Meanwhile Hayate was staring at his creation. His thoughts wandered to the calculations in his head. According to his estimate, if his “The Ring of Overlord” was functional as intended, this doppelganger would be level 30 with total stats of 100, not bad.
Hayate issued a command, “Doppelganger, mimic Hiroshi.”
Upon receiving Hayate’s order, the creature’s body began a disturbingly unnatural transformation.
Its limbs retracted into its torso, It morphed into a pulsating, writhing mass of flesh, twisting and churning in a nauseating display. Then, the abomination transformed into a rounded ball, its texture and composition malleable like gelatin. Then, in a horrifying spectacle, the mass of flesh began to morph and reshape itself, becoming an exact replica of Hiroshi.
Hiroshi’s stomach churned as he watched the doppelganger’s horrific transformation, his body involuntarily reacting to the sight in front of him. Not only did watching the grotesque transformation fill him with revulsion, but the sight of the doppelganger perfectly mimicking his appearance down to the last detail sent an icy chill down his spine. Even the clothing he wore was perfectly replicated.
Hayate stood casually, having witnessed the doppelganger’s transformation, remained surprisingly unflinching. Given that the doppelganger was his own creation, he was confident that even if it failed to follow his commands, he could handle the situation.
However, he noticed something unusual. The doppelganger had not just taken on Hiroshi’s appearance, but had also replicated the exact outfit he was wearing. Normally, as the creature was only level 30, it should not have been able to replicate equipped items yet somehow this one had flawlessly replicated the attire.
For Hayate, the only logical explanation seemed to be that the suit or armour wasn’t considered an item, or was this a new ability? Judging from the circumstances, the former seemed more logical to him.
Hayate then asked the now transformed doppelganger a question, “Can you speak?”
In hollow, doppelgangers at lower levels were typically mute, lacking the capacity for vocalization.
To Hayate’s surprise, the doppelganger responded with a clear, articulated voice. It affirmed, “Yes, but only in this form.”
To Hayate, the fact that the doppelganger possessed the ability to speak, even if only in the copied form, was unexpected but welcomed.
Hayate turned to Hiroshi, “Where’s the vehicle or mode of transport you used to get here?”
Caught off guard, Hiroshi hesitated for a brief moment before replying, “Um, our vehicle is parked nearby.”
Hayate then gave further instructions, “Take your team back to their vehicles, and after ensuring they’re inside, you will return. The doppelganger will accompany them after that.”
Hayate lifted the spell [Mana chains] that he had cast on everyone, releasing them from their bounded state. In the same breath, he issued a new command, “Follow Hiroshi”
Under the influence of Dominate, they were compelled to obey Hayate’s orders, following Hiroshi as instructed. The doppelganger, in Hiroshi’s form, trailed behind.
With the men and the doppelganger leaving the room, Hayate exhaled deeply and let his guard down, allowing his weary body to collapse onto the dirty worn-out bed. Hayate allowed himself a moment of respite, and thought about what had happened in the past few minutes.
He had taken hostages, mind controlled them and erased their memories, and essentially enslaved one of them. It was a dark path he had walked, if only for a short while. “It was self-defense,” he muttered to himself. The girl had fired at him first, after all. Maybe it was justified this time.
Hayate then shifted his attention to something else. Now that he was temporarily secure, his immediate concerns had faded. He considered how to proceed, after Hiroshi returned he wanted to ask a few more questions and perhaps ask him to investigate about the status of his relatives and friends, but then he hesitated.
Could he trust Hiroshi with this sensitive information? Though they had a contract in place, Hayate still didn’t trust him completely. Exposing details about his human family could potentially expose a weak point and potentially give Hiroshi leverage, and that was a risk he wasn’t willing to take.
“I suppose I’ll have to search for them myself” Hayate thought.