[Earth.]
"Is that him?"
"Yeah, the killer."
"Why is he here?"
"I don't understand what little miss saw in this bum to employ him."
In a bustling office room, the low mocking sound echoed as a trio from accounting snickered.
The dissatisfaction in their voices was clear as day.
The man they were complaining about sat alone at his desk.
Even though he could hear them, he didn't give any reaction.
His blue eyes remained locked on his screen, fingers tapping away, his posture eerily calm.
Across the room, gan, the ringleader of the trio, smirked.
She crumpled a piece of paper and tossed it.
It grazed his ear.
"Oops," she drawled, her voice dripping with false innocence. "Must've slipped."
Inder finally looked up.
His blue eyes—icy, indifferent—t hers.
Sothing about his look made gan's stomach twist.
Rage.
Embarrassnt.
A hint of fear.
She felt it all.
"W-what are you looking at?" she stamred, glaring at him.
Inder tilted his head slightly.
"What do you want?" His voice was calm almost hollow.
gan scoffed, folding her arms. "What do I want? How about so respect? Do you even know who I am?"
"I don't."
His deep, flat voice shut her up instantly.
gan clenched her fists.
Heat flooded her face.
She shot to her feet, marching toward him, her hand raised to slap him—
"What are you doing?"
Before gan could hit him, a voice interrupted, making the entire place quiet down.
Everything went silent.
gan flinched.
Slowly, she turned.
And there she was.
Delilah.
She wasn't just beautiful. She was unreal. Long, raven-black hair frad sharp, flawless features.
Crimson eyes glead with a quiet, suffocating authority.
The tailored black suit she wore clung to her form just enough to hint at elegance—without losing an ounce of power.
Her gaze pinned gan in place.
"I asked you a question."
gan swallowed hard. "M-Miss Delilah…"
Delilah's crimson eyes didn't waver. "I asked you a question."
gan slowly lowered her hand, forcing a nervous laugh. "I was just… teaching him so manners."
She tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable. "Manners?"
Sothing in her voice made gan's knees weak.
"I—"
Delilah took a step forward, closing the distance between them.
"I don't recall hiring you to discipline my employees."
The weight of her presence crushed any retort gan had left.
Inder, anwhile, rely leaned back in his chair, watching silently.
Delilah turned to him instead. "Are you alright?"
Inder gave a slow nod. "I'm fine."
She studied him for a mont before shifting back to gan.
"Good. Now, as for you…"
gan held her breath.
"You're fired."
Her world crashed in a single sentence.
gan's lips parted, but no words ca out.
Delilah had already dismissed her.
Instead, she turned back to Inder. "Co with ."
Inder stood up, walking behind her.
She studied him for a long mont before sighing. "How many tis has this happened in the last month?"
"It's my first month," Inder murmured. "So problems are bound to happen."
Delilah let out a tired sigh.
Walking further, she pushed open her cabin's door.
Delilah leaned against her desk, arms crossed. "That doesn't an you should let them treat you like garbage."
"I'm soone who killed his family. I don't deserve anything." Inder said, his voice soft. "Even you're helping only because of Senara."
"...."
Delilah turned silent.
She had a lot to say.
But.
Now wasn't the right ti.
Inder glanced at the files on her desk. "Have you reviewed the characters?"
Delilah nodded. "Most of them."
"Anything you'd like to add?" he asked.
She arched a brow. "Why? You have complaints?"
"The ga favors the antagonist way too much." He leaned forward slightly. "So of them are nearly impossible to kill."
Delilah smiled. "Everyone has a weakness."
"What about Mortis or the immortal twins?" he asked, tilting his head. "They alone are too much for Elijah to kill."
She humd, reaching for a file. "Here."
He took it, flipping through the pages. "What's this?"
"A list of weaknesses for most characters." She smiled. "morize it. It might be useful."
Inder nodded.
Since he was part of the developnt and playing team, this information could be very helpful.
Then, after a pause, he asked, "Who cos up with these stories? They're… insane."
Delilah's expression shifted.
For a second, sothing unreadable flickered across her face.
Then she gave a strained smile.
"My father writes them."
Inder nodded.
"I see." He closed the file and gave a small bow. "Then I should get back to work."
As he turned to leave—
"Hey."
He glanced back.
Delilah hesitated for a mont before speaking.
"Are you free tonight?"
Inder blinked. "Yes, ma'am."
A slow smile ford on her lips.
"Good. Let's have dinner."
******
My gaze fluttered open as the headache settled in.
The world around felt blurred while my body sank deeper into the bed.
I sighed, rubbing my temples.
A soft humming drifted in the air.
I looked up.
Zenith stood nearby, her back slightly turned, one hand raised as she tied up her hair.
Her long, black strands slipped through her fingers like silk as she adjusted them into a loose bun.
Unconsciously, she puffed out her chest.
"..."
Damn.
Except for her height, she got everything from Yennefer.
'Definitely E-cup.' "Oh! You're awake!"
As I admired them, Zenith exclaid.
I quickly forced my gaze to et her bright, lit-up face.
"How long…"
"Wait! Let bring so water!"
She cut off before I could finish, rushing out of the room.
I sighed.
There wasn't anything wrong with my body. Nothing felt out of place.
I pushed myself up, sluggish but stable, and stepped out of bed.
My movents were slow, but at least I could walk properly.
Just as I entered the hallway, Zenith blocked my path, a glass of water in her hand.
"What are you doing?" she exclaid, glaring at . "You should be resting—"
"I'm fine," I interrupted, taking the glass from her. "Where's Yenna?"
"In the hall room."
Nodding, I walked past her, making my way there as she trailed behind .
The first thing that registered was the playful laughter of children.
The next was Yennefer, kneeling on the floor, playing with them.
Willis. Olivia. Iffa.
"...What's happening?"
All of them turned to look at .
"Papa!"
Iffa was the first to sprint toward , Olivia right on her heels behind her.
Willis, however, remained by Yenna's side—not that I expected him to move.
"How are you?"
Iffa clung to my leg, peering up at with wide eyes.
"I'm fine," I reassured her, scooping her up into my arms.
Olivia grabbed onto my other arm, holding it tightly.
Her hair was styled in a neat, intricate braid.
I smiled. "Who combed your hair?"
"Yenna did," she answered proudly.
I glanced at Yennefer, who rose to her feet and approached.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"A little thirsty," I admitted with a small smile.
She ruffled my hair before gesturing toward the couch. "Co sit down."
I followed, settling onto the sofa. "Was the ritual successful?"
Yenna took a seat opposite , and Willis imdiately climbed into her lap.
"See for yourself," she said, gesturing toward my hand.
I glanced down. A glowing pattern shimred on the back of my palm.
Subconsciously, I willed it to activate.
A sphere of energy materialized, a tiny plant floating inside.
"It's still in the growing phase," Yenna explained as I studied it. "It won't be of any use for a while."
"It doesn't matter," I said, shaking my head. "Curing Mana Overdose was my main concern."
Yennefer fell silent, watching .
"...What?"
"You died for a few monts," she whispered. "What happened back then?"
I chuckled awkwardly. "Must've been a side effect of the ritual."
Though, in truth, I had a weird dream.
So crazy goddess tried to kidnap .
...Let live in my delusions. []
'....'
I rubbed my face in frustration.
How should I deal with her now?
What was her problem anyway?
Did she think I was Amun-Ra because of my blessing?
If so, that was a huge—
"Himl."
Yenna's voice pulled back to reality.
"I examined your body," she said. "You've reached Overlord rank."
I nodded.
"I noticed that—"
Then, I frowned.
"But how? Don't we need to condense mana first?"
"Sohow, your body was already at Overlord rank," Yenna explained.
"When you received that influx of mana, your body condensed it on its own, forcing a breakthrough."
"...I see."
So, basically, I got lucky.
"I will warn you, though," she said seriously. "Be careful about how you break through from now on."
I frowned. "Why?"
"Just as Prival is the foundation for Overlord, Overlord is the base for Eternal." She t my gaze.
"If you break through without proper preparation, you'll remain weak."
That caught my interest.
"How so?"
"Do you know how one progresses through Overlord rank?"
I shook my head.
Yennefer placed Willis down and stood up, walking toward .
"To rank up from Low to Middle Overlord, one must create layers of mana in the space between their skin and muscles." She paused, watching how I would react.
"With a minimum of ten layers, they break them down, allowing the energy to sweep through their body and concentrate it here."
She touched just below my heart.
Only then did I realize—
I was shirtless.
"That is where an Eternal's kingdom is ford," she continued, tapping my chest lightly.
"The more layers you form, the stronger your foundation becos."
I gave her a slow nod.
Now that I thought about it, there was a saying—
If an Eternal cannot bear the weight of their kingdom, they are not truly Eternal. "Stay here for two more days, and I will teach you how to form layers safely," Yenna said, looking at .
"Normally, it takes two months to form the first layer, but we don't have that luxury."
I frowned. "Wait… How long was I asleep?"
"Ten days." She smiled slightly. "Your trip to the Uzu household is right around the corner."
I slumped back into the sofa.
Ah, fuck.
Did I just waste my entire vacation sleeping?
What the fuck.
"I brought so food~!"
Zenith's cheerful voice rang through the room.
I looked up to see her walking toward , carrying a large tray.
"Zenny, I want so!"
Iffa ran toward her, eyes sparkling.
" too, Zenny!" Willis chid in, following his sister.
Zenith quickly lifted the tray out of their reach. "You guys can eat later! This is for Papa."
"B-But…"
"I'll make you cakes," Zenith bribed, flashing them a bright smile. "So don't worry."
Pouting, Iffa reluctantly stepped aside.
"Here," Zenith murmured, setting the tray down in front of . "Eat."
I grinned. "Thanks, Zenny."
Her expression imdiately twisted into one of regret. "Don't call that!"
Smiling, I stood up.
"Where are you going now?" she asked, eyeing suspiciously.
"I want to try sothing," I replied, glancing back at her. "Give a few minutes."
"Co back soon, or I'll feed your portion to the kids."
I simply nodded and walked outside.
As soon as I stepped out, I noticed the sun just about to settle down.
I drew in a deep breath.
[]
'Yeah.'
Since receiving El's blessing, I had only ever used its raw form—never the actual blessing itself.
Not even in its first form.
It was mainly because my body couldn't withstand it, nor did I have the mana capacity.
But now—
I have both.
Drawing in a deep breath, I whispered.
"Ismael's Blessing: First Form." My mana drained instantly.
Then—
"Rejection of Ti." The world turned gray.
User Comments
0 comments from readers