A Flash of Light
A radiant cyan glow lit up the air.
The beauty of the light was so mesmerizing that the two Black Orcs instinctively reached out toward it.
And then their hands vanished.
“Kreeeek?”
“Kreeeek?”
Both Black Orcs stared in confusion at the stumps where their hands had once been.
Had the light done this?
Before they could comprehend what had happened, the light brushed against their necks.
Slash——!
Thud, thud.
The sound of a single, precise cut echoed, followed by the sight of two heads falling to the ground.
The strike had been so swift that the orcs hadn’t even realized they were dead until their severed heads hit the floor, their faces still frozen in puzzlement.
“Wow.”
Seong couldn’t help but marvel.
Death’s Maul, Barfur, had grown significantly stronger.
He had once struggled to adapt to his new undead form, but now his transformation was complete.
Seong’s brief admiration was interrupted as Barfur knelt before him, bowing his head low.
Though Barfur now exuded overwhelming power, Seong was entertained by his quirks.
Nodding slightly, Seong opened the netherworld portal again, summoning Valtar and Fiora.
As they emerged, both immediately knelt, mirroring Barfur’s gesture.
Now that all three stood before him, Seong suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, right! What about the Shapeshifter?”
He had stored the Shapeshifter’s offspring in the netherworld before the battle with Crescentra to keep it safe.
“Did it wake up?”
Fiora cautiously stepped forward, cradling the small Shapeshifter in her hands like a precious offering.
Seong felt a pang of guilt for forgetting about the creature.
Curious, he gently poked the small being.
It jiggled slightly, its body rippling, but showed no signs of waking.
[The Shapeshifter remains dormant for unknown reasons.]
“Unknown reasons, huh...”
There was no way to figure it out now.
Sighing, Seong tucked the Shapeshifter back into his robe’s front pocket.
Fiora’s eyes grew faintly wistful, but Seong chalked it up to her connection as a fellow creature of the netherworld.
His reason for summoning all three was straightforward:
He wanted to test Barfur’s newly reborn strength.
Fiora and Valtar had been his strongest summons so far, and he needed to see how Barfur compared to them.
Barfur’s physical body rivaled Valtar’s, but their "software"—their skills and combat instincts—differed greatly.
Turning to his three summons, Seong issued his challenge.
“I brought you all here to clear this dungeon. I want to see which of you can take down the most enemies. You three are my strongest summons, after all.”
To Seong’s relief, they seemed more eager than offended.
In fact, they looked thrilled at the opportunity.
As if on cue, all three darted off in different directions, vanishing into the labyrinth.
Among them, Fiora had the fastest raw speed, followed by Valtar. Barfur, despite his slower start, made up for it with his incredible physical power.
The results were unpredictable.
‘This might be an interesting contest.’
Seong thought to himself as he rose into the air, standing atop a platform of a hundred Blood Swords.
He followed them, cutting through the wind with ease, ready to observe the unfolding battle.
The first to engage the Black Orcs was Fiora.
With her lightning-fast movements, she transformed her arm into a long, thin blade, slicing through five Black Orcs in an instant.
Slash——!
Thud, thud!
Two orcs fell immediately, blood spraying from their cleanly severed necks. However, Fiora missed her mark on the other three, only managing to graze their shoulders and arms.
Before she could adjust her aim, Valtar appeared.
His eyes gleamed as he swung his blood-red greatsword.
Chraaash——!
The jagged, saw-like energy emanating from the sword tore through two of the remaining orcs, shredding them apart.
The last orc, however, was intercepted before either Fiora or Valtar could react.
A flash of light revealed Barfur, who crushed the orc’s skull in his massive hand.
The speed of his attack was almost imperceptible.
Fiora and Valtar exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of surprise and awe.
‘H-he was so fast just now.’
‘Hmm... He’s still bound by the limits of a beast, yet... impressive.’
They couldn’t help but admire Seong’s power for summoning such a creature.
Though Barfur lacked their refined combat prowess, his raw physical abilities made him a formidable contender.
Watching from above, Seong couldn’t predict the outcome.
‘This might not be as straightforward as I thought.’
He had expected Valtar to dominate, but Barfur’s performance was surprising.
It seemed that, even beyond death, Barfur’s physical body surpassed Valtar’s.
The Black Orcs weren’t even true opponents; they were merely fodder for the contest.
Whoever defeated the most would win.
Among the three, Fiora moved first, relying on her superior reflexes.
Valtar followed closely, but Barfur’s growing confidence allowed him to match their pace.
Initially clumsy in his new body, Barfur had finally adapted.
Not to be outdone, Valtar activated a skill.
[Blood Festival]
Drawing in the spilled blood of the Black Orcs, a crimson aura enveloped Valtar’s entire body, amplifying his strength and speed.
The aura pulsed with energy, pushing Valtar’s abilities beyond their previous limits.
Now, he could rival even Barfur in speed.
Unwilling to be left behind, Fiora pushed herself harder, channeling her spectral energy to increase her agility.
Despite her efforts, she fell slightly behind the other two.
Her attacks lacked the precision she was known for, as she sacrificed accuracy for speed.
Watching from above, Seong sighed slightly.
‘Fiora’s falling behind.’
The gap wasn’t massive—about three Black Orcs’ worth—but it was noticeable.
Even though Fiora initially had a lead by one kill, she was eventually overtaken, and the gap continued to widen.
By the time they finished clearing the dungeon, the kill count differences were clear:
Despite Barfur’s extraordinary physical abilities, which exceeded those of a typical beast, Fiora showed no signs of disappointment or jealousy. Instead, she seemed genuinely impressed.
Fiora’s praise wasn’t directed at Barfur but at Seong himself.
Seong couldn’t help but feel perplexed.
Why was she acting like this?
Barfur attempted to adjust his tone, but his rustic speech still lingered. It seemed Valtar had been coaching him on proper etiquette, albeit with limited success.
The competition was over, with Valtar emerging as the winner, followed by Barfur, and finally Fiora.
However, something about the situation lingered in Seong’s mind.
‘Why isn’t Fiora eligible for transcendence?’
It didn’t make sense.
Transcendence didn’t seem tied to physicality, as even Anemore was capable of it despite lacking a proper body.
‘Could it be tied to the soul?’
It struck Seong as peculiar. Anemore had managed to transcend while residing in Kalisha’s body, even though Kalisha’s body was insufficient to fully contain Anemore’s power.
This left him wondering:
‘Why doesn’t Fiora qualify?’
Although Fiora seemed to use Barfur’s undead body more efficiently, the system didn’t recognize her as a candidate for transcendence.
‘Does it depend on how well someone utilizes their body?’
The system’s criteria remained a mystery.
As Seong pondered this, Valtar nudged Fiora with his elbow.
“...???”
Seong tilted his head, confused by their interaction.
Fiora, startled, stammered as she stepped forward.
“Speak freely, Fiora. What’s on your mind?”
Seong blinked, trying to process her words.
What was she talking about?
Fiora pointed nervously at the small Shapeshifter resting in Seong’s pocket.
Valtar stepped in to clarify, bowing slightly.
“...?????”
Seong, now thoroughly puzzled, pulled the Shapeshifter out of his pocket.
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This was Fiora’s body?
Suddenly, a memory surfaced.
During a past event, the phoenix form of Fiora’s body had been destroyed, leaving her soul wandering aimlessly.
‘Ah, it’s like that time with Mr. Choi!’
Seong recalled a moment from his childhood when he had seen a comatose patient’s soul roaming the hospital. It was common for those close to death to experience something similar.
It dawned on him: the Shapeshifter hadn’t awakened because it was meant to be Fiora’s body.
“Oh... I’m sorry, Fiora! I thought it was your offspring.”
Seong quickly changed the subject, and all three of his summons nodded in agreement.
Now understanding the situation, Seong activated his ability.
Fiora’s wandering soul was gently extracted from her current undead form and placed into the Shapeshifter’s body.
[The Shapeshifter awakens.]
[You have fully activated the pet of 『Overlord』.]
[A note hidden within the Shapeshifter has been discovered.]
[Conditions fulfilled.]
[Main quest for 『Overlord』 begins.]
[An event scene will now play.]“What? A main quest?”
Before Seong could process the sudden notifications, the surroundings began to shift and dissolve, as though reality itself were melting away.
The scene transformed into a familiar location:
Helena’s Garden.
The ominous black star that had severed space was still present, surrounded by thick, dark clouds and signs of spatial distortion.
Fiora’s old body had already been reduced to ashes.
Amid this eerie atmosphere, Seong sensed the presence of someone approaching.
Click, click.
The sound of deliberate footsteps echoed through the garden.