What had happened was burned into their memory. Seth had walked straight up to that man, showing no hesitation, and with a single backhand strike, the man's head exploded instantly. Without even pausing, Seth turned and calmly returned to his camp as if nothing of importance had taken place. The display was terrifying in its simplicity.
They remembered how the man had gone mad in his final moments, his telekinesis lashing out wildly. Yet no matter how desperately he tried to use his power, it had no effect on Seth at all. Seth was simply too powerful, so far beyond him that the man's abilities weren't even capable of slowing him down in the slightest.
The once arrogant figure who had proclaimed himself a god was reduced to nothing in an instant, killed as easily as one might crush a bug. That fact alone sent a chill through everyone present—both enemies and allies alike. So yes, they feared Seth. But at the same time, they were grateful. Unlike so many other overlords who abandoned themselves to lust, greed, and excess, Seth remained distant. He kept to himself, focusing solely on his training and his growth, rather than giving in to corruption.
"Call me the first instant anything happens." With those final words, Seth bent his knees and launched himself upward, his body soaring into the sky. One simple leap carried him across miles of distance, the ground shrinking beneath him as he cut through the air. As he moved, he pulled out his phone, the map application already open, the glowing screen displaying his location. An icon marked with a small store symbol grew closer with every jump, guiding him to his destination.
And what exactly were the merchants? They were beings from another world entirely, travelers who crossed into this reality for the sole purpose of trade. Their stalls offered goods that stretched beyond the limitations of the standard Overlord Shop. Not only did they carry more items, but their prices were often slightly cheaper, making them an indispensable resource.
It was thanks to these merchants that much of humanity had managed to survive the chaos that followed the arrival of wishes. Or rather, it was mainly thanks to the person who had wished for the internet to always exist. That single wish, more than anything else, had allowed so many humans to cling to survival, sharing knowledge and strategies across the globe.
Anyways, the merchants had made use of the internet, connecting themselves to it and using it as a tool to mark their locations. Each shop appeared on the map with clear symbols, allowing people to know exactly where to go if they wanted to find one. There wasn't just a single merchant either; there were many of them, each positioned far apart from the others so they wouldn't steal one another's customers. The separation gave them room to operate without conflict while still being accessible to the scattered human population.
But as Seth continued heading in that direction, he suddenly slowed and came to a stop, a thought striking him like a cold realization.
'Could they see my status screen?' The question lingered heavily in his mind. If the merchants had the ability to view such information, then all of his secrets—his combat power, his abilities, his talents—could be exposed in an instant.
Seth let out a slow sigh. No matter how valuable their goods might be, the risk was simply too great. With that conclusion, he realized he couldn't go over there, not yet. It wasn't worth gambling everything.
He had good reason to think this way. After all, once his eyes had leveled up to level 2, he had gained the ability to see the stats of others in detail. It wasn't just a minor upgrade either. Alongside this new ability, his efficiency had also improved. Where before his Six Eyes reduced energy use by ten percent, the upgrade now allowed him to use twenty-five percent less energy across the board. Whether it was stamina, mental energy, or even mana, every action cost him significantly less. His range had also grown larger, letting him observe more than ever before.
With him now capable of peering into others' stats, the thought naturally followed: wouldn't someone else out there have the same ability? Especially someone whose skills revolved around traveling the world and interacting with countless people? For such individuals, it would only make sense to have a skill that allowed them to instantly measure whether the person they were dealing with was worth their time.
Sighing, Seth crossed his arms, his mind heavy with thought as he considered his next move. At the current pace, he would likely need to wait another week before he was ready to take on tier 4 monsters. Yet that felt far too long, and the delay bothered him. According to the information he had gathered, a tier 4 goblin alone carried a combat power of around 750—a massive leap from what he was facing now.
Letting out another slow breath, Seth shifted his focus back to the map glowing on his phone. His eyes scanned across the area until they landed on a familiar marker—a mall. Once upon a time, the place had been close to his neighborhood, practically within reach. But after the dramatic changes that reshaped the world, the distance had stretched. What was once nearby now stood more than 100 miles away.
He didn't hesitate. With a burst of strength, Seth set out, each leap carrying him across miles. By the twentieth leap, he descended onto his destination, landing squarely atop the back of a lizard man. The creature crumpled beneath the force as Seth's eyes swept over the surroundings.
The mall was crawling with them. Tier 1, tier 2, and even tier 3 lizard men filled the place in overwhelming numbers. The sheer amount confirmed how rarely people had passed through this location—an untouched hunting ground, overrun and festering with monsters.
{Name: [Horned Lizardman Knight]
Monster Type: [Spawn]
Talent: [Lizardman Knight (D-tier)]
Monster Tier: 3 Tier
Combat Power: 275.
Skills: [Shield Wall (?/?)], [Shield Smash (?/?)], [Sword and Shield Style (?/?)... etc}
"You guys are stronger than the goblins," Seth said softly as his eyes scanned through the stats of the lizardmen around him. In the next instant, his figure blurred and vanished. When he reappeared, it was already at the entrance of the mall. Behind him, the battlefield was silent—the lizardmen's bodies all fell apart at once, sliced cleanly, not a single one capable of resisting. The gap in power was simply too overwhelming.
Although a part of him considered that he might have let them use their skills first so he could study and copy them, he dismissed the thought almost immediately. Skills of such a low tier weren't worth the effort. Learning them would add nothing meaningful to his arsenal, and he had no interest in wasting his time.
As for the question marks that appeared when scanning the lizardmen's stats, that limitation came from his own eyes. They weren't yet capable of revealing the detailed information of skill levels or precise descriptions. At this stage, all he could see was the name of the ability. The same went for equipment—anything relating to mounts, gear, or specialized items was beyond the reach of his vision for the time being.
Another fact about this new world was that the monsters spawned into it were not capable of breaking down closed doors. As long as a door was fully sealed, an invisible barrier seemed to form around the house, preventing monsters from forcing their way inside. However, this protection only worked if every possible entry point was secure. A slightly open door or even a single cracked window was enough to nullify the barrier entirely, leaving the household exposed.
This was the very reason why the goblins hadn't simply rushed into Seth's house and torn him apart while he slept. The barrier had held strong, keeping them at bay despite their numbers and ferocity. It also meant the structure itself was safeguarded from destruction, at least by monsters, so long as it remained fully sealed. Unfortunately, buildings damaged during the initial earthquakes weren't so fortunate. A collapsed wall, shattered glass, or even the smallest break in a window frame left the building defenceless to monsters.
Seth smashed through the mall's entrance door and stepped inside without hesitation, determined to search for anything of value. The wide halls of the building were eerily silent, the emptiness making the place feel even stranger. Moving deeper, his eyes scanned from side to side, though he didn't slow down.
He soon reached the first section sealed off by heavy shutters. With a small exertion of force, Seth tore the metal barrier apart. It was strange, as from the outside the windows had revealed nothing—no sign of what was inside.
He stepped forward and pushed the door open, only to pause.