— The Botched Hit —
"Overlord, someone wants me to ask you a question—" Darius's voice held a hint of laughter over the phone. "Would you please kill yourself? Do you agree?"
Eren was taken aback, falling into a brief, silent pause.
Darius then proceeded to explain the entire situation in detail.
---
HelixPharm CEO Office.
"Good, excellent! I knew this would be a hit!" Lyra's eyes burned with fervor as she scanned the sales report, almost too excited to stand still.
In just a few days, the new product's sales had shattered two billion, inventory was depleted, and orders were backed up for a year.
She knew—all this glory belonged to that "Power Ranger." Without him, she was nothing.
Yet, she still had no idea who he was—his name, his face, his contact information, all remained a mystery.
Lyra bit her lip lightly, a trace of anxiety hidden between her brows.
Just then, her phone vibrated.
It was—that number.
Her heart clenched. She answered at once, voice low and sharp. "Well? Is the task complete?"
Silence greeted her from the other end.
Her face darkened, her tone turning cold. "Speak. Was the mission successful or not?"
Still, only silence.
Lyra's anger flared. "Are you deaf?" she hissed. "Did you kill him or not?"
The person on the other end seemed to hesitate before a hoarse voice finally came through. "The mission... has failed. Again."
"What?" She froze for two seconds, then let out a cold laugh. "A renowned dark web assassin? Can't even kill a college student in jail? You should rename yourselves—the Dark Web Failures!"
"Did you call to raise the price? Go on, how much?"
Silence for ten seconds. The hoarse voice returned, low and quiet. "I'm not calling for more money... I'm calling to inform you—the contract is canceled. We're withdrawing. Your deposit will be refunded. Doubled."
Click—The call ended.
The silence that followed was heavier than any threat.
"Canceled? They're quitting?"
She stared blankly at her phone, completely bewildered.
These assassins, famed for leaving "no survivors," were claiming the target was—too hard to kill?
"Eren is just an ordinary college student, isn't he?" she muttered to herself. "How could he be... too hard to kill?"
Ding—a text alert sounded. She looked down—the refund had arrived. The amount was indeed double.
She was utterly dumbfounded.
This wasn't a scam. But that made it even more terrifying—an 'ordinary' person that dark web assassins couldn't handle?
As her thoughts churned, the image of that tall, masked figure surfaced in her mind.
If he were to take action—the result might be entirely different.
She immediately summoned Darius, softening her tone. "I have a request... Could you ask your Overlord to help me, just this once?"
Darius's expression became subtle, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
"Alright." He made the call and relayed the message verbatim.
Eren listened, then remained silent for several more seconds.
His gaze swept over the items on his table: the Swordborne Gourd, the small bronze cauldron, the Mirage Incense, the century-old Violet-Gold Ginseng, and the Thunder Runes, finally settling on the ancient-looking cauldron.
"Have some medicinal ingredients sent from HelixPharm," he instructed calmly.
"I will use this Violet-Gold Ginseng to refine several types of pills. Also—have Leopold and City Lord Arden come to the prison."
— Alchemy Ignited —
The ingredients were prepared swiftly.
Eren activated his Psionic Awareness, meticulously reviewing the ingredient ratios and refining process in his mind before slowly reaching out.
A wisp of magical power was injected into the base of the cauldron—
Hum— The bronze alchemy furnace trembled and hummed, its spirit patterns glowing with golden light, like an ancient beast stirring from slumber.
"A good furnace," Eren murmured in appreciation.
In the next moment, flames roared to life. Azure flames danced like rolling tides, their glow painting the air with the scent of ancient herbs and a faint spiritual shimmer.
One hour later, the lid opened slightly—
The pills were complete.
One Essence Reversion Pill, ten Vital Nourishment Pills, and ten Origin Awakening Pills.
Eren retrieved the pills, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth as he observed their faint golden halo.
"Acceptable, for a first attempt."
Power gathered, refined, and obeyed. For the first time, he truly felt the path of creation beneath his fingers.
---
He summoned the three men waiting outside: Arden, Darius, and Leopold.
He handed the Essence Reversion Pill to Arden. "City Lord, this pill can save your life in a dire situation. Keep it."
Arden was so excited he could barely speak. He accepted the gift with trembling hands and bowed deeply.
Next, Eren flicked two Origin Awakening Pills, which shot forth like two beams of golden light into the hands of Darius and Leopold.
"Consume these. They will help you break through directly to the Grandmaster-tier."
The two were first shocked, then overjoyed, immediately throwing their heads back and swallowing the pills.
The pills dissolved upon contact.
Instantly, a violent medicinal energy tore through their meridians like raging dragons, waves of heat rolling, their blood and qi boiling!
They grunted, sweat pouring from their bodies like rain.
Eren's expression remained unchanged. His figure blurred as he placed his palms against their sternums, his own potent energy flooding into them.
BOOM— A wave of spiritual power reverberated through the room like thunder.
After what seemed like an eternity, two vast, powerful auras suddenly erupted!
The air trembled, dust swirling.
"Hahaha—I broke through! I'm a Grandmaster!" Darius roared, looking up at the ceiling.
"Me too!" Leopold laughed wildly, shaking his fists in the air.
Before their joy could settle, they suddenly realized: the energy surging within them was several times more potent than the legendary Yellow Dragon Pill from the auction! They had directly ascended to the level of a 3rd Rank Grandmaster!
Ecstasy emboldened them. They exchanged a glance, battle intent igniting simultaneously.
"Just how strong is our Overlord, really?"
"Let's find out!"
They moved as one, fists and palms thundering toward Eren!
However—
In that instant, the air seemed to solidify.
Their attacks halted a meter away from Eren, blocked by an invisible, immense barrier, unable to advance an inch!
A cold light flashed in Eren's eyes.
"Seeking death?"
He simply waved his hand lightly—
BAM! The two men flew sideways like broken kites, smashing heavily against the wall, their auras in disarray.
"O-Overlord, please calm your anger! We... we just wanted to test our new strength!" They scrambled to their knees, a pathetic sight.
Eren snorted coldly. "Using me as a whetstone? Get out!"
The two scrambled away as if granted amnesty, fleeing the room.
---
Arden stood by, dumbfounded. He had thought to slip away quietly, but Eren's calm voice stopped him.
"Wait a moment."
He turned to see Eren exhale a turbid breath, his expression returning to its usual calm.
"The supercomputer I asked you to bring. Do you have it?"
"I have it!" Arden immediately straightened up. "How could I dare neglect a task from Mr. Eren? It's a top-of-the-line model, the best in the world."
Eren gave a slight nod. "Good. You may leave."
But Arden hesitated, seeming to have something more to say.
"Is there something else?"
Arden gritted his teeth and spoke. "Mr. Eren, that kind of pill that Chief Darius and Hall Master Leopold just took... could I... could I possibly have one?"
Eren replied indifferently, "You are not a martial artist. Your body cannot withstand the medicinal power of this pill. If you force it, even if I intervened, your body would explode and die."
He paused, his expression softening slightly. "If you truly wish to step onto the martial path, when the time is right, I will refine a different pill for you."
Arden's eyes burned with fervor. "That would be wonderful! From now on, Mr. Eren, no matter what you need, I will go through fire and water to accomplish it!"
He bowed deeply and respectfully took his leave.
— Treasures Unveiled —
With everyone gone, Eren finally had a moment of peace.
He sat cross-legged, his gaze falling upon the treasures on the table that he hadn't yet studied carefully.
First were the pair of Thunder Runes.
Eren reached out and picked them up, his Psionic Awareness probing inside—he felt a surge of lightning, arcs of electricity intertwining, the contained energy almost overflowing the paper.
"Such potent lightning force," he murmured in awe.
Focusing his mind, he guided the thunder energy from the two runes into his own energy core.
Instantly, faint purple lightning crackled over his skin, snapping and popping, as if he were possessed by a thunder god.
"Let's test the power."
He snapped his fingers, a jumping sphere of purple light instantly condensing at his fingertips.
With a gentle flick—
The purple light shot through the air!
CRACK!
The solid wooden chair directly in front of him exploded violently, turning into charred splinters.
Satisfied, Eren stored the depleted Thunder Rune fragments, a slight upward curve on his lips.
Next, his gaze turned to the Swordborne Gourd.
His consciousness probed into the gourd's opening, finding a vast space within, like a glorious celestial palace.
Ten golden swords hung silently in the air, their sword intent cold and sharp, edges glinting, seeming to breathe with a will of their own.
Despite being sealed by time, they still exuded a sharp, lethal aura that promised "taking heads from a thousand miles away."
"What treasures..." Eren whispered.
He could sense that if nurtured with magical power over the years, these flying swords would surely regain their former sharpness.
And the Swordborne Gourd itself seemed to possess abilities for storage and spirit condensation.
With a thought, he stored the Mirage Incense and the small bronze cauldron inside the gourd.
The gourd vibrated slightly, a soft sword hum echoing within, its light pulsing faintly, as if acknowledging its master.
"That auction trip was truly worth it," Eren allowed a faint smile to touch his lips.
—He had obtained a clue about the Mirage Incense, gained the power of lightning, the Swordborne Gourd, and ten flying swords. It was practically a heaven-sent opportunity.
Just as he was preparing to go into seclusion to nurture the flying swords, a light knock sounded at the door.
The door opened, letting in a strand of cold air carrying moonlight.
Aveline Ward stood quietly outside, her features outlined in silver, ethereal and cold, yet carrying a hint of unease.
"You're back."
Eren was slightly taken aback, a note of surprise in his voice.
He hadn't expected that after dealing with the drug dealer Harry, she would actually return here.