The Contract of Darkness (1)

[Day 4]

[Generating Daily Tasks...]

[Tasks Generated.] 

[Daily Tasks]

{Buy New Equipment: +100 Astral Dollars} 

{Bond with a Harem Member: Bond Increase}

{Upgrade the Devil Crystal: +50% Boost to All Allies} 

I stared at myself in the mirror and thought about what Hikomi said about the Dawn Age and the Total War. I've been acting on impulse as of lately without thinking much of the consequences of my actions or who could be put in danger. Now we have an incoming war ahead of us...a war I'm sure we can't not win as of now.

"Master." Aponshe said as she walked into my bathroom. 

I looked at her and noticed her serious face. "If this is about yesterday..." 

"No, it's not that...A war between us and the Heavenly Order was already set and stone. It's something more serious. When you're ready, I'll be in the Strategy Room." Aponshe said. 

"Alright." I replied. 

Aponshe walked closer to me then kissed my lips. I kissed back then she pulled away and walked off. I watched her and looked at myself in the mirror. 

[Let's take a walk and get some tasks done, shall we? Let us get our minds off this for right now.] 

I nodded and walked off. I left my bedroom and went downstairs then noticed Dahlia and Hikomi talking in the lounge area. 

"So Dawn Age changes Reality, but how? I get that it's a war, but what is the severity of it?" Dahlia asked. 

"The Goddesses will come down and fight against us. I'm not too sure if you all have connections to the Fallen Gods, but simply being an Overlord won't help unless that Overlord obtains Godlike Powers." Hikomi said and held her arms. 

"So Master Raiyu won't be strong enough to even face off against one of the Goddesses?" Dahlia asked and sounded a bit afraid. 

"No...and if he dies...all of us except his Dark Servant and Guinevere will disappear as well. We will be dead.." Hikomi said.

"I don't want that happening to me! Not when I'm just now getting to know Master and Aponshe. We need to do all we can to help! Let's go visit Sir Crux!" Dahlia said and stood up. 

I smiled at Dahlia's words then my smile faded away. I walked off to the stairs leading to the lower levels of the castle. I thought about their words carefully. For us to be able to even become strong enough to face off against a Goddess, I needed to become stronger myself. 

I walked to the Devil Crystal and placed my hand on it. It was cold, yet it had a refreshing aura to it. This crystal...resonates with me. I thought about my Awakened Form from yesterday and looked at the crystal. 

[Would you like to upgrade the Devil Crystal?] 

"Yeah.." I said. 

[Souls Required: 5,600 Souls] 

[Current Souls: 10,900 Souls] 

"Let's go as far as we can again." I said. 

[Souls Required for 14 Levels: 10,800 Souls] 

[Would you like to continue?] 

"Let's do it." I said. 

[Level Up!] 

{Name: Raiyu (LV. 28)} 

Strength: D {169}

Endurance: D {121}

Dexterity: D {110}

Agility: D {110}

Magic: D {107} 

Intelligence: D {107}

Power Level: D {121}

[New Facilities Unlocked: Outpost Builder, Fortune Teller, Arena, Vortex Portal]

[Achievement Unlocked: Acquired All Facilities] 

[Reward: 100 Grand Tokens] 

[Daily Task Complete: Upgrade the Devil Crystal] 

[Reward: 50% Boost to All Allies]

After completing everything I had to do in the lower levels of the castle, I returned to the surface level and walked out of the castle. I made my way to the Equipment Shop and noticed Guinevere looking at the display that was outside the shop. I walked over to her and gently placed my hand on her back. 

Guinevere looked at me and smiled with a blush on her face. "Oh..~ It's just you...I thought one of the monsters were getting bold with me..~" 

I smiled at her and looked at the display as well. "You're looking at the new weapons and accessories the Blacksmith made huh?" 

"Takemi's craftsmanship is some of the best within the Underworld. I was just browsing though. Are you here to buy something?" Guinevere asked. 

"I am actually. I'm gonna get some better weapons for Dahlia and Hikomi so they don't have to keep carrying around those basic iron weapons." I said. 

"I can help you if you'd like.." Guinevere said and smiled at me. 

I nodded. "I would appreciate it if you did.." 

Guinevere nodded and smiled. We walked into the shop and looked at the wide variety of weapons and armory that we could buy. 

"Welcome!" A man said and walked to the front. He smiled at us and wiped his forehead. "Ahh, Overlords! I'm glad you could visit me today."

The man had long black hair tied in a ponytail, blood red eyes, and a pretty lean and fit build. He wore a headband on his head, a white shirt, black pants and a black apron with brown boots. He wore protective gloves and wielded a hammer in his left hand. Beside him was a Rank A+ Monster known as Dullahan. 

"Ahh, Takemi!~ I'm just with my lovely Overlord, shopping for new equipment~" Guinevere said and smiled. 

"Ahh you won't be making use of those old Grade C to B weapons. If you want weapons that'll do some real damage, you'll need to check out my special stock made for people like you who aren't Monsters. I change my wares almost every day so be sure to stop by often for new equipment." Takemi said and smiled at us. 

"Hm, show us." I said. 

Takemi nodded and snapped his fingers then a door opened and we were allowed in the Special Area of the Equipment Shop. He walked from behind the counter and led us inside the shop. We were immediately met with an array of weapons that had powerful energy attached to them. 

"Here it is. My most precious creations. Crux comes by often to buy my wares as well as Faye and the Librarian, Sasha. In fact I believe mostly everyone comes here to buy my weaponry. I'm the best there is so I'm not surprised~" Takemi said proudly. 

I smiled and walked ahead then noticed a black katana that had kanji symbols on the blade. I picked it up and noticed deep red aura surround it. 

"Wrathos. A Powerful Katana forged with the power of the Grand Monster of Wrath, Ira. It is said to be able to slay entire armies. How do I know? I do test out my own equipment of course." Takemi chuckled. 

"How much will this cost?" I asked. 

"Everything in this Secret Shop is 30 Grand Tokens and if you have a Devil Ticket, you can get anything from any Secret Shop for free. I am willing to do you a favor and let your first five picks be free of charge for an exchange." Takemi said. 

"What is your request?" I asked and looked at Takemi. 

"My wife...she went missing a few days ago. She was out mining for new ores that we could use for our weapons and she hasn't returned since...not even a single letter or call. I'm not trying to think the worst case scenario, but..." Takemi said and crossed his arms. 

Guinevere held her arms and looked at me. "We should help him. I can't imagine what he's endured while his wife is missing." 

"I'll reward you generously, even if you do come back with bad news I'll be happy if you tried to find her." Takemi said. 

[Will you help Takemi?] 

{Help Takemi} 

{Decline His Request...} 

"I'll see if I can find her while I'm out there. Hopefully she's not captured by the Heavenly Order.." I said. 

"You have my many thanks, Milord!" Takemi said happily and smiled at me. 

[Event: A Dark Contract] 

After the exchange, I got Wrathos and another sword named Rebelliaton from Takemi's Secret Shop. I decided to pay for them and save my five free picks once I actually help Takemi. Once I was done browsing around, Guinevere and I left the Equipment Shop. 

[Daily Task Complete: Buy New Equipment] 

[Reward: 100 Astral Dollars] 

"It was nice of you to accept his request. As an Overlord I can understand how busy you can be..~ You're probably one of the nicest Overlords I've seen yet..." Guinevere said and smiled at me.

'I can't remember anything, but I do remember my humanity...' I thought to myself.

"Well there's nothing wrong with being kind once in a while as seen with the case of Hikomi. I do want a good relationship with my allies.." I said as I walked with Guinevere. 

Guinevere smiled and stopped in front of me. "I know the Dawn Ages are upon us now...but I would like to spend some time with you at some point. I feel like it'll be a good chance of pace..." 

"I'd love to. Just let me know when you want to go on an Expedition or just want to explore around and I'll be with you." I said. 

Guinevere smiled and nodded. "Of course...If you need me, just let me know and I'll be there." 

I nodded and watched her walk off. 

[Daily Task Complete: Bond with a Harem Member] 

[Guinevere's Bond Meter rose to 28%]

.....

Aponshe noticed me walk into the Strategy Room and smiled at me. "You're here, Master. I take it you're finished with your personal tasks?" 

"Yeah, so what's up? You came into my room with a serious attitude. What's the report?" I asked. 

"I've got word from a few Dark Mages from the Underworld that a new Seed is planted in our Domain. A Dark Temple has appeared in Astarfall. A new contract can be formed. Our first Contract.." Aponshe said. 

"There are also reports of Heroes trying to invade Astarfall with the help of Karius. They found our domain. We need to set down some outposts around the city and keep them from reaching the citadel. So far the lower ranking monsters are able to keep them from getting too far. They've been leveling up greatly due to the fact that they are fighting these small groups of heroes." Aponshe added. 

"Karius...It was a matter of time before they found us. Alright...let's plan out our Defenses first before we deal with the Dark Temple." I said. 

Aponshe nodded and pressed a button on the table and a digital map of the city popped up. There were currently nine outposts that we could work with. 

"With the Builder now available, we can ask him to help us build Outposts and Traps for us. You don't have to worry about paying for these. I'll have it covered. For now just say what you want and I'll give him a call." Aponshe said. 

"Definitely we need a Overlord Statue so that way our army can be boosted the same way the heroes can be boosted. Let's set up traps at the entrance and have the first line of defense in the outposts after the traps just in case a few do survive the traps. We also need some Enhancement Pillars. Can we make that happen?" I asked.

"I can see what I can do." Aponshe said and walked off to call the Outpost Builder. 

I waited for her to return. While I waited I looked at the map again. A slight memory came into my head and I suddenly remember something of my past, but it was vauge and blurry. I felt like if I could remember my past, I can find better solutions to these problems. 

Aponshe came back and smiled. "Alright, it's done! He's working on building our Defenses. It's gonna take nine days to finish it all. A Day per Outpost." 

"Alright good. Now about this Dark Temple." I said. 

"Right. We have two requirements. We need two Monsters. A Shadowmare and a Skullberus. They are our two keys for getting into the Dark Temple." Aponshe said. 

"Got it. Let's head over to the Monster Shop then." I said. 

.....

"Hewwo Ovewwowd Raiyu awnd Mistwess Aponshe!~ Whawt cawn i duwu fow uwu two?~" Faye asked and smiled at us. 

"Yuck. I never liked her speech." Aponshe said. 

"What's the problem with it?" I asked and looked at Aponshe. 

"She's 'Kawaii, Cuteness Overload!~' and I hate that shit. If you're gonna be cute, be cute but this is straight overboard and it makes me wanna hurl my orb straight at her dumbass face." Aponshe said. 

Faye tilted her head and her eyes became blank. "You were always a hater.." 

"What was that, brat?" Aponshe asked and gave an annoyed smile while reaching for her orb. 

"I said, take youw time, thewe's no wush!~" Faye giggled and had a joyful expression. 

I looked at the two then walked off to grab a Shadowmare Card and Skullberus Card. I walked toward the counter and placed them down. "These two B Rank Monsters are all I need." 

Faye looked at them and chills crawled down her spine. She looked up at me. "The dawk tempwe iws hewe..?" 

Aponshe noticed Faye's nervous face. "Yeah, why?" 

"Thawt means...The dawn ages awe hewe..." Faye said and shivered. 

I looked at Faye then gently pat her head. "You shouldn't worry...I will make sure we don't die. I swear on my life that I will protect you all." 

Faye looked at me and blushed. She smiled and nodded. 

I purchased the Monster Cards then Aponshe and I left the shop. We went to the Wander Portal and I spent 10 Souls to activate it. We walked through the portal and appeared in front of the Dark Temple. I noticed a Soul Container in front of the Temple and walked toward it. I touched it and the Souls inside the container entered my body. 

[Acquired 600 Souls] 

"Here we go. In temples like these, we will encounter the Spirits of Heroes. Once we enter the Temple...we can't turn back. Are you ready to enter?" Aponshe asked. 

"I'm ready." I said. 

"Alright...Let's go in." Aponshe said and walked forward. 

[Quests] 

{Clear The Dark Temple: ???}