The manor courtyard glowed faintly beneath the golden‑purple shimmer of the shield. Sam stood at its center, staring up at the blazing bird perched on the wall. The Phoenix's feathers burned like molten embers, wings stretched wide enough to blot out the sky.
"You need a name," Sam murmured. His voice was steady, but his heart raced. "You're not just a beast. You're… my partner."
The Phoenix tilted its head, molten eyes locking onto him.
"Helios," Sam said at last. "You'll be Helios. The sun that rises after the dark."
The Phoenix shrieked, flames spiraling upward in approval. The sound reverberated through the manor walls, a declaration of bond. Sam felt the name settle into the connection between them, strengthening the warmth that pulsed in his chest.
---
The System pulsed again, reminding him of the gift he had yet to use.
[Divine Gift: Daily Gift Roulette available.]
Sam hesitated. The roulette was unpredictable — the System had warned him it could grant anything from a simple potion to treasures beyond imagination. He clenched his fists. He couldn't afford to waste it.
"Spin," he commanded.
A wheel of light appeared before him, symbols flashing across its surface: potions, scrolls, tokens, eggs, weapons, artifacts. The wheel spun, faster and faster, until the symbols blurred into streaks of color. Sam's breath caught as it slowed, teasing lesser prizes before landing on something extraordinary.
---
[Congratulations, Overlord. You have acquired a Tier 5 Troop Token: Shade Assassins.]
---
Sam's eyes widened. Tier 5? Already? He had expected something small, something ordinary. Instead, the System had given him power far beyond his current domain tier.
"Summon," he whispered.
The courtyard darkened. Shadows pooled at his feet, stretching unnaturally against the shield's glow. Ten figures rose from the blackness, humanoid but not human. Cloaked in living shadow, their blood‑red eyes gleamed like coals. Each assassin carried no weapon — instead, blades and spears formed from the darkness itself, shifting and reshaping at will.
They knelt in silence, their voices a whisper of smoke.
"Overlord."
Sam shivered. These were not soldiers like the Lunar Lizard Knights. They were predators, killers born of shadow. He could feel their nature — immune to steel and arrow, untouchable by physical force. But he also sensed their weakness. Fire and light would unravel them, burn them away like mist.
His gaze flicked to Helios, wings blazing above. The Phoenix's flames licked the air, radiant and merciless. Sam understood immediately: his greatest ally could also destroy them.
Balance. He would need balance.
---
The System Hub feed flickered beside him, billions of voices filling the air. Sam scanned the chaos, careful not to reveal himself.
[Frost Lord]: "My walls are already cracking. If the shield fails, I'm finished."
[Fairy Queen]: "My fairies can heal, but they're fragile. I need allies with strong troops."
[Death Overlord]: "Skeletons rise again. Weak now, but endless. Death will outlast you all."
[Iron Fist]: "Goblins. They gave me goblins. How do I survive with goblins?"
[Storm Herald]: "The Daily Gift gave me a potion. A potion! Meanwhile, someone out there is getting treasures."
[Blood Tyrant]: "Luck is a lie. Only strength matters. When the shields fall, I'll take what I want."
Sam closed the feed. He had no intention of revealing his fortune. The Phoenix, the assassins — these were secrets he would guard. If the others knew, envy would turn to hostility. And hostility would bring war before he was ready.
---
He turned back to the assassins. They melted into the courtyard shadows, vanishing from sight until only their red eyes glowed faintly. Silent, waiting.
Sam exhaled slowly. His forces were growing: Tier 1 Lunar Lizard Knights, disciplined and loyal; Helios, a Tier 5 Phoenix of legend; and now, ten Shade Assassins, killers born of darkness.
He raised his hand. "Pair off. One Shade Assassin with each Lunar Lizard Knight. Hunt the forest. Raise your strength. Raise mine."
The knights hissed in acknowledgment, their silver armor gleaming as they marched toward the gate. Shadows stretched beneath them, each assassin slipping into the darkness of a knight's form, invisible guardians. Together, they vanished into the Forest of Torment.
---
Sam remained behind, gripping the Sun Blade. Its golden heat radiated against the night, searing the air. Helios circled above, flames trailing like banners.
"Control the fire," the Phoenix's voice whispered in his mind. "Do not let it consume you. Shape it."
Sam swung the blade, arcs of solar flame cutting through the air. At first, the heat burned too wildly, scorching stone and wall alike. But under Helios's watchful gaze, he began to temper it — focusing the fire into precise strikes, channeling the energy into controlled bursts. Sweat poured down his face, but his movements grew sharper, steadier.
Hours passed. The forest echoed with distant cries — wolves dying, goblins shrieking, beasts falling to steel and shadow. Then the System messages began to appear.
---
[Your Lunar Lizard Knight has reached Tier 2.]
[Your Lunar Lizard Knight has reached Tier 2.]
[Your Lunar Lizard Knight has reached Tier 2.]
---
Sam froze, chest heaving. One by one, his knights were growing stronger, their bond with the assassins making them nearly untouchable.
Then it hit him — a rush of energy, surging through his veins. His vision sharpened, his muscles thrummed with power. The System whispered at the edge of his mind.
He was on the cusp of breaking through to Tier 2 himself.
Sam lowered the Sun Blade, flames flickering at its edge. Helios landed beside him, wings folding, eyes molten with approval.
The hunt was working. The training was working.
And when the shield fell, he would not face the forest as a novice. He would face it as an Overlord rising.