Liam scoffed, half-laughing. "Nahhh, there's no way."
Grey had just suggested that Liam might be the reason high-level monsters were flocking to Michigan. "It's only speculation," he said. "But for now, it's the most reasonable one we've got."
"How long have you been in South Detroit?" Grey asked.
Liam glanced up. "A little over a year."
Grey nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting. The spike only started a few days ago. Before that, Michigan's monster activity was stable. Quiet, even."
"What day exactly?" Liam asked, narrowing his eyes.
Grey replied, "About 3 days ago."
Liam's jaw tightened. That was the same day he got discharged from the hospital. The day the system had fully activated. He didn't say anything about it however to Grey, but his mind spun fast. Could the system really be drawing monsters in?
Grey caught the shift in his expression. "Something you're not telling us?"
Liam shook his head. "No. Just curious."
Grey let it go, but his eyes stayed sharp. "Your sister. Yaela. She go by Velmont too?"
Liam blinked. "How do you know about Yaela?"
"We're USOV," Grey said flatly. "Information like that's nothing."
Liam answered slowly. "She goes by Clint. I was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Wilbury Clint."
"What happened to your parents?"
"No clue. Since I was four, we've bounced through foster homes."
Grey crossed his arms. "We ran searches. Found no faction ties. Can you confirm that?"
Liam nodded. "I'm not in any faction." and without waiting for another question from Grey, "I'm getting tired of this," Liam said. "When can I leave?"
Grey didn't answer immediately. He turned to Jim Kent, his assistant, who gave a slight nod that signified some sort of approval.
"You're free to go," Grey finally said. "But you'll be under strict surveillance until we figure out what's going on."
Liam nodded without replying and stood up from the seat, ready to leave. Grey leaned forward slightly. "Keep what we talked about to yourself. And for your own sake… don't throw your name around."
Liam only nodded as he left but then paused at the door. "What about the Midnight Circuit?"
Grey raised a brow. "It'll be back this weekend. Arrangements are being made."
Liam sighed. "Figures." and then shut the door behind him. As the sound faded, Quinn folded her arms. "He's hiding something."
"I know," Grey replied. "Which is why I want you on him. Personally. Full-time." After hearing this, Quinn nodded and left without another word.
Grey's assistant Kent stepped forward. "So what now, sir?"
"With any luck," Grey said, watching the still frame of Liam on the monitor, "this might be exactly what we've been looking for."
"Should we report to HQ then?" Kent asked
"Not yet," Grey said. "We need confirmation before we pull the trigger."
...
That night when Liam arrived back at his apartment, he collapsed onto his bed, with his eyes fixed on the ceiling. Everything from earlier looped in his mind.
His memories from childhood were thin. The only certainty was that he and Yaela were taken in after some accident that claimed the lives of Mr. & Mrs. Clint. Then the foster-homes cycle that followed after. There was nothing more.
He exhaled. "Every single person in that room could toss the Midnight Circuit's Heavy-weights like trash. Grey, Quinn and even the other blonde hair dude. They weren't regulars for sure". Liam was speaking to himself.
Not all Visors were equal. They were tiered; F, E, D, C, B, A & S. Then above that, were visors who were "Ranked" : Low-ranked visors, Mid or Top-ranked visors, and then High-ranked visors, the top 1%.
A ranking board existed and the people who were termed "Ranked" were on this board. It was created and maintained by the USOV and their other counterparts in different countries had accepted and adopted same. It had on it, about Ten thousand names of different people, gods and creatures from different parts of the world. The list was calculated based on different factors which included; power, recognition and influence. Certain visors may hold high rankings due to their overwhelming strength and some others have weaker combat strength but hold high rankings due to a certain level of influence. The Family Heads themselves were also on this list.
Liam estimated himself somewhere between D and C tier. Grey? Possibly S. Liam had a natural sense for gauging power and this had only grown sharper since the system came online.
And then—a boom. A deafening explosion shook the walls. Liam bolted upright and looked outside his window only to see smoke going up into the skies from fire created downtown.
A system prompt snapped into view at that moment
[New Quest → Make the Threat Submit]
"What?"
Well, this was new. It wasn't the regular eliminate
Another sound of a loud boom followed and just then he readied himself to leave. He hesitated a bit when Grey's warning of strict surveillance echoed in his head, but then shrugged it off. "Screw it."
Seconds later, lightning crackled at his feet as he launched out.
...
The construction site was in utter chaos. Workers on night-shifts were scattered in every direction, shouting and running for their lives. Liam landed with a crash of force and surveyed the scene.
And there it stood. A goblin; but not a normal one. Nearly six feet tall, skin a dark green-black hue with thick ridges shaped like a natural crown growing from its scalp. It wore hide armor stitched with bones and furs, and held a tall staff carved from obsidian wood, runes glowing along its shaft.
The creature turned to Liam and howled. "Human. Die."
Unlike most monsters, this one spoke. A King of Kings of Goblins they were called. It was rare but known for its intelligence. Only four known to exist, and this one had spawned too close to home.
The goblin slammed its staff into the ground and then immediately fireballs erupted from the soil, racing out in all directions and towards Liam. Liam moved fluidly with silvery-blue lightning trailing behind every step as he weaved between explosions. Each fireball cracked concrete and burst in sparks.
Inside the USOV branch, alarms flared and Grey who was just about to head home had to put that thought away and focus on dealing with the latest situation.
"Visuals are live". One of the analysts said.
On-screen, a figure appeared before the monster.
"…Is that Liam?". "Hold positions," Grey ordered the response team that was all geared up and ready to step out. "I want to see how this plays out."
Back at the site, Liam dashed in, fist clenched, then attempted to strike at the guts of the goblin creature.
THUD.
The goblin intercepted him with its staff. The impact with the staff stunned Liam. But worse came next, a powerful swipe from the goblin's free hand caught Liam off guard and launched him into a heap of rusted steel. Liam grunted in pain as he had sustained bruises from being sent off like that.
[Skill Active: Regeneration]
The effect surged through Liam's body, mending the bruises. regained full composure. In no time Liam regained full composure.
[MP: 250 → 230]
[STA: 300 → 275]
He exhaled sharply, noting the cost, It wasn't just mana, but a good chunk of stamina had been drained since the first exchanged. Still crouched in the bent frame of twisted steel, he looked ahead at the goblin with narrowed eyes. This creature wasn't just some mindless brute.
The beast howled again. "Human… die."
It drove its staff into the ground. Flame burst from the impact point in chaotic arcs as fireballs scattered, tracing Liam like heat-seeking spirits. He weaved between them, movement blurred by the lightning aura that coated his limbs. There were few narrow dodges, inches from searing pain.
That staff! it was the catalyst and Liam figured it out.
Liam's eyes snapped to a rusted set of chains strewn near a collapsed scaffold. There was no time to hesitate as He bolted towards it. Another volley of flames screeched past prompting him to drop into a roll and snatch the chain. He rose afterwards on the far side of the field.
Spinning the chain overhead, he hurled the hooked end toward the goblin's staff. Metal coiled around it with a satisfying snap and then he pulled hard, trying to rip it free, but the goblin held on, digging in its heels.
Then it made a mistake. Its left hand gripped the chain in an attempt to get the staff free of the chain's hold.
Liam grinned and channeled lightning through it. The goblin shrieked as volts surged through its limbs. It immediately lost grip as the staff flew across the site into Liam's hand. Without wasting a second, he tossed it aside, far from the monster's reach.
"Now," Liam said, breath steadying, "let's try that again."
The goblin roared in frustration and lunged instinctively towards its staff but that was sloppy and it left itself defenseless. Liam met it with the chain. He cracked it forward like a whip, and it struck at it. The first hit knocked it back. The second drew blood and the third sent it sprawling into a mound of shattered brick.
Liam stalked forward, chain swinging in loops at his side. The goblin scrambled again toward its staff, but he intercepted, the chain lashing around its shoulder and yanking it off balance. Every touch of the lightning-charged links sent jolts ripping through its body. The creature howled in pain as Liam drove it farther and farther from its power source.
Each blow struck like the crack of a whip. Electricity danced across the battlefield. Eventually, it stopped trying, Its movements slowed.
Liam saw the drop in speed and its staggering stance. "Time to finish this!".
He twirled the chain once, then twice, building momentum and with a flick of his wrist, it wrapped around the goblin's chest. The monster thrashed, but Liam sent another surge through the chain, stunning it in place.
He closed the gap in a single step and drove a fist into its jaw. The goblin hit the ground with a grunt, dazed, and Liam dropped onto its chest with both knees, pinning it down like a bounty hunter claiming a mark.
The goblin howled, but this time, it wasn't a war cry, It was submission. It was an intelligent creature and knew when it was beaten.
[Quest Complete]
[Authority Unlocked]
Two system messages blinked into existence in front of Liam, the second overriding the first. A surge of unfamiliar mana flooded through Liam at that moment
A voice rasped beneath him.
"Human… master."
Liam blinked. "What?"
"Master… untie," it said again, voice softer, almost… reverent.
Without thinking, Liam reached for the chain and unraveled it. The goblin didn't run but instead, it dropped to both knees with its head pressed to the dirt in full submission.
Then more screens flooded his vision.
[You have entered a contract with the creature]
[Hidden Vital Quest Complete]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[+10 Stat Points]
[New Sub-class Unlocked]
[New Skill Unlocked]
[New Skill Unlocked]
Liam stared in disbelief and before he could process what any of it meant, the goblin's body and its staff were engulfed in a dark red aura. Then both vanished, fading into another plane entirely.
Far away, inside the USOV control center, Director Grey stood in stunned silence as the screen flickered with static before stabilizing again.
The room was dead quiet. It was one thing to defeat a mythical beast in battle and it was another to make it bow before; something that had never been seen from a human before.
Grey narrowed his eyes.
"…What are you, Liam Velmont?"