They began searching for a place to stay the night, with Mayor Rigid eagerly guiding them.
"Your Highness, I highly recommend the Smaragdus. It is an exclusive establishment where only high-class tourists reside. It is truly suitable for someone of your stature, Your Highness."
Solenne smiled warmly. "Ah, is that so? Then I shall choose this place."
Rigid then glanced behind her at Vespara and Vhal’zar, who were currently disguised as a high-class noble couple. Looking at Vespara with blatant lust, Rigid purred, "And of course, a room for you, Madam." Then, turning a completely uninterested eye toward Vhal’zar, he added flatly, "And you, Sir."
Vespara crossed her arms, intentionally shifting her posture to catch Rigid's eye. "Ah, thank you so much, Sir Rigid. This place looks incredibly expensive. I wonder... could you perhaps grant us a discount? Please?"
Rigid smiled lustfully, nearly drooling as he stared at her. "Eh? Well, I normally can't-"
Vespara stepped a little closer to him, softening her voice. "Eeeh... please? I can already tell you are a very generous and modest man. Please?"
Rigid’s mind went entirely blank under her spell. He instantly blurted out, "Ah, yeah! Of course!"
Vespara immediately stepped back with a smirk. "Ah, then we’ll take it!"
Rigid snapped out of it, blinking in confusion. "Huh? What?"
Saint Solenne, having heard the entire exchange, chimed in cleanly, "Ah, Mister Mayor is truly modest and generous."
Having spoken the words aloud in front of the Saint, Rigid had no way to take them back. Left with no choice, he could only sweat profusely in his lavish noble attire, nod along, and swallow the heavy discount Vespara had teased out of him. "He... he... he, yeah..."
The accommodation was exceptionally luxurious and expensive. Rael, still disguised as the Saint's humble steward, looked around and quietly admired its beauty. In his previous life, he had only ever lived in a cramped apartment, so this level of luxury was extraordinary to him. The walls were crafted entirely from polished green marble, perfectly fitting its name.
“Hmm, Smaragdus... a Latin name meaning emerald,” Rael thought to himself.
Solenne overheard him and chuckled softly. "Mister Rael truly possesses a vast amount of knowledge."
Hearing this praise directed at his master, Vhal’zar let out a warm, incredibly pure smile that seemed to radiate light. "Hmm, hmm. As expected of Master."
Several women passing through the lobby instantly froze, completely mesmerized by Vhal’zar's handsome smile.
Seeing this, Vespara playfully grabbed Vhal’zar's hand. "Honey, your smile is absolutely beautiful. You must do it a lot more," she teased.
Suddenly, Vhal’zar turned his gaze toward her, his expression dropping into a bone-chilling coldness. "Ah. Is that so?"
Vespara quickly leaned in and whispered sharply, "Keep smiling! If you don't, Master's plan will be completely ruined because of you!"
Vhal’zar immediately tried to force his facial muscles into a smile. However, because he was actually an undead skeleton disguised by a magical ring, he was entirely unused to utilizing human facial muscles. The resulting forced smile was so terrifyingly awkward that Vespara instantly regretted asking.
"Ah, honey... you don't need to force it..." Vespara muttered quickly, shivering. ‘I completely regret making him do that.’
Thankfully, Vhal’zar stopped forcing the smile.
Watching the interaction closely from a distance, Mayor Rigid observed the strain between Vhal’zar and Vespara. He concluded that the two were trapped in a miserable, failing marriage. A vile grin spread across his face as he began plotting a way to steal Vespara for himself later.
Eventually, the room arrangements were finalized one by one, leaving Rael’s room for last.
"Ah, as for you... follow me," Rigid commanded Rael coldly.
Rigid led Rael down to a miserable, cramped room that looked exactly like a backyard tool shed.
"What the hell is the meaning of this?" Rael asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rigid smiled down at him with utter disdain. "Well, you are just a steward, so know your place. Next time, try to act polite in front of me, or you will have a very bad day ahead of you. Understand? Consider this a lesson."
Hearing this, Rael didn't get angry, nor did he feel the urge to snap the man's neck. He knew he could easily force this mayor to his knees and make him regret ever being born. But because he possessed an overwhelming, god-like amount of power, being treated like this by an ant actually felt incredibly amusing.
Playing along, Rael put on the act of a helpless, panicked steward. "I-I'm so sorry, sir! I will definitely remember my lesson next time!"
Rigid swelled with pride seeing the steward apologize so submissively. "Good, hehehe! Now you know your place. Watch your attitude from now on, understand?"
Rael bowed a full 90 degrees. "I understand, sir."
Rigid turned on his heel and walked away, laughing mockingly.
Once the mayor was far out of earshot, Rael burst into hysterical laughter. "Pahaha! That stupid pig actually thinks he’s high above me! Haaah... is this what it feels like to be underestimated? Knowing that someone’s entire perspective of you is completely wrong is honestly so entertaining, kihihihi!"
Feeling the need for some fresh air, Rael slipped out of the room, activated his magic [Flight], and soared silently into the night sky. Looking down at the sprawling lights below, he took a deep breath. ‘Haaah... I’ve already surveyed the second city. This world really is weak, yet somehow I ended up with this much power.’
He flew even higher until the city below looked like a miniature playset. ‘Everything seems so small from up here.’
Rael thought back to his previous life, his dull, gray, ordinary existence and compared it to his current reality. ‘I really got lucky in this life, I guess.’
For a moment, he stared down at the world, a thought crossing his mind. ‘I wonder what the absolute limit of my power is in this world ’ He quickly shook his head, cutting the thought off. ‘No, no, that’s a dangerous train of thought.’
He sighed. ‘For a second there, I almost got careless and thought I was the only big fish in the pond. Haaah... there could easily be someone else out there. Maybe another player who has just as much power as I do. Yes, exactly. I need to be careful. But first, I need to focus on summoning more entities. Once I have them, I can truly relax, since a Summoner's ultimate power lies in his summons.’
Sitting cross-legged in mid-air, Rael decided to review his attributes. "Hmm, maybe I should check my title again as a Primordial Summoner."
He spoke the command: [Status]
Rael Voss
*The One Man Army*
Main class: Primordial summoner
Sub class: Battle Archmage
Level 5129 Draconic [zephyr *MAX]
STR: 2,552,567
AGI: 859,897
INT: 7,478,987
CON: 1,782,273
WIS: 4,128,854
MAN: 32,892,774
Rael touched his chin. "As expected, these stats are absolutely insane. Seeing how low the average person's stats are, I basically feel like a god." He looked down at his title, The One Man Army, and sighed. "Though this title is pretty useless when I only have one summon active, haaaah..."
He lightly slapped his own cheeks to snap out of it. "Don't be stupid, Rael. Look at this vast world, the magic, the supernatural elements... why should I feel bored when I have total freedom to explore this massive world? Hahaha... Hmm, maybe I should try to create a new summon and form a contract, just like Vhal’zar did to Dullahan."
Because Vhal’zar belonged to the Primordial Tier, Rael could form contract summons just like a player. Only Primordial-tier summons retained that specific capability; anything below them could not.
Descending back to the surface, Rael decided to take a casual stroll through the streets as the sun set, enjoying the calming evening air.
He walked slowly, passing vendor stalls and observing the various fantasy races mingling in the city. ‘Haaah, this is so relaxing. Whenever I’m near Vhal’zar, I get anxious because he attracts way too much attention. But out here by myself, it’s completely different.’
However, because he was still wearing his distinct, high-quality steward attire, a few passersby began to recognize him from the Saint's arrival. Realizing he was drawing eyes, Rael quickly ducked into a quiet side alley and swapped his clothes for ordinary civilian wear. ‘Nice. Now I can finally relax without attracting unwanted attention.’
Suddenly, a loud, brutal sound echoed from the deep recesses of the dark alleyway.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
The violent impact was immediately followed by the desperate, crying voice of a child. "Please, mister! It hurts so much, stop!"
Rael immediately moved toward the source of the noise. Emerging into a small clearing, he witnessed a harrowing scene: two young children were cornered by a group of heavily armed adults. Nearby stood a small carriage loaded with supplies and wooden boxes, but the focus of the cruelty was entirely on the kids.
A man holding a thick leather whip sneered down at them. "SHUT UP! Your worthless parents failed to pay their debt on time!" The man squatted down, leaning uncomfortably close to the trembling children. "So, we're going to sell both of you to make up for it."
He stood back up, raising the whip. In a flash of bravery, the older boy stood up, throwing his body over his little sister to shield her. "Please, mister! Take me instead! Just let my sister go!"
The little girl wept, hugging him tightly. "No, brother! You'll get killed if you go with them!"
The man laughed maniacally. "Hahaha! You insolent brat!"
As he swung the whip downward with full force, Rael appeared instantaneously, catching the leather cord mid-air with a bare hand.
"Adults are supposed to protect children, am I correct?" Rael asked, his voice deadpan. "Then why the hell are you abusing them, hmm?"
The man gasped in utter shock. "What the?!"
His bodyguards, who had been surrounding the area, hadn't even noticed Rael's approach.
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS JUST STANDING THERE?! CATCH HIM!" the leader screamed.
The bodyguards lunged forward instantly, throwing heavy punches and thrusting sharp daggers toward Rael. To Rael's hyper-perceptive senses, however, their attacks moved in absolute slow motion. Every single trajectory was incredibly easy to read.
He effortlessly stepped around their blades, even letting out a bored yawn. One guard attempted a desperate thrust with a combat knife. Rael dodged the blade by a millimeter and responded with a casual, singular counter-punch.
Thwack!
Rael's fist pierced clean through the bodyguard's torso, leaving a gaping hole. Blood coated Rael's hand as the guard slumped over lifelessly. The remaining bodyguards froze, completely stunned by the horrific display of strength.
Rael looked down at his bloody hand. Surprisingly, he didn't feel sick or panicked; the impact on his mental was minimal. ‘Haaah... is this because my humanity is beginning to fade due to my stats?’ he wondered, touching his chin with his clean hand. ‘But I still feel a small twinge of guilt, so maybe it's only dropped by half? Either way, the fact that I moved to save these kids proves my humanity is still reacting, right? Yeah-’
Swif!
An arrow flew directly toward his temple. Without breaking his train of thought, Rael simply tilted his head slightly, letting the arrow whistle harmlessly past his ear.
"Hey. I'm trying to think here. How incredibly rude," Rael muttered, glancing toward the archer.
The bodyguard holding the bow broke into a cold sweat, trembling. "Guh!! K-Kiiih!" He frantically tried to nock another arrow.
Rael pulled his hand away from the fallen guard's body, shaking the excess blood off his fingers. "Ugh, how dirty."
Looking back at the two children, he saw them trembling in sheer terror. Rael felt a sudden wave of genuine guilt; his brutal efficiency had clearly terrified them.
"Oops. I'm sorry, kids. Do me a favor and close your eyes for a moment," Rael said, offering a warm, reassuring smile.
The older brother quickly covered his little sister's eyes, but kept his own wide open, filled with fierce determination. "Mister, please don't stop! These men are evil! They ruined our parents' business, forced them to take a loan from their company, and slapped them with an enormous, impossible interest rate! Please, mister, save us!"
Rael smiled proudly. "Woah. Look at you, protecting your sister like a real man. Alright then, just wait a moment. This won't take long."
Without a shred of hesitation, Rael vanished. It wasn't teleportation; he was simply moving at speeds the human eye couldn't comprehend.
One, two, three seconds passed. To Rael, the entire world had ground to a complete halt, as if frozen in stone. Moving systematically through the frozen crowd, he precisely snapped the joints, shattered the necks, and crushed the vital organs of every single bodyguard. He made sure to execute them internally, ensuring no blood would spill out to further traumatize the children.
A second later, Rael reappeared in real-time. The bodyguards stood perfectly still for a brief moment before collapsing to the dirt simultaneously all dead, yet completely bloodless.
Rael walked slowly toward the leader with the whip.
Confused by the sudden silence, the leader yelled, "WHY ARE YOU GUYS JUST STANDING TH-" He choked on his words, realizing with absolute horror that his entire security force had been wiped out in the blink of an eye.
As Rael approached, the man fell to his knees, panicking and begging for his life. "Wait, wait! Please spare me! As the kid said, their parents are in debt! This is legal enforcement, I assure you!"
Rael flinched slightly, stopping in his tracks. "How much?"
The man felt a wave of relief, thinking he could negotiate. "It's ten thousand Go-"
"How much is your life worth when bartered against their debt?" Rael interrupted, his voice dropping into a chilling, abyssal register.
The man shivered violently, terror gripping his soul so intensely that he wet his pants on the spot. "U-Uuuh... th-then... it's f-free! The d-debt... it's... already paid in full!"
Rael stared down at him, a cold, ruthless smile gracing his lips. "Good. Now get out of here. Do not breathe a single word about this incident to anyone. If a single rumor gets out, I will tear your entire company down to its very foundations. Understood?"
The man nodded rapidly, tears streaming down his face. "Yes, yes, yes! Please spare me!"
"Then run."
Rael had no desire to cause an even bigger scene or get tangled up in local underworld drama. The terrified manager scrambled to his feet and sprinted away as fast as his legs could carry him.
Turning back to the children, Rael softened his expression, trying his absolute best to smile warmly. "Are you guys okay?"
The little sister was still in complete shock, but the older brother looked up at Rael with wide, starry eyes full of absolute reverence. "Mister... please! Can I become strong like you?!"
Rael’s smile instantly turned awkward. ‘Man, great. Now a kid is trying to idolize me.’
"Are you sure about that?" Rael asked with a sigh. "Becoming strong requires grueling, torturous practice. Compared to that, getting hit by that man's whip is absolutely nothing."
The boy hesitated for a fraction of a second, but he glanced back at his trembling sister and steeled his resolve. "I'm sure! Please, mister, teach me!"
Rael had hoped the warning would make the boy give up, but he had underestimated the kid's drive. "Haaah... I'm sorry, kid. I don't have the time to take on a student."
The brother's face fell instantly. "Aaw... mister, please! I don't ever want to lose my family again. My sister is all I have left in this world. If I don't become strong enough, how can I protect her?"
The little girl hid timidly behind her brother's back, peeking out to look at Rael with pleading eyes. Rael felt another pang of guilt. ‘Haaah... it really is a cruel fantasy world.’
Deciding to evaluate them, Rael activated his skill: [Peerless Insight]
Name – Sigrid Aethelgard
Sex – Male
Class – None
Level – 3 (Human)
STR: 5
AGI: 3
INT: 4
CON: 2
MAN: 1
Rael sighed internally. ‘The brother has absolutely zero talent. It would be too cruel to tell him the harsh truth.’ He then shifted his gaze to the little sister, scanning her stats.
Name – Aurelia Sinclair
Sex – Male
Class – None
Level – 3 (Human)
STR: 2
AGI: 1
INT: 20
CON: 3
MAN: 50
Rael seeing his sister that maybe have a talent in magic but still disappointed. Rael looked at both of them, looked at rael like a begging hopeless child, he sighed “haaah I’m sorry I can’t help you both but I can at least give you this”.
Muttering the command [Inventory], Rael reached into his spatial storage. A soft light flashed, and three items materialized in his hands: a pitch-black orb, a highly complex runic cube, and a black scroll.
"Ah, here they are." He handed the runic cube to the brother and the black orb and the black scroll to the sister.
"This cube is for you," Rael explained to the boy. "If you are ever in mortal danger, press the button on the side. An immense surge of power will flow through you. As for you, little miss... come here." The girl stepped forward timidly. "This orb will activate the moment you smear a drop of your blood onto it. Once activated, it will bond in your heart forever.and also this scroll, if you open it you will gain a knowledge in to your brain instantly and gain a random spell that suitable to you"
The children held the items, completely unable to comprehend just how valuable the artifacts truly were. Even so, the brother bowed deeply. "Thank you so much, mister!" He gently tapped his sister's shoulder, prompting her to bow as well. "Thank you so much, mister," she echoed softly.
Rael smiled at them warmly. "Haha, it's alright. I'm sorry I can only provide you with these small tools. Stay safe out there. Don't worry about that man returning; by the time anyone tries to bother you again, I'm sure you'll be more than strong enough to protect yourselves."
Rael stood up, gathering the lifeless bodies of the bodyguards over his shoulders to clean up the crime scene. "Perhaps we'll meet again if our fates collide."
With a final nod, Rael vanished into the shadows.
As he walked away to safely dispose of the corpses, his mind wandered back to the items he had gifted. ‘Well, that cube was just a beginner-tier item, a [Novice Cube]. It should instantly boost the user's level to 50. And that orb was a [Null Orb], which makes it incredibly easy for the owner to learn magic once blood-bonded. It also grants a 50% immunity to all physical and magical spells from anyone below level 500. Then [Novice Scroll] after you use it you wil; gain random novice spell. Those items were completely worthless trash to me, but in a harsh world like this, it should be more than enough to guarantee their survival.’
Rael smiled to himself, carrying the heavy load of bodies away.
At that moment, however, Rael remained entirely unaware of one crucial fact: the actual real-world effects of his video game items were vastly different, and far more powerful, than the simple descriptions written in the original game text.