Darkness and silence, after witnessing a series of dizzying events, Anon thought that the game became more realistic. The only thing he remembers is that he was being sucked into the black hole that he discovered after traveling the whole continent to find the last hidden piece of content of the game overlord.
"Gaaahh."
he feels exhausted.
'I never thought that this game can get more realistic than it currently is.'
Sniff* sniff*
"When did they add the smell feature to the game?" Anon was confused.
.....
"I think this is enough, it is already dark, and this place is unknown, maybe I should check the map"
Anon tries to use the map function, but to no avail, the system is not responding to his command.
"Huh? this is the first time that a bug occurs after playing this game for 8 years."
Anon also tries the other function but, there is no response.
He checked his surroundings with a skill [vision] and [mana detection] to find every target near him. He confirms it, he is in a forest full of animals and not a single monster is detected. He is very confused.
He, who knows everything about overlord after reigning as the "sky above the sky", has never known a place in the game where monsters aren't present. Unless he is in a safe zone such as a village, town, or city.
Anon opened his inventory.
"I should go back, It feels suspicious."
He tore down the town scroll that he held in his hand.
"What?" The town scroll that supposedly brings him to the nearest town didn't work. No, it worked, but there is no town to return to.
'I'm getting nervous. The system isn't working I can't open the map and on top of that.'
"I can't even log out?"
Anon was dumbfounded when suddenly the ground started shaking.
*Ground rumbling*
He heard a loud and deep growl coming from his back.
He then activated his flight magic [Fly]. he ascended into the sky and saw a pair of eyes, a humongous pair of eyes.
Uncertain of what it is, he used [conceal] and [invisibility] to hide his presence, then he tried to come as near as possible and used [vision]. What he saw was something he have never met in the game, before him, was a giant wolf that was as tall as a 10-story building, with bloodshot eyes, fierce and aggressive. One can see it as the king of the forest with a majestic posture but a horrifying appearance. He now understands that this beast is the reason why there are no monsters in the area.
While looking at the giant wolf from above, he spotted a faint light coming from the horizon at the back of the giant beast, he flew past the wolf, and being unnoticed he left the place without raising an alarm.
_ _ _ _ _
After traveling for a while, the faint light gradually got brighter. He can see the houses around.
Anon reached a village called Kanis.
He spotted people gathering in the middle of the village. Still concealed and invisible, he descended to the ground.
What he saw surprised him.
'These people are alive, it doesn't feel like they're an NPC at all. What is happening?'
Anon thought to himself.
'They don't seem to be players as well. and why can't I see the names above their head?'
He is trying to contemplate everything that is happening right now, but he ended up without an answer.
He then felt an aching sensation at the back of his head. Anon realized that he's been using his skills, [conceal] and [invisibility] for more than an hour already, he must have used too much mana. for someone using these two skills at the same time, normally it would only take a few seconds to keep it activated before you lose your whole mana bar, but for the top mage rankers, they can use it at a maximum of 15 to 20 minutes. as expected of the sky above the sky.
Anon searched for a place where he can cancel his skills without anyone noticing him. He then sat at a bench near the village men who is gathering and started to listen to them, and then he noticed something.
among the crowd is a man with a strong ominous aura that indicates demonic nature. Anon have seen demonic creatures before and he knows their aura and nature very well. As the pioneer of the game overlord, he is the one who first studied and discovered every content, beast, and monster of the game so naturally, he would have a vast knowledge.
Anon secretly drank a mana potion and again, used [conceal]. but this time he didn't need to use [invisibility].
"How did a demon gets inside of a safe zone?"
He then thought.
"Did I get isekai'd?"
'Uhhh' Anon growled inwardly
"If it isn't being isekai'd, then what is the other possibility?"
Being vigilant of the demon among the crowd, Anon finally concluded.
"Yes it is the only possible answer"
Looking back at the crowd, Anon continued to stalk the demon.....
_ _ _ _ _
At the far northeast outskirt of the skirmez kingdom...
"I, as the village chief, have come to our dear lord's castle, Count Erit, to ask for supplies but."
The village chief wiped off his sweat
"It seems that our country is facing another national-level threat."
With what the village chief said, the people gathered started to panic.
"Huh?"
"Problem after problem"
"What is going on?"
"Chief, we all know that the kingdom is in a crisis right now but, can't we get even the slightest help from the government?". One of the residents asked.
"If it weren't for the Apollyon who brought the catastrophe at the capital!" one villager shouted in rage
"But how did an Apollyon appeared right at the center of the royal capital?"
.....
.....
"Oh dear lord, please don't leave us like this."
The residents are gloomy at the village chief's news...
_ _ _ _ _
After the meeting.,
The demon among the crowd started to walk away. Noticing that the demon is smiling, Anon got a hint about what is going on...
At the back alley of the village...
"You are the one who summoned the Apollyon" A woman started a conversation with the demon who is about to take flight. Canceling her [conceal] the demon finally felt her presence.
The demon got a rotten reaction on his face.
With his disguise, no one in this tiny village should be able to see through his trick, unless it is someone with the skill [insight].
"You sure are a brave woman, not knowing who you are talking to, will bring you your own death" The demon pointed its finger at the woman and shot a beam-like fire. after confirming that the woman is dead. without looking back
The demon flew...
Meanwhile.
After his skill [create puppet] was destroyed, Anon gained a piece of valuable information.
"I didn't get any clue about his identity, but one thing is for sure." the demon that he met just now is possibly the one responsible for the current dismay in the current country he is in right now.
"Maybe it is best not to meddle too much with this world's affairs"
Still confused if this is just a dream or reality, Anon thinks he should be finding a way to live, survive and go back to his home land.
after walking and strolling for a few hours
Anon found a tall tree, and there, he rested for the night...
_ _ _ _ _
Later that same night, the whole village felt an enormous shock followed by a fierce howl.
Every villagers ran outside gathering their people.
"Oh god! the Amarok is angry!"
"Everyone please gather at the village square!"
"God! please save us!"
Among the commotion, Anon is in a tired looking state.
"....."
Why is this world forcing me to interfere?, Anon thought to himself.
then the village chief shouted
"Everyone! do not panic! the guardian deity Amarok will never harm us!"
another resident shouted.
"Yes, it is trying to protect us"
'Amarok? Is it the giant wolf I saw earlier? It is a guardian deity?'
"No wonder it is peaceful inside the forest"
....
.....
...
After waiting for something to happen, the commotion eventually died down, and after some time Anon finally gets to rest after a long night...
_ _ _ _ _
The Kanis forest is as peaceful as always.
A group of mercenaries came from the other side of the forest, walking towards the village of Kanis. In the usual path where humans can travel without harm was a huge trace of a beast's paw. The group was alerted.
"Terrifying!" The woman riding in the back carriage said.
The leader which is a former knight replied while investigating his surroundings. "This must be the forest guardian.", as someone with enough experience for being a former knight of the kingdom, he knows its history.
A guy with a long chin and a short sword on his waist asked. "What kind of a monster is this so-called 'forest guardian?"
"It is the Amarok," the leader said. With his voice slightly raised, the guy that asked said. "the Amarok?!"
"Yes, a giant wolf that was said to have lived for multiple hundreds of years"
the coachman spoke. "It is a well-known legend among the neighboring countries, it is sometimes called the deity of skirmez because, among the titans that are lurking in this world, it is the only one that protects and doesn't harm humans. It is also known that the Amarok is one of the greatest in terms of hunting capabilities, so once an intruder enters its forest, he hunts it down easily, making the forest a safe traveling ground for humans."
"You're quite good at history sir." The former knight was surprised.
"Oh no, it is just that, I usually traverse the Kanis forest so it is natural that I should study its stories."
*THUD...
A sound of a footstep of a giant was heard.
"The Amarok is near"
"Yeah it is certain"
The coachman and the former knight exchanged words.
"Is it the sign that we should leave now?" The woman asked the knight.
"No, it is roaming the forest, we just happen to hear its footstep. Stories talk about how fast the giant roam the Kanis forest, that you will only hear a single sound, it is like jumping from one place to another."
The stories continue until the group reached the Kanis village.....
At the Kanis village...
"....." Anon was staring at the sky above while being lost in his thoughts.
'This is real, I should pay more attention to my surroundings.'
Anon is about to start his new life in this world full of mysteries...