Not far from Johny's house, in the depths of a shadowy forest, Loki wandered casually, his senses alert, waiting for something—anything—to happen. He half-expected an ambush, a sudden attack from the shadows, but instead, his ears caught the faint sound of a girl's sobbing. Intrigued, he followed the sound, his footsteps silent against the forest floor.
Soon, he came upon a pitiful sight: a girl, her face obscured by her long, tangled hair, knelt on the ground, cradling the severed head of a baby. Her cries were heart-wrenching, but Loki felt no sadness, no pity. He simply observed her for a few moments, his expression unreadable, before stepping closer.
"Hello," he said, his voice calm and steady. "What happened?"
The girl didn't respond. Instead, her sobs grew louder, more desperate. Loki moved closer, intending to offer some form of comfort, but before he could speak, a massive fireball erupted from the darkness, hurtling straight toward him. Loki didn't flinch. The flames engulfed him momentarily, but then, as if snuffed out by an unseen force, they vanished without a trace, leaving him unharmed.
Loki's gaze shifted to the source of the attack, and he turned back to the crying girl—only to find that she had vanished. In her place was a pile of bones, scattered and lifeless.
Loki sighed, his tone almost bored. "Hey, show yourself. Why attack someone out of nowhere? Can't you see I was comforting a beautiful lady? Well, she's dead now, so thanks for that."
From the shadows, a figure emerged. Clad in a flowing black robe, their face hidden beneath a deep hood, the stranger spoke with a chilling smile. "You're... interesting. I intended to kill you, but my attack didn't even scratch you."
Loki tilted his head, studying the figure. "Hmm. Are you that lich I've heard about? The one described as wearing a black robe? If so, I guess I'll have to kill you to complete my mission."
Before the lich could react, Loki vanished in a blur of motion, reappearing directly in front of the robed figure. With a single, swift punch, he sent the lich crashing into a nearby tree. The impact shattered the hood, revealing a skeletal face—a skull with hollow eye sockets that glowed faintly with malevolent light.
The lich staggered to its feet, its voice filled with rage and confusion. "What are you, human? In all my long years, I've never encountered a mortal like you."
As the lich spoke, it raised its bony hands, summoning a horde of undead warriors. A hundred skeletons and ten death knights materialized from the earth, their weapons gleaming in the dim light. Loki, however, remained unfazed. He closed his eyes for a moment, as if deep in thought.
"Hey, system," he muttered under his breath. "Can you give me a sword? No, wait—I'd prefer a katana. Something with an aesthetic design, and make it unbreakable."
A voice, cold and mechanical, responded in his mind.
In an instant, a sleek, beautifully crafted katana appeared in Loki's hands. He gripped the hilt tightly, his stance shifting as he prepared to strike. With a burst of speed that defied comprehension, Loki dashed forward, his blade flashing like a streak of lightning.
"Phantom Severance," he whispered.
In a single, fluid motion, Loki unsheathed the katana and slashed through the air. The movement was so fast that the undead horde didn't even have time to react. One moment, they stood ready to attack; the next, they were reduced to fragments of bone, crumbling to the ground in a cascade of dust.
The lich stared in horror, its skeletal jaw hanging open. Realizing it was outmatched, it dropped to its knees, its voice trembling. "Please, spare me! I don't want to die! I... I just wanted to see my family again. My wife, my daughter—they were killed by those monsters. I was only using the undead to try and bring them back!"
Loki listened, his expression unreadable. But before the lich could finish its plea, Loki's blade flashed once more. The lich's head tumbled to the ground, its glowing eyes dimming as its core was destroyed.
"All beings have a backstory," Loki said quietly, sheathing his katana. "Thank you for sharing yours. My mission is complete."
---
Back in Johny Fafa's office, Loki sat comfortably in a chair, sipping tea as Johny paced the room, his brow furrowed in thought.
"So," Johny began, his tone a mix of frustration and curiosity, "you didn't ask why the lich was doing all this? You didn't even check if there was a kid involved? The kid might've already been dead, or worse, sacrificed. Why didn't you ask the lich about it?"
Loki smiled faintly, setting his teacup down. "Based on the request, my only task was to kill the lich. Are you suggesting I did something wrong?"
Johny hesitated, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Ahem, no, I just... I wanted to know more. This happened in my territory, and the families of those missing children are still searching for answers. It's a sensitive matter."
Loki shrugged. "That's none of my concern. I completed my mission. Now, about my reward..."
Johny sighed, reaching into his desk and pulling out a small pouch filled with gold coins. He handed it to Loki, who accepted it with a nod of thanks. As Loki turned to leave, he paused, remembering something.
"Ah, I almost forgot," he said, pulling out the request paper. "Could you sign this? I need proof that the mission is complete."
Johny signed the paper with a resigned sigh, and Loki left the office without another word.
---
Loki teleported near the adventurer's guild, the pouch of gold jingling at his side. He goes inside and approached the counter, handing the signed request to the receptionist. She examined it carefully, her eyes widening slightly.
"I must say, I'm impressed," she said. "I suggested you take a low-rank request, but you completed a B-rank mission on your first try. That's quite an achievement. However, you'll need to pay 1 gold as a completion fee. Once you complete another B-rank mission, your rank will be upgraded to Silver. Good luck, adventurer."
Loki paid the fee and left the guild, heading to a nearby inn. He requested a room for a week, instructing the innkeeper that he was not to be disturbed. Once alone, he lay down on the bed, a sense of satisfaction washing over him.
"Ah, this feeling is the best," he murmured. "But it's time to return to my original form."
As his consciousness faded, Loki's mortal body dissolved, and he awoke in his true form—a being of immense power and mystery.
"Hey, assistant," he called out, his voice echoing in the void. "What happened while I was away?"
"That's good to hear. But tell me, do you have any suggestions for what I should do next?"
.
.
.
.
The being's eyes gleamed with intrigue. "That's a brilliant idea. Can you create this fog domain for me?"
In an instant, the room was filled with a dense, swirling fog. A long, ornate table materialized, with twenty seats arranged around it. At the head of the table was a grand, throne-like chair, reserved for the being himself.
"Wow, this is perfect," the being said, admiring his new domain. "But how do I summon people here?"
"I'll go with the second option. How do I do that?"
As if in response, a blue hologram appeared before him, displaying the image of a young girl with brown hair and tear-filled eyes. She knelt on the floor of a small, dimly lit room, her hands clasped in prayer.
"Creator of this world," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Please, cure my mother. She's all I have left. My father died when I was six, and I can't lose her too. Please, I beg you..."
The being watched her with curiosity, a faint smile playing on his lips. With a flick of his finger, the fog in his domain shifted, taking on the girl's form.
---
In the village of Neferto, the girl—Lesley—knelt in her room, her prayers growing more desperate. Suddenly, a strange mist began to seep through the cracks in the walls. She gasped, her eyes widening in fear as the fog enveloped her.
In the fog domain, Lesley materialized, disoriented and terrified. She screamed, her voice echoing through the misty void.
"Noooooooooooo!"
The sound of finger tapping the table interrupted her cries. Tap... tap... tap...
"Hey, lady," the being said, his voice calm but laced with amusement. "Can you stop that screaming? If you keep it up, I might give your mother stage 69 cancer."
Lesley froze, her fear momentarily replaced by confusion. "W-who are you? And where... where is this place?"
The being smiled, clearly enjoying the situation. "This is my domain. Consider it... an audition."
He paused, realizing he needed a name. After a moment of thought, he decided. "As for who I am, you may call me... Betman."