The Sovereign Overlord: I Can See The Hidden Stats

The Bloodline Contract

The tiny golden lizard opened its mouth and bit Chidi’s finger. A sharp drop of blood fell onto its shiny scales, and a sudden wave of heat rushed up Chidi’s arm.

[Bloodline contract initiated.]

[Binding with Target: Obi (Baby Dragon King).]

[Bond established. The pet will grow as the user levels up.]

Chidi stared as the glowing red screen changed back to a calm blue. The small lizard let out another soft squeak, rubbing its round head against Chidi's thumb. It looked incredibly weak, its ribs showing slightly under its golden skin.

He pulled one of the low-grade blue mana stones from his bag and held it out. Obi’s black eyes went wide. The lizard opened its mouth wide and swallowed the hard stone in one quick gulp, chewing it like a piece of candy.

[Obi has consumed 1 Low-Grade Mana Stone. Hunger level reduced to 80 percent.]

"You are an expensive little guy," Chidi said, running his finger down the lizard's back. Obi closed his eyes and began to purr like a tiny cat. Chidi carefully placed the lizard into the large inner pocket of his jacket, where it curled up and fell asleep.

Holding the heavy black Dragon Spear, Chidi walked out of the dark alley and turned toward the public square. A massive electronic screen hung on the side of a tall glass building, surrounded by dozens of people. A live news report was playing.

Chidi stopped at the back of the crowd, pulling his hood lower to hide his face.

On the screen, Amina stood next to Tunde in front of a line of flashing cameras. Tunde wore his clean golden armor, holding his head high with a proud grin. Amina looked beautiful in her red robes, but her face was pale, and she held a white handkerchief in her hand.

"It was an absolute nightmare inside the boss room," Tunde said to the news reporter, his voice loud and clear. "The Stone King went into a wild rage. I fought bravely to protect my team, cutting the monster down with my golden blade, but the cost was high."

The reporter held up a microphone. "Is it true that a hunter was lost during the raid?"

Amina stepped forward, wiping a fake tear from her eye. "Yes. Chidi Vance, our team scavenger, panicked when the monster woke up. He ran the wrong way and dropped his heavy bag, blocking the exit path. We tried so hard to pull him out, but he ignored my calls. He caused the roof to collapse on himself. It is a tragedy, but his carelessness almost killed us all."

Chidi gripped the shaft of his spear so tightly his knuckles turned white. His teeth ground together. She was lying to the whole city. She had locked the door herself, and now she was destroying his name to make Tunde look like a hero. The crowd around Chidi began to shake their heads in anger, calling Chidi a useless burden who got what he deserved.

They think I am dead, Chidi thought, his chest tight with a hot, burning anger. They think they can use my name to climb to the top.

He turned away from the screen, his mind set. He would not run to the media. Nobody would believe a low-rank Scavenger over the son of the richest guild leader. He needed to become so powerful that their lies would shatter like glass.

Chidi walked toward the edge of the market district, heading toward the registration building for solo hunters. To avoid being recognized by Tunde’s father’s men, he stopped at a small street stall and bought a simple black mask that covered his face from the nose down.

As he neared the registration building, a sudden commotion broke out in the street ahead. A group of five high-level hunters wearing silver armor surrounded a young woman.

Chidi recognized her immediately. It was Ifunanya Cross.

She stood perfectly still, her long dark hair shifting in the wind. The silver-armored men belonged to the Iron Fang Guild, a powerful group known for bullying independent hunters.

"Your family is old news, Ifunanya," the lead hunter said, stepping closer to her. "The Cross family does not run this sector anymore. Hand over the map to the new S-Rank dungeon, or we will take it by force."

Ifunanya did not speak. Her glass-sharp eyes narrowed. She did not look afraid at all. Suddenly, the air around her grew incredibly cold. White frost began to spread across the concrete street under her boots.

"You can try," Ifunanya said, her voice flat and deadly.

The lead hunter pulled a glowing iron mace from his back. "Do not get cocky, little girl!"

He swung the heavy weapon down toward her head. Ifunanya moved with perfect grace, sliding to the side as a wall of solid ice shot up from the ground to block the mace. The impact caused a loud cracking sound, sending sharp pieces of ice flying into the air.

Chidi stood near the corner of the building, his Sovereign Gaze active. He scanned the scene, and his eyes caught a strange glowing green bottle hidden in the hand of another hunter standing behind Ifunanya.

[Item: Viper’s Breath Poison (Grade: Advanced).]

[Target: The hunter is preparing to throw the poison at Ifunanya Cross's feet. The gas will bypass her ice armor and paralyze her within two seconds.]

Ifunanya was focused on the leader in front of her, completely unaware of the hidden trap behind her back. The hunter raised his arm, ready to smash the green glass bottle against the ground right behind her heels.

Chidi knew that if she got paralyzed, these men would carry her away, and she would disappear forever. He could not just stand there and watch another innocent person get destroyed by greedy guilds.

Chidi raised the Dragon Spear, his muscles tightening. He threw his body forward, moving at a speed he had never possessed before, aiming directly at the hidden attacker.