The Sovereign Overlord: I Can See The Hidden Stats

The Hidden Path

Glass broke in the small kitchen before Chidi could make a move. Ifunanya Cross stepped through the open window frame, her silver-trimmed coat completely clean despite the dust of the outer district. She did not look at the red warning screen floating in front of Chidi. Instead, her sharp eyes locked onto the black spear in his hand, analyzing its weight.

In this city, the Upper Sector families controlled every single resource, dividing the population into high-rank hunters and low-level workers who did not even have the right to own property. Ifunanya belonged to the very top of that pyramid, and her cold, calm expression showed she was used to being in charge.

"The Iron Fang Guild has two dozen elite hunters outside," Ifunanya said. Her voice was flat, free of any panic. "They tracked the silver token I gave you. My family uses those tokens to monitor talent in the lower blocks, but the Iron Fangs have a high-grade tracker that can pinpoint the signal within ten meters. They want to kill you before you can sign an official contract with my family.

Heavy boots pounded against the concrete hallway outside the front door. The thin apartment walls shook as a loud voice gave an order to clear the area.

Chidi grabbed the silver token from his pocket and threw it onto the broken kitchen table. "You used me as bait.

"I gave you a choice to survive," Ifunanya replied, stepping past him toward his mother, who sat on the old sofa with her hands over her mouth. "The Iron Fangs are trying to take over the city council. If they get to you first, they will use your survival to prove my family is hiding illegal dungeon secrets. If you want your mother to live through the next five minutes, you will follow my plan.

Chidi looked at his mother’s pale face, then at the front door as the first heavy strike hit the wood, causing the hinges to bend. He did not trust Ifunanya, but he knew the layout of this cheap building better than any high-rank hunter from the Upper Sector. He activated his Sovereign Gaze, and the entire room turned into a map of bright blue lines.

[Object: Slum Housing Wall.]

[Condition: Poor quality concrete. Internal support rods are rusted through.]

[Weak Point: A three-inch gap behind the main water pipe in the kitchen corner.]

"We are not using your plan," Chidi said, his voice deep under his black cloth mask.

He ran to the kitchen corner, grabbed his mother by the arm, and shoved her behind his back. The front door cracked open with a loud splintering sound, revealing three massive Iron Fang hunters wearing heavy steel breastplates. The leader carried a wide broadsword that glowed with red fire magic.

"Secure the target!" the leader shouted, lunging into the living room.

Chidi did not strike the hunters. He swung the Dragon Spear in a low arc, driving the sharp silver tip straight into the weak point behind the water pipe. The mythic weapon sliced through the old concrete like a knife through bread. The main water line snapped instantly, shooting a massive blast of high-pressure water directly into the faces of the advancing hunters.

The blinding spray forced the men back, their heavy boots slipping on the wet linoleum. At the same moment, the removal of the support rod caused the entire kitchen ceiling to sag. A huge slab of concrete came down, crashing onto the doorway and creating a solid wall of rock that completely blocked the living room.

"Down here," Chidi said, pointing his spear at the exposed floor cavity where the pipe had burst. A dark maintenance shaft led straight down to the building's drainage system.

Ifunanya looked at the dark hole, a slight nod of approval showing on her face. "Smart. High-level hunters never check the waste lines.

She dropped into the shaft first, her movements quick and graceful. Chidi helped his mother slide down next, then dove in right behind them just as the Iron Fang hunters began chopping through the fallen concrete wall with their glowing swords.

The shaft dropped them into a wide, concrete tunnel filled with shallow, slow-moving water. The air was cold. Chidi took the lead, using his blue system lines to find the fastest path through the dark maze, avoiding the deeper sections where the system flagged low-level monster nests.

Ifunanya walked right behind him, her boots splashing softly. "My carriage is waiting at the eastern gate of the lower block. Once we cross the river, the Iron Fangs lose their legal right to hunt you. My father will offer you a full security contract.

"And what do you get out of this?" Chidi asked, keeping his eyes on the tunnel ahead.

"The Iron Fangs lose their best chance to humiliate my family," she said simply. "In the Upper Sector, we do not care about right or wrong. We care about leverage. You are the only person who has ever come out of an S-rank dungeon alive. That makes you the most valuable piece on the board.

Chidi did not answer. He could feel the cold reality of the world through her words. To the guilds, he was not a human being who had suffered; he was just a tool to be traded.

They reached the end of the long tunnel after ten minutes of fast walking. A metal ladder led up to a heavy iron grate that opened into a quiet side street near the district wall. Chidi climbed up first, pushing the heavy grate open with one hand.

The alley outside was empty, except for a large, black mechanical carriage with the Cross family crest stamped on the door.

Chidi helped his mother out of the hole, but just as Ifunanya climbed onto the pavement, the air around them turned incredibly hot. The puddles of water on the ground began to boil, sending up thick plumes of steam.

A tall figure stepped out from behind the carriage. It was a man wearing the gold-and-black armor of an Iron Fang Commander. His hands were covered in massive iron gauntlets that glowed with white heat, and his level-35 aura pressed down on the alley with massive force.

[Warning! High-tier Hunter detected.]

[Class: Fire Brawler. Level: 35.]

[Threat Level: Deadly. Escape probability dropped to zero percent.]

The commander looked at Ifunanya, then at Chidi’s black spear. A cruel smile spread across his scarred face. "Did you really think we only tracked the token, Lady Ifunanya? Your own driver sold us the location of the carriage two hours ago."