Zero to Overlord: The Forsaken God's Ascension

The Broken Blade Auction

The "Broken Blade" Auction House was a place for the desperate and the greedy. It sat on the edge of the merchant district, smelling of damp wood and old magic.

"We need a sword," I said, pulling my hood lower. "My hands are enough for guards, but they won't be enough for Julian."

"You don't just need a sword," Valeriana countered, her eyes scanning the crowd. "You need a conduit. Most blades will melt under your Void energy. But there’s something here. I can feel a cold pulse in the air. My old life is calling."

We stepped inside. The room was filled with fat merchants in silk and minor nobles looking for a bargain. On the stage, an auctioneer was holding up a rusted, jagged piece of metal that looked like it had been pulled from a shipwreck.

"And next," the auctioneer droned, "is a curiosity from the Northern Wastes. A heavy, blunt iron blade. It has no mana conductivity and is completely rusted. Starting bid: Five gold pieces."

The room erupted in laughter.

"Five gold for a boat anchor?" a merchant in a ruby-encrusted vest shouted. "I wouldn't give five copper!"

Valeriana’s hand tightened on my arm. Her voice was a low, dangerous vibration. "That’s it. The Sovereign Fang. It’s covered in a sealing rust, but that is my blade."

"Ten gold," I called out.

The laughter stopped. Every head turned to look at the "peasant" in the back.

The ruby-vested merchant sneered. "Ten? Look at you, boy. You look like you haven't eaten in a week. Where would a beggar get ten gold?"

"The money is here," I said, my voice cold. "Do you have a bid, or just a loud mouth?"

The merchant’s face turned purple. "Fifty gold! I’ll buy it just to watch you cry, you brat."

"One hundred," I said instantly.

The auctioneer’s gavel stayed frozen. "One hundred? Sir, do you actually have—"

"Five hundred gold!" the merchant roared, standing up. "I am Baron Hord. I could buy this entire building! You think you can outbid me, trash?"

I walked toward the stage. I didn't look at the Baron. I reached into my pouch and pulled out a small, pulsing black stone—a Void Shard I had condensed from a monster's heart in the Rift.

I tossed it onto the auctioneer's table.

The room went deathly silent. The Shard didn't reflect the light; it seemed to pull the light into it. The air around the table began to frost over.

"A... a High-Grade Void Shard?" the auctioneer stammered, his eyes bulging. "This... this is worth ten thousand gold at minimum!"

I looked at Baron Hord. He was trembling, his mouth hanging open.

"Still want to bid, Baron?" I asked.

He slumped into his seat, his face pale. "No... no."

"Sold!" the auctioneer yelled, his voice shaking.

I stepped onto the stage and grabbed the rusted hilt. As soon as my fingers closed around it, the Void in my chest hummed. I didn't push energy into it—I pulled the "rust" into myself.

C-C-CRACK!

The rust exploded off the blade in a shower of black dust. A wave of absolute-zero frost swept through the auction house. Windows shattered. The wine in the nobles' glasses turned to solid ice.

In my hand was a long, elegant blade of translucent blue crystal. It didn't glow; it shimmered like the heart of a glacier.

"The Sovereign Fang," Valeriana whispered, her eyes shining with a mix of grief and fury.

"Hey! That's dangerous!" a guard shouted, reaching for his spear.

I didn't even look at him. I flicked the blade toward the wall. A thin line of frost raced across the floor, and a ten-foot section of the stone wall simply crumbled into frozen dust.

"I paid for it," I said, sheathing the blade in a scrap of leather. "Any objections?"

Nobody moved. Not even the auctioneer.

As we walked out, the cold rain hit my face. But I felt a sudden, sharp spike of killing intent from the rooftops.

"Assassins," Valeriana hissed, her hand moving to her own hilt.

"Six of them," I noted. "They've been waiting for us to leave."

"Let me guess," she said with a smirk. "Another 'low profile' exit?"

"No," I said, the Sovereign

Fang humming at my side. "Let's see if this blade remembers how to drink."