The Overseer was a massive creature whose gait couldn't be properly described when one saw him in the sky.
His shadow was massive enough, and with the way his body covered the sun itself, one could only get a picture of the size, not a true measure of it.
However, it wasn't a question that there was no bigger beast than him thus far in the Severed World. Even the Ghost King would look like an ant in front of him.
But perched in the great tree he chose as his home, even his size was dwarfed.
Honestly, it made him far more approachable, but who would dare?
The Overseer was notorious for his bad temper and utter disdain for the beings below him.
If anyone approached him and tried to hug his thigh, they would inevitably die.
But Damien had no such intention.
What he'd come to propose was a trade.
"Overseer, I'm aware that you aren't someone who can be bothered lightly, but I've come with a proposition that will be beneficial for both of us," Damien said, projecting his voice up the tree.
The Overseer glanced at him without a word.
It was rare to see humans in this place, but it wasn't impossible. He'd been approached by several humans before, many of them holding similar expressions and auras.
"Leave now or die."
His words were absolute. The only thing he'd learned about humans is that they were avaricious creatures who would do anything for personal gain.
He was already being nice giving them a warning!
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Damien replied, shaking his head.
"I don't know what the cause of your hostility is, but it has nothing to do with me, and I have nothing to do with it. Let's have a civil discussion without any needless violence, alright?"
"Civil conversation?"
The Overseer almost scoffed, his beak clacking humorously.
"Human, you are prey to the Messenger Birds and wish for my aid, no? I will not help you solve the problems you have caused for yourself. If you cannot accept this, then die by my claws instead."
Damien's eyes narrowed.
The Overseer's attitude was incredibly unwelcoming, but despite his words, he'd yet to attack.
Was he showing them mercy?
No, that couldn't be it. Why would he show mercy on a random group of humans?
If so, was this his regular demeanor?
The interaction was short, but Damien could inherently feel something from the bird, a sort of connection.
It wasn't something as grand as the connections he felt through the Void, but something more emotional.
They said the Overseer was arrogant and domineering, not willing to entertain anyone or anything that didn't amuse him.
In Damien's opinion, though, he was just annoyed.
And his reasoning was the same as everyone else's.
He was annoyed he had to stay in this place where all beings were weaker than him. He was annoyed that the space he ruled was dominated by weak pests who used cheap tricks to bully all others.
He originally had no obligation to suppress the Messenger Birds when dawn arose.
He made that decision because of his dislike for their methods.
As someone who'd been struggling with a similar feeling in the past few days, Damien immediately sympathized with the desire to push everything away and live in silence, surviving with only the goal of becoming stronger and achieving one's everything left unaccomplished.
Damien's sympathy aside, this emotional state was perfect for his plan.
"I'm here to talk to you about the Ascension Ceremony."
The Overseer's head shot up at the mention of those two sacred words. His eyes widened in interest and wariness.
"How does a human know those words?" He asked cautiously.
"That's not important right now. Didn't I say I wanted to make a deal? If you can help us suppress the Messenger Birds and get rid of their hostility, we can provide you with something that'll provide you great help in the ceremony," Damien responded with a smile.
"You? What can you possibly provide me?"
Damien's smile widened into a grin.
With that, the Overseer was hooked.
"I'm not sure how much you know about the races outside this world, but we have many specialties that can't be found here, mainly in terms of crafting and creation."
Damien dug through his spatial storage and found a pristine platinum chestplate, an artifact he'd stolen from Holy Light Star, and threw it up the tree for the Overseer to observe.
It was impossible for races without humanoid forms to forge or concoct. Beasts and Spirits usually fell under this category, but in the true universe, both had the ability to assume humanoid form upon reaching a certain level, thus these restrictions were removed.
The Severed World, as a sub-universe, had no such mechanic.
Beasts would remain in their beast forms regardless of their level.
Therefore, where would they find a means to obtain crafted items?
The Overseer curiously sent his perception into the armor, feeling the metal and understanding the complex workings of mana within.
This treasure was Chaos-rank, so it was already powerful enough to draw extreme interest from a being who didn't know it was possible to form external defenses in this way.
A few memories flashed through the Overseer's mind.
In the past, there were several humans he'd killed who left behind strange rings that he couldn't maneuver, while others offered him mixtures of plants that they claimed would aid his cultivation.
Back then, killing them was enough to get what he wanted, but—
"Keep in mind, the item I am promising does not exist right now. After we have made an agreement, I will begin the crafting process. Please don't think that killing us will achieve anything."
—Damien beat him to it.
The Overseer furrowed his eyes and glanced down at the group.
He would've liked to pass up the offer like he'd always done, but that didn't seem realistic.
The group had come at a time when he couldn't refuse them, and their knowledge of that fact made them even more elusive in his eyes.
"I cannot remove their hostility for you, for they are hostile to me as well. Those insects serve under a king from the central region, my sworn enemy. As long as he lives, I can at most suppress his underlings."
The Overseer stated a fact to gauge the group's reactions.
Damien's brow raised slightly.
"Didn't the Messenger Birds serve the Cloud Emperor?"
"Rubbish!" The creature suddenly roared, enraged.
"That damn beast dared to stain the holy name of Sir Cloud Emperor with his lies! Even he is not a lackey, even he is not known by the Cloud Emperor! The false claim that they operate under is an absolute travesty to the face of all beings under the glorious Emperor's reign!"
"Eh?" Damien uttered.
"So…they're not envoys, they're just scammers?"
"Yes!"
Boom!
It was an explosion in their minds.
These beings they were being so cautious of, they were nothing but dirty cheats!
"How strong is their ruler?" Damien asked, his eyes cold.
"I do not know, however, he is only somewhat more powerful than me. Though I am not his opponent, my flying skills far surpass his!"
The Overseer began bragging, but Damien was no longer listening.
'The Overseer is strong, at least at the peak of 3rd class like the Ghost King. If he's faster and more flexible, but can't match up in power, there's a possibility the Messenger Birds' ruler has already entered 4th class.'
What the Overseer described seemed to be a racial advantage, while he lost in terms of true power.
If it was a 4th class being…
'It might not be possible now, but entry-level 4th class isn't daunting to someone who far surpassed it already. If we plan well, we should be able to do something about it.'
It was a done deal.
The matter of the Wind Spirit King, as the Overseer referred to the Messenger Birds' ruler, didn't have any standing in their agreement.
"If you can suppress the Messenger Birds for us until the ceremony begins, I promise I will have a personalized artifact ready for you in 3 days."
The Overseer stopped ranting and scoffed.
"3 days? Human, are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes?"
Damien shook his head with a smile.
"No. If you agree to these terms, we can declare a Mana Oath right away. This way, we can both be assured that the other side will deliver, right?"
The Overseer's eyes narrowed.
He looked over Damien and the group behind him.
They were just humans and a beast, but they held an aura that other humans didn't possess.
Inherently, the Overseer believed their words.
Closing his eyes for a second as he firmed his will, the Overseer spoke.
"Then, I agree to this deal!"
