《Overlord: The Blank Essence》 Chapter-1 A New World [Location: ???] In a cheap apartment located in a dystopian mega-city, an unexpected event was taking place¡ªunexpected, at least, for a world devoid of magic. Although the conventional reality remained unchanged, something extraordinary was happening in the almost non-existent spiritual plane of this dimension¡ªan event rare even in higher, more supernatural worlds. In the endless emptiness of this spiritual plane, one could observe the souls of the living floating about, alongside various dead ones beginning to dissipate into raw spiritual matter. To those with enough knowledge of the occult and sufficient power to perceive this hidden side of the world, this phenomenon would be immediately recognizable. It occurred mainly due to the absence of an afterlife in this world, where the universe instinctively recycled spiritual material to give birth to new life. Yet, the real focus was on an even rarer phenomenon, so rare it might not occur even once in a hundred lifetimes of the universe. In a certain corner of the spiritual plane, two souls could be seen engaged in an unexpected duel, as the larger, more powerful soul devoured the smaller, weaker one. Although described as a battle, it was hardly one¡ªthe weaker soul was consumed so quickly it took mere seconds in the spiritual plane, though it may have spanned an entire night in conventional reality. Elsewhere in the spiritual plane, the ambient ectoplasm began to distort and deform, slowly coalescing into a dark shroud, almost unnoticeable in the vast emptiness of the plane. Suddenly, the shroud began to move on its own, its non-existent steps echoing in the void. In what seemed like only moments in conventional space, the shroud reached its destination. As the shrouded figure arrived before its target, an expression of what could be interpreted as intrigue appeared on its non-existent face as it observed in silence. After an indeterminate amount of time had passed, the figure moved. From within the folds of its shroud, it produced a small vial, holding it in its insensible hand as its unseen eyes roamed over the soul. The vial itself was ordinary, though ornately decorated, but the liquid inside was so valuable that entire universes would be culled to obtain even a single drop. Sensing the significance of the liquid, the soul began trembling furiously, as if craving the substance with its entire being, yet remaining still due to the presence of the entity holding the vial.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Slowly, the entity uncorked the vial, exposing the gray liquid to the realm. Normally, such an act would send ripples through the entire spiritual plane, but perhaps the entity was preventing this from happening. As the figure gently tilted the vial over the soul, the gray liquid began to pour out, drenching the soul with its essence. The soul vibrated eagerly, absorbing every drop as if letting even a single one go to waste would be a grave sin. Curiously, no nearby souls reacted to this event, seemingly unmoved by the heavenly elixir that could alter the fates of mortals and gods alike¡ªcompletely unaware of what was happening in their midst. As the soul absorbed the liquid, its color shifted from a brilliant blue to a unique shade of gray, transforming and molding its spiritual essence into something new¡ªsomething vastly superior to its former self. The inconsistencies caused by the consumption of another soul were erased, and its entire being brimmed with boundless potential. As the last drop left the vial, the vial itself shattered and dissolved, as though it had lost its reason for existing. With the vial and liquid gone, the entity glanced at the now-gray soul floating silently in the spiritual plane, and a slight, almost imperceptible smile appeared on its non-existent face. Slowly, the shrouded figure began to fade, eventually disappearing completely, leaving the gray soul as its only trace. As the entity vanished, it was almost time for the soul to once again sleep in the spiritual world and awaken in the conventional reality. ¡­ Waking up in a strange place after sleeping in your bed was an odd experience¡ªone that he wished would never happen again. But even stranger were the memories of two lives mixing together, confusing his half-asleep mind about his current identity. One identity spoke of a person named Rahul, a 19-year-old living in the metropolitan city of Mumbai, India. In his own words, he was a successful student studying at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and moving toward a bright future. Another, however, spoke of a young adult Japanese salaryman named Satoru Suzuki. He was 29 years old and worked long hours in a stressful, unrewarding job. His job left him with little time or energy for a social life or meaningful connections outside of the virtual world. In his own opinion, he was a complete failure in the real world, finding worth only in the virtual world of Yggdrasil, where he had made all his friends. What was even stranger¡ªand he was shocked that it was even possible¡ªwas that, according to Rahul, the year was 2024, and he was currently in his college hostel in the city of Bombay, India. Yet another part of him, the part that was Satoru Suzuki, disagreed greatly with that statement. According to Satoru, the year was 2137, and he was in his cheap apartment located in the poorer area of the city, most likely hours late for work. The last part almost made him panic, but he quickly suppressed it to focus on his current predicament. He looked around the apartment, and it appeared that the part of him that was Satoru was right¡ªhe was in his cheap apartment in Japan. He should have felt some satisfaction at the answer, but this also meant that he was currently in a dystopian, cyberpunk-like world set in the year 2137. From the memories he received from Satoru, the current world was heavily polluted, overcrowded, and rife with inequality. People were living in cramped quarters and facing numerous social issues. This world was an Earth ravaged by World War 3, now mostly controlled by powerful mega-corporations that used the population of the mega-cities as slave labor. For all intents and purposes, he was a slave in all but name. The realization disgusted him. He was abhorred at the mere thought of being a slave and working away his entire life for someone else. He almost wanted to curse but held himself back. He knew that it was never the solution to his problems. He took a deep breath and relaxed his body. Chapter 2: Earth 2138 After calming his mind and body, another realization struck him. He hadn¡¯t noticed it until now¡ªconfused by the sudden mixing of his two sets of memories¡ªbut suddenly, words began to connect and make sense in his mind. Satoru Suzuki, the year 2137, shady mega-corporations, this entire dystopian reality, and most importantly, the word ¡®Yggdrasil.¡¯ According to the memories of Satoru Suzuki, Yggdrasil was the name of his favorite DMMORPG (Dive Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) that he played. It was like his second home and, in fact, more important to him than his real life. It was a form of escape for him, as he found companionship, purpose, and joy through the friends he made in the game and the guild they created. However, that was not true for Rahul. According to the memories of Rahul, Yggdrasil was the name of a fictional VR game he read about in a novel, specifically the light novel titled ¡®Overlord.¡¯ It was a story about a Japanese salaryman named Satoru Suzuki who got transported to another world as his game character, along with his guild base and NPCs. Although it had been a while since he read the light novel series, the entire story was still fresh in his mind, as it was one of his favorites. Remembering everything he could about the story and comparing it to what he knew from the memories of Satoru, he quickly came to the obvious conclusion: he had transmigrated. Specifically, he had transmigrated as Satoru Suzuki, the main protagonist of the light novel ¡®Overlord.¡¯ Realizing this was shocking, but not in the way it should have been. Instead, he recognized the ludicrous opportunity that was currently staring him in the face. In another year, in 2138, the DMMORPG Yggdrasil would shut down, and the remaining players would be transported to the ¡®New World.¡¯ In the blink of an eye, he could evolve from a helpless little human, probably less than level 1, to a level 100 mighty god, powerful enough to destroy entire countries. As that realization settled in, a strange excitement filled him; he almost wanted to dance like a madman. If he were only Satoru, a serious Japanese salaryman, he might have decided to control himself. But as it turned out, he was also a 19-year-old Indian teenager, and he didn¡¯t care. He stood up from his bed and started dancing like crazy. Hindi music was currently playing in his mind as he enjoyed himself to the fullest. He was moving his hands up and down and shaking his entire body in excitement. Unfortunately, his current body was ill-cared-for and malnourished, so he got exhausted quickly and soon found himself gasping while lying on his bed. As his excitement wore down, he was finally able to think clearly about his situation, and a frown appeared on his forehead. ¡°Although it is fortunate that I arrived in this world, there are still some issues.¡± Personally, he felt immensely fortunate for his transmigration. There was no one in his world who would particularly miss him, and the opportunity to eventually become a god only improved his opinion of the occurrence.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. But despite everything, he couldn''t feel entirely fortunate about his circumstances. The reason for this was his current world, the ¡®World of 2138.¡¯ At least, that was how it was named in the novel. From the memories of Satoru, it was clear to him that the entire world was poisoned to the neck. In fact, taking everything in, he was surprised that the human race was still surviving. He was both awed and disgusted by this world, impressed by the resilience of his species and abhorred by what they had done to the planet. The Earth he remembered, although polluted, was still beautiful and filled with stunning rivers and vast forests all over the planet. Reading a few words on a page was far different from actually experiencing it, and the memories of Satoru gave him enough insight into how horrible the world was. Going out without a gas mask was practically a death sentence, and he was not rich enough to afford an expensive breathing implant. It was not greatly discussed in the novel, but Satoru was really at the lower rungs of society. By the standards of his life in 2024, it could be said that he was barely alive. Although that could also be seen as fortunate, as life was pretty cheap in this world. As he pondered his circumstances, a curious feeling assaulted his mind. It felt strange, almost unexplainable in human words or any other language for that matter. It felt like an endless gray void, and the blankness it conveyed awed him. Despite its strangeness, it didn¡¯t disturb him in the slightest; instead, it gave him a feeling of endless potential and limitless growth. As he became intoxicated by this feeling, he sensed the emergence of the ¡®truth,¡¯ and all of a sudden, his eyes widened like never before. ¡­ [Essence of the Blank] By taking this essence, you gain but one benefit: ¡­ As the understanding and implications of the ¡®Essence¡¯ appeared in his mind, he was finally able to relax, and a sigh escaped his lips. Even though the concept of an Essence was absurd, after his transmigration, he could almost believe anything. At this point, he had accepted defeat and acknowledged in his mind that the world was a crazy place. ¡®Probably the god is also a lunatic.¡¯ Thinking that he might be going crazy for having such useless thoughts, he shook his head and stood up from the bed. Instead of wasting his precious time, it was better to think about his situation. ¡°It¡¯ll probably be better if I start making plans for my future.¡± Talking to himself, Satoru walked toward the bathroom attached to his apartment. It was small but useful enough for his needs. He walked toward a mirror, and a blank look was all he could see as he looked at his new appearance. Satoru was only a decade older than his original appearance, but he looked much older than he should, probably due to the rampant pollution and unhealthy lifestyle he lived as a corporate slave. He could at least confirm that he was mostly ¡®Rahul¡¯ and that ¡®Satoru¡¯ was just a small part of him now, a part mostly filled with memories of working endlessly for a small branch of a mega-corp in the city. But although it was filled mostly with pain, like the loss of his mother, there were bright moments as well. "Saving someone who is in trouble is common sense!" As the image of a warrior in silver armor appeared in his mind, unconsciously, a small, imperceptible smile appeared on his face. It was a scary face; when he looked in the mirror, he saw a middle-aged Japanese man with horrible dark circles smiling creepily. It was a visage that would traumatize small children if they saw it. His lips twitched, and he drooped his shoulders. ¡®My handsome face!!¡¯ Deep down, he was crying at the loss of his once-handsome face, as he was stuck with this horrible appearance at least until the server shut down. Authors Note Hi, guys! I¡¯m Alexander Paradox, and I want to start by sincerely apologizing for my sudden absence and the irregular chapter updates. ???¡á? Life has been hectic as I¡¯m currently preparing for my final semester exams. As a result, chapters will be uploaded sporadically for the time being. I truly appreciate your patience and understanding.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The good news is that I¡¯ll be free starting January 1, 2025, and I promise to resume stable updates from that point onward. If you¡¯d like to support me on my writing journey, it would mean the world to me! Your encouragement keeps me motivated. ?? Thank you for your continued support and for sticking with me through this busy period. Warm regards, Alexander Paradox Chapter 3: The Apartment "Ugh..." After sighing at the loss of his handsome appearance, he decided it was time to move on with his life, make plans, and prepare for what he¡¯d have to face tomorrow. "Yeah, my supervisor is going to eat me alive if I don¡¯t give him a proper explanation." Remembering the scary face of his immediate boss from the memories of the original Satoru, a wry smile appeared on his lips. While he probably wouldn¡¯t be fired immediately due to his several years of service, it would still be hell. He¡¯d most definitely be worked to death for the next few weeks for his supposed ¡®insubordination¡¯ and ¡®indiscipline¡¯ at the workplace. If he were the previous Satoru Suzuki, he¡¯d be glad not to be fired and would do the overtime with a smile. Unfortunately, he was a different man now. Just thinking about what he¡¯d have to endure because of a single day of absence brought a heinous and ugly feeling to his chest, weighing him down. Remembering all the things that Satoru considered regular occurrences, things ¡®not worth mentioning,¡¯ made him want to vomit, but he barely controlled his reaction. Seeing the bodies of young children and women on the streets, hearing how an entire family was killed for not paying their loans on time¡ªit was like a daily occurrence in this world, without exceptions. In fact, from everything he had absorbed from Satoru Suzuki, he¡¯d go as far as to say he was pretty fortunate even as a corporate slave in this society. Though he couldn¡¯t hope to afford a decent lifestyle, at least he was alive. Stepping out of the bathroom lost in these thoughts, he found himself standing in the middle of his modest apartment. A small hallway stretched before him, connecting various compartments of his humble abode. In fact, looking at things from the perspective of an ¡®old-worlder,¡¯ where simply being alive and unharmed was a luxury, his apartment was not bad at all. To the left was the entrance door, a massive monstrosity wrapped in metal parts. It served more as a deterrent than a security barrier¡ªanyone determined to enter wouldn¡¯t be hindered. A wry smile appeared on his lips at that thought, though he doubted anyone would bother with his rundown apartment if they wanted to steal anything. Ahead, automatic motion sensors triggered the ceiling lights to flicker on, casting a sterile white glow across the hallway and beyond. Near the entrance, the ancient air purifier rumbled to life as he moved, its familiar background noise part of his daily routine. To his right, the hallway led into the heart of the apartment¡ªa sparse yet functional living space. The kitchen, a small space nestled in the corner, lacked cooking utensils save for a sink and a few hand towels. It stood out like a barren outpost. Recalling that he hadn¡¯t eaten anything but a certain brand of packaged gravy and vitamin capsules to survive until now, he felt sorrow for Satoru and everyone who lived in this world. But his tears had already dried up; now he grimly accepted everything.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. "I really can¡¯t live like this, not even a second more!" Though he could probably survive with the experience he had as Satoru Suzuki, the part of him that was ¡®Rahul¡¯ revolted at the thought of touching that disgusting thing he called ¡®food.¡¯ Actually eating that to survive would probably kill him instantly. Taking a break from his dissatisfaction with radioactive garbage dressed up as food, he surveyed the rest of the place. Opposite the kitchen were three doors lined up in the hallway, each leading to essential rooms. The first door on the left opened to a compact toilet, its simplicity echoing the apartment''s overall theme. Next to it, the bathroom door led back to where he had just come from, revealing a similarly basic setup¡ªa shower area enclosed by worn but clean tiles. Further down the hallway, the third door on the right marked the entrance to his bedroom. It was the place where he had woken up as Satoru Suzuki this morning, the place where his world had been turned upside down. Approaching the room, he noted the familiarity he felt for the space¡ªa small, intimate retreat where he slept and indulged in his private pursuits. Inside, a black frame about a meter wide rested on a stand, housing what appeared to be a setup for his entrance into the virtual world. A comfortable chair with a footrest stood invitingly before it, accompanied by a wheeled table bearing a remote control and various cables¡ªa shrine to his leisure and escape from reality. Standing before what was probably the most prized possession of Satoru Suzuki, both materially and emotionally, an unknown feeling welled up in his chest. His entire being urged him to sit down and enjoy his favorite hobby¡ªthe thing that gave meaning to his life, perhaps the only thing he was living for. His ¡®Rahul¡¯ part was also curious about the chair and the virtual world, but he quickly suppressed these feelings deep within his heart. Although he really wanted to experience all nine worlds of Yggdrasil and see everything they had to offer, the idea of entering a virtual world made entirely of zeros and ones was an exciting prospect for any science student. However, he knew time wasn¡¯t on his side. On the wall beside the setup, a holographic calendar hung, clearly showing where he stood on the timeline. He was at most a year away from the server shutdown¡ªbased on when it happened, perhaps only a few months remained. ¡®Time is running out.¡¯ He needed to quickly design and implement his plans if he wanted to achieve his goals before the server shutdown, or the consequences could be grave. Thinking about becoming an emotionless husk of a skeleton, a cold shudder ran down his spine, and he instinctively reached out to confirm the existence of his most prized possession. Feeling it, a relieved sigh escaped his lips. Quickly withdrawing his hand, he turned his attention to other things in the room. The room itself was sparsely furnished, the central cluster of the virtual setup dominating the space. Apart from these essentials, the room held little else¡ªa stark contrast to the clutter of his previous life. Returning to the hallway, Satoru noticed a pile of work clothing, an air filtering mask, and goggles neatly stacked in the corner of his bedroom¡ªa routine he meticulously followed, evidence of his disciplined approach to life. As he took in the sight of his modest abode, ¡®Satoru¡¯ felt a strange mix of familiarity and detachment. ¡°This is now my reality.¡± It was the truth. He was now nothing more than a middle-aged Japanese man enslaved by a mega-corporation, named Satoru Suzuki. ¡®Rahul,¡¯ the bright Indian IIT student, was dead somewhere in Bombay in 2014, while Satoru was still alive in 2137. Dealing with this mess was now his problem. "Ugh..." Thinking about the heap of issues that was Satoru Suzuki''s life, a slight groan was all he could muster. The groan was filled with all his frustrations and anger, which he tried to suppress. But at the end of the day, the choice was already out of his hands. Taking a deep breath and resigning himself to his fate, he quietly resolved to do his best to escape this hellhole they called a world, with everything in its proper place. Once again wincing at the thought of ''losing it'' and becoming a worthless pile of bones, he strengthened his determination to do his best. "What''s even the point of all that power if I end up losing you?"