CHAPTER 688: DUELS; VS. THE OVERSEER (I)

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Steven and his roommate continue spectating Dawnbringer’s matches all day long since it’s their day off and they’ve got nothing better to do.

Defeating King Julius was a walk in the park for Dawnbringer. Steven knows this because he spectated Dawnbringer’s match with his face, Giant Axe Andrew. In that match, Dawnbringer was more proactive and fierce. He summoned a gigantic sword that cleaved the world in half, one that even Giant Axe Andrew couldn’t compete with.

In his match against King Julius, he did none of that. He showed astonishing skills, yes, but it wasn’t as explosive as the one Steven did before.

After defeating King Julius easily, Dawnbringer accepted more duel invitations. And just like with King Julius, the match only lasted long enough for the opponent to show off their stuff before Dawnbringer ended them with a couple swings of his sword.

By now, Dawnbringer was queuing up for his 10th, and probably last, match for this day. And as usual, Steven and his roommate, along with the many spectators who decided to keep watching, were there to accompany this blooming arena expert.

As the battlefield was generated for the match, the unmistakable presence of Dawnbringer’s opponent this time was noticed by the spectators first, and their reactions were intense.

"Holy crap! It’s the Overseer!" Steven exclaimed, and so did the rest of the spectators, he imagined.

His reaction was valid considering who Dawnbringer was up against this time. The Overseer wasn’t just some random fella out there; he’s an Immortal League Ranker.

The Overseer sits at the 15th place of the Immortal League Rankings, which was huge considering that this list was composed of all of the Immortal Level experts within the Dark Star Domain that are active in the Virtual Arena. This meant that in the thousands of Immortals roaming about the Dark Star Domain, the Overseer firmly occupied the 15th place amongst the strongest.

Steven, as a private investigator and a huge fan of the Virtual Arena, obviously knew who the Overseer was. He knows the guy’s real-world identity and background. And all he could say is that the Overseer definitely deserved his spot at the 15th place.

Because of the shock, barely anybody paid attention to the kind of battlefield generated for this fight. All they felt was excitement and anticipation, knowing that the upcoming fight was bound to be intense and exciting.

Dawnbringer appeared as usual around the same time The Overseer appeared. He still looked as fresh as a daisy, as if he hadn’t just gone through nine matches prior to this one.

Steven looked at the Overseer and saw an amused look on his face. He could recognize arrogance in large and subtle ways, and the way the Overseer looked just now definitely falls under the latter.

’He probably didn’t imagine Dawnbringer accepting his duel invitation this soon and most likely thought that the dude was courting disaster by recklessly accepting his invite.’

For those who came from largely respected backgrounds, arrogance could always be expected from them. The range of their arrogance varies depending on their position and their actual strength; even the most humble one carries some level of pride within them. It’s to be expected and natural, after all, they wouldn’t be accepted or belong to their backgrounds if they weren’t worthy.

The Overseer was the same. He’s weird because he moves and speaks as if he’s humble, yet in truth, everything he does reeks of pride, prejudice, and arrogance.

This would’ve been a condemning behavior if it weren’t for his ability to actually back it up. Yet at the same time, this was also the reason why he didn’t have many friends.

Steven and the rest of the spectators silence themselves once the countdown reaches the single digits. They focused and waited for the match to begin.

As soon as it started, they weren’t disappointed because the Overseer began his assault using his iconic move.

Behind him, a lone yet gigantic eye appeared. Its pupils were filled with strings of gold and silver, adorned with all sorts of brilliant jewels, and emitting a profound fluctuation of energy.

This was ’The Overseer’s Eye.’ It’s a skill the Overseer created himself. Rumors said that in the presence of this eye, nothing could escape the Overseer’s vision.

But of course, this eye wasn’t just limited to assistance. Through this eye, the Overseer could ’condemn’ his opponent, stripping them of their power, skills, and abilities.

Those who are weaker than him are unable to resist this. Those who are as strong as he was could resist it, but it would still weaken them considerably, making it easier for the Overseer to deal with them.

As for using it against people who are stronger than him? Well, nobody knows what happens. The Overseer never publicly displayed or stated what happens, and they can’t imagine him going out of his way to explain because that would be the height of stupidity.

Luckily for them though, they’re about to see what exactly happens when the Overseer’s Eye dares to peer through an untouchable existence.

ARRRGGGGH!!

The spectators were stunned. They looked at the Overseer, who suddenly collapsed to the ground, clutching his head and weeping tears of blood.

And under their stunned faces, they saw the gigantic eye above him going nuts. The lone pupil dilated and began spinning and peering everywhere in pure panic and fright before going still, shriveling, and decaying.

The backlash drove the Overseer insane. He writhed on the floor, screaming in pain and agony, clawing at his head, and looking hideous as fresh streams of blood continued to pour down his eyes like waterfalls.

’Hah, I don’t know what you saw or what Dawnbringer did to you, but I know damn well you deserved that, you arrogant punk! ’Steven inwardly sneered in vindication.

The Overseer probably wasn’t expecting this, and that brought even more joy to Steven. By now, it’s quite obvious that he does not like the Overseer in the slightest bit, and he has every reason to feel this way because he had been a victim of that gigantic eye before.

That’s why seeing it shrivel up and decay as its user endured the skill’s horrible backlash was just like a shot of pure serotonin in his brain.

Steven then took this moment to look at Dawnbringer, and when he saw the dude’s expression, he couldn’t help but guffaw.

Dawnbringer stood there, stunned and confused. He probably had no idea that whatever he did would cause this much agony to his opponent...considering that he’s aware that he did something, which, now that he looked at it, doesn’t seem to be the case.

For all Steven knew, Dawnbringer was probably anticipating what that giant eye would do to him too, only to be shocked when he suddenly saw the enemy collapsing to the ground, weeping tears of blood for no apparent reason.

’Poor guy. He’s probably expecting a decent fight this time only to be met with a disappointment. The best part is that he hasn’t even tried.’ Steven cackled to himself, truly feeling vindicated by the punishment the Overseer was now experiencing.

But what exactly caused this to happen? What in the world did the Overseer see that made him this way?

Nothing. That’s the answer.

The Overseer saw nothing.

More specifically, he wasn’t able to see anything. Because as soon as he tried peering through Dawnbringer using that giant eye of his, a horrible and hellish pain immediately struck him down.

It was instant. He wasn’t given any time or any prior warning before it happened. He was punished as soon as he tried, just like that. No negotiations whatsoever.

In truth, Cedric was curious too. When he saw that giant eye, he too was excited to know what it does. After all, encountering those who use eye techniques is rare. The Overseer was actually the first one he encountered here. So, he was truly looking forward to it. He was thinking about observing the skill and knowing if he could learn a thing or two from it.

But to his disappointment, the giant eye disappeared as quickly as it appeared. It managed to look at him for a brief second before shriveling up and decaying. And as Steven expected, Cedric himself had no idea what caused this to happen.

From his point of view, he was looking forward to learning what that massive eye could do only for it to decay and its user to suddenly collapse on the ground, writhing in pain.

And so, he was stuck here, waiting for his opponent to recover out of strange mercy.

When he finally did, Cedric received a nasty glare from him filled with resentment and hate.

Cedric frowned and said, "Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t ask you to use that on me. Besides, I have no idea what happened either."

The Overseer aggressively wiped the blood off his face and spat to the side. He didn’t say anything because he couldn’t and because it’s the truth.

Dawnbringer didn’t provoke him into using the eye. What happened was all his fault, not Dawnbringer’s. And that’s what made him feel even more bitter about this.