Footsteps echoed in the air.

    Even though Seong could see it clearly, he couldn’t tell if the figure was a man, a woman, an old person, or a child.

    There was nothing discernible about it.

    All he could perceive was its undeniable existence.

    As for its true nature? He could discern nothing.

    When the entity appeared and turned its head, Seong felt a sudden and inexplicable sensation—like their eyes had met.

    "Can it see me?"

    The thought flashed through his mind for a moment.

    The entity then glanced in his direction, scanning the heavens and its surroundings.

    As expected, it was nothing more than a coincidence.

    The being, having surveyed its surroundings, muttered with a tone of pity.

    "Fiora, so you ended up like this too. You should have accepted it when ■■■■■ offered."

    In the voice filled with regret and sorrow, Seong involuntarily noticed the forlorn look in the entity’s eyes.

    But that was all.

    The being placed a note on Fiora’s completely burned remains, now reduced to ashes, and muttered again.

    "I’ll be waiting at the Dark Citadel. If the successor you’ve all long awaited finally arrives, deliver this message."

    As the being’s words echoed, the fractured space seemed to tremble, and the entire garden swayed.

    Then the being spoke once more.

    "If you wish to carry on the Overlord’s legacy, come to the Dark Citadel. Until then, I shall not acknowledge any successor."

    With those words, the entity vanished without a trace.

    How it had appeared in this isolated, severed space—or how it disappeared—remained a mystery.

    But from what Seong had seen, he was able to realize one thing.

    "So this is the start of the main quest."

    It was the prologue of the main quest.

    Not long after the entity’s final words, Seong was able to return to his original world.

    At the end of the dungeon, Seong read the note left behind and saw a new system message appear.

    [The exclusive 『Overlord』 quest and main quest, 『Entrance to the Dark Citadel』, has been generated.]

    "So, it’s a search quest first."

    The entrance to the Dark Citadel.

    Was it that the entrance couldn’t be found yet, or was the quest demanding that he locate the entrance first?

    As curiosity sparked within him, the quest window finally opened.

    The contents of the note were recorded in the quest log.

    『Entrance to the Dark Citadel』

    Type: Main QuestDetails:

    Long ago, after the death of the Overlord, the Overlord’s followers formed an organization known as the Overpalace.

    However, not all of the Overlord’s subordinates joined forces.

    Some chose a different path, led by the Overlord’s former disciple.

    Perhaps recognizing that they could never reconcile, these individuals withdrew into the shadows, living quietly in the darkness, unseen by others.

    And now, you have discovered a note left by one of them.

    "If you have found this note, you must be Fiora’s reincarnation—the successor to our Lord.

    Although the Overpalace may not acknowledge you, we cannot deny you without offering a chance. To do so would be a great dishonor to our Lord.

    Thus, we pass on this message to you, the unnamed successor:

    Seek me out. Come to the Dark Citadel.

    Our Lord’s legacy awaits there."

    Currently, the note is the only clue.

    You must find the entrance to the Dark Citadel.

    Although you could ignore this quest, you feel strongly that doing so would be a grave mistake.

    Find the entrance to the Dark Citadel.

    Quest Type: Exclusive Main Quest for Overlord Class.Reward: Unlocks the next quest in the chain.Failure: Loss of the main quest, along with some exclusive Overlord skills and items.

    It was quite lengthy.

    But to summarize:

    "In short, they left something important and told me to come find it."

    The note and quest were rather unkind in their guidance.

    Still, he couldn’t just leave it be.

    Since the note was the key, Seong carefully folded it and placed it in his inventory.

    For now, it was a clue he couldn’t act on.

    Seong turned his thoughts to those around him.

    Helena’s memories were out of the question for now. Not all of them were accessible, and some were locked.

    It seemed his abilities were still insufficient to fully unlock Helena’s vast memories.

    "Helena would be incredibly useful right now, but..."

    Seeing as she still hadn’t awakened, there was no telling when—or if—that might change.

    That left two others to consult: Fiora and Valtar.

    Seong turned to the two and asked.

    "Do either of you know where the Dark Citadel is?"

    "Oh ho, the Dark Citadel. It has been a long time since I’ve heard that name," Valtar mused.

    "Ah, the Dark Citadel...! Lord Helena’s garden was part of the Dark Citadel! It’s separate now, but..." Fiora stammered.

    "Oh?"

    Surprisingly, they answered immediately.

    Seong began to think he might reach the location sooner than expected.

    However, their explanations took a disappointing turn.

    "Unfortunately," Valtar continued, "after Lady Helena’s passing, her followers, including myself, were scattered and torn apart. I do not know what became of the Dark Citadel."

    "I—I don’t know either," Fiora added. "I only know it was relocated from the original space...."

    The two looked visibly disheartened by their inability to provide more information.

    That wouldn’t take much—just one click in the Immortal system.

    But the real issue was:

    "If Seong complains, we’re doomed..."

    Lee Won-sang quickly looked up previous instances of Epic-tier skill errors and their compensation policies.

    The result left him in despair.

    "The same skill must be provided as compensation...."

    Unfortunately, this was a Legendary-tier skill.

    Lee Won-sang hung his head low.

    If only Oh Jin-hyuk had reported it a little sooner, they might have been able to block Seong from accessing the treasury rewards.

    The sound of grinding teeth came from Lee Won-sang once again.

    "Eek!"

    "Haaah... Alright, I’ll submit the compensation request. It’s Legendary-tier, after all..."

    "B-But what if he still complains...?"

    "...Then we’ll have to offer additional rewards. If it were me, I’d complain too. So don’t just give one Legendary-tier item. Include extra rewards."

    His stomach felt like it was turning inside out.

    No, it really was.

    He was having a stomach spasm.

    Even though his insides burned, Lee Won-sang couldn’t do much about it.

    If he didn’t clean up this mess, things would only get worse.

    And then came another headache.

    "So the main quest has started now."

    It was a relief in some ways.

    At least they could buy some time with the main quest. Unlike side content, the main quest didn’t usually have hidden exploits.

    Seong was only getting what he was supposed to receive.

    Additionally, they had temporarily restrained the Hero faction by reducing Overpalace restrictions. This limited the heroes’ ability to move freely as a group.

    While individual heroes could still act, they were unlikely to make reckless moves against Seong.

    Lee Won-sang clung to that thin shred of hope.

    Even though his stomach still churned, he felt marginally better.

    Or did he?

    Just as he tried to get up from his seat, an urgent notification appeared on his screen from a colleague in a neighboring department.

    What could it be?

    He hoped it wasn’t anything major—but of course, it wouldn’t be.

    As he checked the message, his face went pale.

    [URGENT! Hero descendant Luke and Sage descendant Plinky discovered clues related to the “Dark Citadel.” Confirmed as an Overlord-related location. They plan to investigate. Requesting Overlord-side confirmation.]

    "Dark Citadel?"

    He was sure he’d just seen that term somewhere.

    Oh, right—just a moment ago.

    "??????"

    With a blank expression, he glanced at Seong’s quest window.

    Main Quest: Entrance to the Dark Citadel.

    And now, Hero Luke had found clues pointing to the same place?

    Would the two collide?

    For a moment, Lee Won-sang’s mind blanked as he stared at the screen.

    Then, he bolted out of his chair, rushing toward Team Leader Ji Hye-jeong’s office.

    He nearly tripped on the way but managed to regain his balance and burst into her office.

    Ji Hye-jeong, already wearing a grim expression, looked up as he breathlessly reported.

    "H-Hero Luke plans to head to the Dark Citadel."

    "The Dark Citadel? Suddenly?"

    "And Seong’s main quest has just begun..."

    "No way!"

    When she saw Lee Won-sang nod, confirming the worst, Ji Hye-jeong closed her eyes and picked up the internal phone.

    A loud, hearty laugh came from the other end as the rugged face of Deputy Manager Lee Jae-kyung appeared on the screen.

    "Deputy Manager Lee... We need to mobilize Overpalace."

    "Hahaha! I knew this would happen. Alright, initiate the second phase of Overpalace restriction lifts!"

    As if the worst had already begun, Lee Won-sang and Ji Hye-jeong closed their eyes.

    In the end, Overpalace was on the move.

    "...Do you think everything will be okay?"

    "...I really hope so."

    The reply was not an assurance, merely a personal hope.

    Yet, for some reason, Ji Hye-jeong found that hope to sound more cruel than comforting.