Liam woke up to a quiet morning, sat up and pulled the System screen into view.
[EVOLUTION SYSTEM – PLAYER: LIAM VELMONT]
Main Class: None
Sub-Class: Combatant
Level: 0.25
Authority: None
HP: 200 | MP: 250 | STA: 300
STATS
• STR: 35 • AGI: 30
• CS: 20 • PRC: 35
• Stat Points Available: 5
Skills:
• Regeneration
Inventory: None
There were a few new updates as a result of his previous fight with Narak. His level had increased, and with it, his core values; Health, Stamina, Mana. However, the most striking change, though, was the appearance of a new skill: [Regeneration].
His hand brushed against the spot where Yugo had driven a blade through his chest. No scar. No mark. Not even the faintest memory etched into his skin. The skill worked retroactively; it had erased the wound completely.
"Right," Liam muttered. "So this is probably why I didn't die that night?."
He then decide to allocate the five free stat points: three into Strength, two into Agility.
[STR: 35 → 38]
[AGI: 30 → 32]
His limbs tingled and strength surged in his arms. His steps also felt lighter, quicker. Like a game, the system boosted its player each time said player achieved a goal, reached a check point or defeated an enemy.
He stood before his cracked mirror and stared. He had the same face, same black eyes ,but something about the reflection looked sharper now. His physique was also turning out really differently, that one would assume that Liam had started visiting the gym.
If he kept climbing in power this way, he could even start challenging Heavy weights really soon. This would be enough to settle student loans, and set he and Yaela up. It reeked of small-thinking but it was his goal as of this point nonetheless.
Still, one question haunted him. "What happens if I don't eliminate the target?"
Every time he entered combat, that prompt appeared. Eliminate the threat. He then decides that tonight he would test it.
"I'll beat the enemy into a submission and see how the system reacts". Liam said to himself.
...
Garene Grey stormed down a sleek corridor of the USOV's Michigan branch. His charcoal suit clung tight against his stiff frame as his shoes tapped against polished floors and behind him, a man in thin-rimmed glasses tried to keep pace. Grey entered his office without a word and went to his seat to attend to an Analyst that had been waiting on him.
"Tell me you have a damn explanation," Grey snapped. "Why are we seeing B to A-class monster threats popping up in multiple Michigan sectors?"
"None yet, sir," the man replied.
Grey stared. "Then why are you here?"
"The weapons," the analyst answered. "They're ready for deployment."
"Good. Test them with the right operatives. You may leave."
The door hissed shut. A beat passed before it opened again. In walked a woman, she was slim, pale-skinned, wearing black tactical gear with a face cap and dark lipstick. She looked like someone pulled from an assassin dossier. Her name was Quinn.
Grey's tone shifted slightly. "You don't show unless you have something. What is it?"
Quinn didn't waste time. "Do you remember the name Velmont?"
Grey was taken aback a bit and then said. "Shouldn't that name be lost to time? What does it have to do with anything now?"
"I was scanning high-energy sectors across Detroit. Low-tier zones. Magic activity levels spiked around an Undercity arena," Quinn said. "That's where I heard the name, Liam Velmont."
Grey stared at her. "That's impossible."
"I thought so too. But I'm certain. I heard it clearly."
Grey turned toward the window. His voice dropped. "That name shouldn't exist. No one should be able to bear it. We need to bring him in immediately. I want him here."
When the gods and their families integrated with humanity, the family heads came together and invoked their divine power to establish three absolute rules.
Rule One: The true name of a god cannot be used by anyone outside their bloodline.
Rule Two: No creature, born of a human can kill or bring harm to a god.
Rule Three: [Unknown]
No one outside the divine families knows the third rule. It's never been recorded, never spoken publicly. Even the most elite factions only speculate about it, and none have ever confirmed its content.
What's known is that these rules are not just regular laws, they weren't moral guidelines or traditions; they were hardwired into reality. You can't break them. You can't even think about breaking them without reality pushing back.
...
Later that night, Liam approached the Midnight Circuit's hidden entry. Hood up, backpack slung low. He was just a few steps from the entrance when a fleet of black SUVs screeched into the alley, boxing him in. The sound of the engines died doors swung open. Grey stepped out and Quinn followed behind him.
"Liam Velmont?" Grey asked.
Liam turned, eyes narrowed. "What the hell is this?"
Grey spoke plainly. "My name is Garene Grey, Director of the USOV and you need to come with us."
The moment Grey mentioned the USOV, Liam understood exactly who he was dealing with. This was practically the government.
"I've got something I need to handle," Liam said, his voice steady.
"The Midnight Circuit?" Grey asked, already knowing. "Yeah, it's been shut down for now."
As a visor, he could sense it immediately, Grey's mana was dense, refined and not at the level he could deal with and so was the woman's behind him, the one in all black. Their presence told him everything. Both were stronger than he was by far and therefore there was no need to resist.
Liam lowered his head slightly, slid his hands out of his pockets, and stepped forward. "Alright. Let's go."
...
The USOV Michigan headquarters was cold, clean, and intimidatingly silent. Liam sat across from Grey in a glass-walled office, whereas Quinn and the Director's assistant stood behind him.
Liam crossed his arms. "So, can we get to the part where you tell me why I was abducted?"
Grey didn't flinch. "You ever heard the Rules of the Gods?"
Liam nodded. "One—no human can bear a god's true name unless they're from that family. Two—humans can't harm gods. No one knows the third rule."
Grey at this point then stood and walked toward the window.
"Long ago, what you know as the thirteen divine family heads was never just thirteen," Grey began, turning from the window. "There were fourteen. Fourteen gods, each with a distinct form of power, but before any of them began procreating, even before the first bastard child was born, one of them vanished."
Liam frowned. "Vanished?"
"Ceased to exist," Grey clarified. "History doesn't record how. No texts, but we know the Fourteenth was named Velmont."
That name landed heavy. Liam's eyes narrowed, confusion cutting through his face.
"I don't understand," he said.
Grey continued. "The Rules, the ones the gods left behind aren't just some constitution, they're reality-binding. Humans like us cannot conceive in our minds to bear their true names as ours. We also can't name your child after a god. You can't nickname yourself after one. Our minds literally reject it."
He turned fully to face Liam now. "But you? You casually walk around with the name of a god lost to history. Velmont . A name that should be impossible to bear."
Liam sat back. His voice was low, almost bitter. "You said there's no record of this god, no evidence, but somehow you're certain his name was Velmont? And if that's true, wouldn't that mean I'm some kind of god? Or a demigod? but you've already sensed my mana quality. Do I feel like a god to you?"
Grey glanced at Quinn, then nodded. "You're right. It makes no sense. Nothing about your presence exudes that distinct quality. No family head-level mana, we wouldn't even be able to stand before you if you were. But the name, that we're sure of. We have our means."
He paused.
"This name meant nothing until our operative here, Quinn, found you," Grey said. "She was investigating different sectors across the city, checking for any sudden or abnormal spikes in magic energy activity. That's when she came across your trail."
Grey walked slowly to the far side of the room.
"New York has the highest density of mythical beasts in the U.S. Why? Because one of the existing Family Heads lives there. The main family branch is also there as well. We believe the same is happening here now. The sudden spike and rise of monsters here in Michigan... this is my guess but there's a probability they're reacting to you"