Chapter Seventy-Four: The Next Step

"Seeing how cooperative you are, I'll tell you," said one of the bounty hunters. As Darm handed out cigarettes, each of them took one and began explaining the legend of the Void God, their voices overlapping in the smoky haze.

After listening, Darm's expression was nothing short of spectacular, and the other guards’ faces mirrored his amazement. "What does he look like?" Darm asked, needing confirmation.

"His true appearance is unknown, but this is the form he usually takes," replied a hunter as he displayed an image. "He entered the bounty world just over three months ago, and already he's become a legend—an undisputed myth."

"His name is now spread across every planet in the galaxy," another added. "We came here hoping to catch a glimpse of him, maybe even establish some connection."

"If you manage even the smallest link, the benefits are immense," someone said, finishing his cigarette. "Alright, that's it for us. We're heading to the Bounty Bar for news, see whether the rumors are true or not."

"If the news turns out to be false, I’ll make sure the rumor-monger pays," promised another, as the group departed, leaving behind the projected image.

Darm stood, replaying the vision of the figure clad in a suit of armor with purple and gold accents and a golden mask, his mind reeling. He recalled what this man, named Kassadin, had once said: if Darm ever heard of his fame in the future and needed something, he should seek him out. Darm hadn’t taken it seriously then—after all, glory was not so easily forged. He never expected that in just a few short months, the name Kassadin would echo throughout the galaxy.

"Darm, I think we really did meet that guy," one of his fellow guards remarked, seeing Darm frozen as if his mind had crashed.

"Kassadin... Kassadin, I remember now," Darm murmured. "Isn’t that the kind of name that belongs to someone remarkable?"

"Looks like your chance has come," another said, almost giddy. "If you have a goal, go to him—maybe he’ll help you achieve it."

"Something that would take us a lifetime might be just a word for someone like him," said another, even more excited than Darm.

"That may be true, but Kassadin might have forgotten me already. He certainly seemed like someone important," Darm replied, refusing to let excitement cloud his judgment.

"Still, you have to try, don’t you?" someone encouraged.

"Maybe he’ll remember you, and with just a little help, you could leave behind the ordinary life of a guard," another pressed. "Didn’t you hear those bounty hunters? Kassadin’s net worth is at least three billion now."

"Three billion! We earn only fifteen thousand a month at this job," a guard exclaimed, calculating with his fingers. "To earn that much, we’d have to work... hundreds of thousands of years!"

"You’ll never know if you don’t try," another said. "We’d like to try ourselves, but we don’t even have the opportunity. Darm, do you really want to be a guard forever?"

His colleagues encouraged him, urging him to seize the chance. Having worked together for years, they knew the guard’s job was easy but offered little advancement—only a few ever got promoted to better positions with higher pay.

"Alright, I’ll give it a try," Darm finally decided, seeing their enthusiastic support. If life offered a turning point, who wouldn’t want to grasp it and soar to the heights of wealth and freedom? Even if Kassadin didn’t remember him, at least he would have tried.

"If you succeed, don’t forget us—pull us along," said one.

"Yeah, Darm, don’t forget your brothers," chimed another.

"I haven’t succeeded yet, why do you all act as if I already have?" Darm responded, bemused. But if Kassadin was still on Sandal Star, it wouldn’t be hard to find his residence.

Darm accessed the guard information system, checking Kassadin’s records. He discovered that Kassadin had arrived more than three months ago and had never left the city since. His last registered location was the Elite Hotel.

This gave Darm a sense of defeat—the Elite Hotel was a place he wouldn’t dare stay for even a day. Kassadin, whom Darm had thought was at his lowest, had checked in there as soon as he entered the city.

Having gathered the information, Darm resolved to visit, hoping it might bring a turning point in his life.

※※※※※※

Meanwhile—

In just over two months, Harvey had completed one hundred and fourteen secondary-level bounty missions. The final disaster-type mission earned him a total wealth of three point two billion. While not an astronomical sum, it was more than enough for his needs.

In those two months, he had evolved seventy-six times, bringing his total evolution count to a staggering four hundred and fifty-seven. Without more disaster-type missions, his evolution would slow considerably. But with his current strength, unless he encountered some unreasonable opponent from the Marvel Universe, he could easily protect himself.

If he were pushed to the brink by a formidable enemy, he would resort to consuming iron, steel, and even vibranium, however torturous the process might be.

Most importantly, his reputation had spread throughout the galaxy, allowing him to begin preparing for his next phase.

First, he would sow the seeds of the Void throughout the universe. Once he acquired more hero templates and grew stronger, he would spread the Void across Blue Star as well.

It was July 2009. There was about a year left until the explosive emergence of superheroes on Blue Star in 2011. He still had enough time to strengthen himself.

"Kassadin, welcome back. Your fruit tea is ready," Sonya said with a smile as Kassadin returned.

After months together, she still didn’t know exactly what Kassadin did, but he now told her how long he would be away. So whenever he was about to return, she prepared whatever he might need.

"Sonya, I’m preparing to leave this place," Harvey said, reclining on a sun lounger and sipping his drink.

Since he was moving to the next step, he couldn’t remain at the Elite Hotel. He needed to purchase a large tract of land and build—or buy—a mansion of his own, so he could freely alter its structure, act as he pleased, and make himself easier to find.

Sonya was momentarily stunned by his words. "Kassadin, you’ve stayed here for more than three months," she said softly. "I’ve been very happy to serve you."

But she quickly suppressed her surprise, standing quietly with her smile unchanged. Regardless of how she felt about this time, she was, after all, just a villa manager at the Elite Hotel, and Kassadin was a guest. Parting was inevitable.