The next morning, sunlight spilled across the packed dirt road as Will resumed his travels. He had joined yet another merchant caravan - another group of traders who thought they were the heavenly lords,
the caravan was moving along the long route toward the imperial capital.
As usual, he paid a few silver coins and recited the same crafted tale of losing his adoptive parents and wishing to reunite with relatives.
Adults always softened at this story. Pity made them lower their guard. And Will needed people to lower their guard.
His true goal lay ahead - The Imperial Capital at the heart of the Riverdale Empire.
The place where countless villains, prodigies, and future major characters roamed. If Will wanted to place binders efficiently, this was going to be the prime hunting ground.
"System, open the shop and show me the cost of a binder."
A crisp ding echoed in his mind.
[System Binder
Cost: 1,000,000 SP]
Will clicked his tongue. "You're really a capitalist at heart. Looks like I'll have to wait for the free privilege to reset."
He required two weeks before the system shop's free monthly purchase returned. Until then, heading to the capital and establishing a foothold was the best he could do.
"System, show me my status."
DING !!
----------
Name: William
Race: Human
Age: 12
Rank: Unawakened
Talent: Unawakened
Affinities: Unawakened
Skills/Techniques: N.A
Current SP: 57
-----------------
"I really require missions," Will muttered. "I'm broke."
[don't worry host. the mission count is low because the main storyline hasn't officially begun yet. focus on reaching and settling into the imperial capital for now]
Will sighed and nodded. His fingers brushed the pendant beneath his shirt, the blue amulet with the dragon insignia. The thought crossed his mind again:
Should I go to House Draconia?
His grandfather had once served there. Based on the letter, the lord of Draconia might help him.
But Will immediately shook the idea away.
"No. Not yet."
The Draconia clan was one of the strongest in the empire, they were descendants of dragons themselves.
Arrogant. Proud. Violent. And one of the main cast members in the story belonged to the draconia house, which made them even more troublesome.
Will furrowed his brows.
How did grandpa survive among them for thirty years?
He wasn't foolish enough to step into that lion's den unprepared. Not when he was powerless, unawakened, and barely scraping by with less than 60 SP.
He needed to earn money in the capital for the next two years—until awakening day. His savings, though decent for a village life, would evaporate in a single year in the capital where everything was outrageously expensive.
And before awakening, he needed to stay discreet. Hidden. Invisible. And place as many binders as possible.
"System," he said, gathering his thoughts, "show me all items that can help me earn money while I'm in the capital."
[understood]
A long list began materializing in front of him—items, skills, tools, and opportunities. Will leaned forward, analyzing everything with sharp eyes.
he had two years to get a strong foot hold.
***
A Week Later — Opera Town
The lord's manor was drowning in tension.
"But my lord, that's impossible!" a knight shouted, voice cracking with disbelief. "There has been no movement from demonic cults in this region! Not even a warning from the capital, Opera Town has been peaceful!"
He was the captain of the town's knight guard, loyal and diligent, yet visibly shaken. Across from him sat a refined middle-aged man in elegant noble robes, seated stiffly on a plush sofa. His expression was grave, unease clung to him like a second skin.
He was the lord of Opera Town.
Beside him sat two cloaked figures.
One radiated such an overwhelming aura that even breathing in his presence felt like a sin.
"I understand your doubt," the lord said quietly, eyes fixed on his knight. "But I am not acting on a whim."
He slowly gestured toward the cloaked figure at his side.
"The Sword Saint himself delivered the warning."
The captain froze. His voice died instantly.
Since childhood, he had grown up hearing tales of the Sword Saint—how he carved through demonic hordes, how he stood unshaken against abyssal tides, how he was revered as a godlike savior of the continent.
And now… he was sitting in the same room.
The cloaked man raised his head slightly.
Golden eyes—sharp, ancient, deadly—glistened beneath the hood.
Sword Saint Klaus.
A living legend. A monster in human skin. A man capable of splitting mountains with a single casual swing.
When he spoke, his voice was calm yet heavy with power.
"I do not often involve myself in matters of governance," Klaus said. "But a divine warning is never to be ignored. Opera Town is in danger."
The town lord forced down a tremor. "May I… ask who the seer was? To receive a divine message is..."
"I fear you cannot," Klaus cut him off gently. "It is beyond your authority."
If only the man knew the truth - that not even Klaus fully understood the origin of the warning. That even he could not peer into the mystery behind the strange divine butterfly and its heavenly scroll.
The lord exhaled shakily. There was no arguing now.
"The words of the Sword Saint cannot be dismissed," he said solemnly. "If you truly believe a calamity is approaching, then I will—"
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A deafening explosion tore through the town.
The entire room shook violently. Dust rained from the ceiling. The windows shattered in an instant, sending glass scattering across the floor. The ground trembled as if something colossal had slammed into Opera Town's heart.
Screams erupted outside.
The air filled with the thick, suffocating stench of demonic mana.
Klaus's head snapped toward the window. His aura erupted like a blade ripping through the air, sharp and suffocating. Beside him, his shadow-like right-hand man, Brian, vanished instantly—already rushing to intercept whatever horror had descended.
Klaus looked at the disoriented town lord.
"It seems the calamity has arrived earlier than expected," he said coldly. "And its scale is something I cannot contain alone."
He stepped forward, sword intent humming violently.
"Send an emergency transmission to the capital. Inform them - a Tier-4 disaster has struck."
The town lord's eyes widened in utter horror.
"T–Tier 4…?!"
He didn't waste another breath. He turned and sprinted through the manor halls, racing toward the reinforced basement. There, suspended in midair above an altar, glowed a large communication crystal - reserved only for the gravest of emergencies like wars or colossal beast tides.
Hands trembling, he activated it.
What message he was about to send…would shake the entire continent.
This moment - would mark the beginning of the story "Saga of the God Slayer" .