He knows!
Otto knows everything!
The moment she heard the name "Kevin Kaslana," all the color drained from Raven's face. She was far too familiar with that name—Kevin was her direct superior, the boss of World Serpent.
Otto had just called out the existence of both Kevin and World Serpent.
Raven's hand subconsciously shot toward her body, seeking a weapon, but she only felt the curve of her own hip. It was then she remembered she had been stripped bare, with nothing left on her person.
She couldn't force her way out.
In her current state, even if she escaped this room, Schicksal would capture her with ease.
The only viable option was to seize the Overseer before her and take him hostage. But only a fool would believe that Otto, appearing before her so openly, had no backup plan. The moment she made a move, she would surely be suppressed instantly by a hidden Valkyrie.
Compared to having her head forced down by a Valkyrie, Raven chose to maintain the current standoff.
She stared at Otto, who still wore an expression of detached calm.
As expected of Schicksal's Overseer.
She had no path of escape. He had her by the throat, completely and utterly.
Raven set the pillow aside and sat up straight. The fragile demeanor from moments ago vanished, replaced by a sharp, dangerous aura. Her magenta eyes, now like those of a serpent, were locked onto Otto.
She wasn't going to pretend anymore. Any further deception was pointless.
She made no move to cover her body. As a mercenary who lived on the edge, she wouldn't fuss over such a trivial matter.
Although, her stomach felt a little cold. The room's temperature was a bit low, and a constant chill pricked at her skin.
Raven knew this was her own fear manifesting, a dread that crept into her like the cold itself.
After a moment of hesitation, she pulled the pillow back into her arms. In this vast room, only it could offer her a sliver of warmth.
"As expected of Schicksal's Overseer."
Her voice was cool and tinged with arrogance as she forced herself to calm down.
"Exactly how much do you know?"
Otto's expression didn't change, though Raven's sudden shift in attitude had startled him. To conceal his own psychological pressure, he spoke with feigned ease.
"I know a great deal. I know of Kevin. I know of World Serpent. I know of Gray Serpent, of Jackal, and of the pink elf within the Elysian Realm."
"I also know about you, Ms. Raven of World Serpent."
"Or perhaps, I should call you Ms. Cioara?"
It was true. Otto's knowledge of World Serpent was terrifyingly thorough; he even knew her real name and about the Elysian Realm.
Right now, Raven wanted nothing more than to spit a mouthful of blood in Jackal's face. This was the "stupid and ignorant" Schicksal Overseer that Jackal had described?
Jackal, you dumb bitch!
Raven felt like Schicksal had probably dug up their entire family trees, all the way back to their ancestors.
When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. That saying was truly correct. While World Serpent spied on Schicksal from the shadows, Schicksal had been spying right back.
The thought that all her actions had been under Schicksal's watch sent a shiver down her spine.
"So, what does the great Overseer of Schicksal want, bringing a weak woman like me to a place like this?"
Raven's mind raced. The fact that Otto was giving her a chance to speak meant he wanted something from her.
The last words her brother spoke to her before he died were "survive." That was her creed. No matter what, she had to live. No one could take her life from her.
Not even Schicksal!
"Naturally, I wish to spend a wonderful night with a beautiful lady such as yourself. It would surely be a marvelous thing to be the one and only special episode in your life," Otto joked. Making a joke in this situation was the perfect way to project an aura of complete control.
I'd believe a ghost before I believed you!
Raven pursed her lips in disdain. Otto's asceticism was common knowledge. Schicksal had no shortage of beauties, yet he had never made a move on any of them, proving the man had no worldly desires.
She could never have imagined that the Otto before her was, in fact, a completely different person.
"All roses have thorns. A man of your stature, my Lord Overseer, should be careful not to prick his fingers."
"Don't worry," Otto said with a smile. "In any case, it's the rose that bleeds, not the forearm."
He had no intention of dwelling on this topic, which was already straying off course. Any further and the chapter might get itself deleted.
"Ms. Raven."
"Ditch World Serpent. Come work for me at Schicksal."
"Huh?" Raven's mouth fell open. She hadn't expected him to try and poach her. "Why?" she asked instinctively.
"Because I believe you are an exceptional woman. A place like World Serpent is not suitable for you."
"Come to Schicksal, and you will receive benefits far superior to anything World Serpent can offer."
Otto was headhunting. He knew that Raven felt no real sense of belonging to World Serpent. She only stayed with them because she had nowhere else to go and because they paid well.
But when it came to money, Schicksal had plenty.
It was only now that Otto realized being the Overseer wasn't all bad. He was currently one of the richest men in the world.
Even a limited gacha banner with a 300-pull pity, he could whale through with a snap of his fingers.
"You know what my benefits are at World Serpent?" Raven couldn't help but ask, trying to probe just how much Schicksal knew.
"I do not."
"However, I can add a zero to the end of that number," Otto stated flatly.
Raven was stunned by his sheer financial might.
When he said he didn't know her salary, he was clearly telling her to name her price. After all, Schicksal had no way of verifying if what she said was true.
"Ms. Raven, I will give you time to consider. Please, do not disappoint me."
A smile touched Otto's lips. The index finger of his left hand began to tap gently on the Seven Thunders, filling the room with a rhythmic tap, tap, tap.
To Raven, it felt as if each tap landed directly on her heart, like the ticking of a bomb's timer. The countdown had begun. When it stopped, it would be time for her to give Otto her answer.
So, should she agree?
Otto shifted his gaze away from Raven, letting out an internal sigh of relief. He had successfully stalled for time. Now he just had to hold out until Schicksal found him.
Phew, finally got her stabilized.
Of course, it would be even better if Raven actually agreed. Once she was on Schicksal's home turf, wouldn't this long-legged Raven be his to knead and shape as he pleased?
As for breaking his promise... please. You actually dared to trust Otto's integrity?
He chuckled softly, feeling himself starting to settle into the role of Overseer.
However, a thought crossed his mind.
When he returned to Schicksal, could he perhaps hand over the position of Overseer to someone else and slip away?
He quickly dismissed the idea. Holding power was the safest option. Self-preservation required strength. No matter how safe a hiding place he found, there was always a chance he could be discovered.
The people who wanted him dead were all top-tier figures in this world; he could not afford to underestimate them.
Besides, if he wasn't the Overseer, wouldn't the next in line be Theresa? And if Theresa became the Overseer, wasn't Schicksal completely doomed?
The moment Schicksal collapsed, he'd be dragged out and sent to the guillotine.
Abandoning such unrealistic fantasies, he concluded that the only way to live safely was to secure his position as the Overseer of Schicksal.
He had no desire to be some pathetic wretch sent to the chopping block.
With that, he looked at the system panel only he could see. To forge steel, one must be strong oneself. He would have to rely on the system to enhance his own power.
But this system was a real piece of work, throwing him into such a dangerous situation right off the bat. What if the Seven Thunders had been at World Serpent HQ? Would he have been forced to make a home delivery?
"System, how can you use someone else's property as a reward? That's robbery!" Otto condemned the system's actions in his mind.
[Please watch your words, Host. It was you who asked this system for assistance in retrieving the reward. This system will not take the blame.]
[If you do not wish for system-managed retrieval, you may retrieve rewards yourself in the future.]
Otto paused. He vaguely recalled the system asking if he needed help, and he had agreed. But how was he supposed to know "help" meant hijacking his body to go commit armed robbery?!
"The things in your supply gacha... don't tell me I have to steal all of them from other people?"
If the system was really like that, then wasn't it complete trash?
As the Overseer of Schicksal, was there anything he couldn't obtain through force? Why would he need to win it in a gacha just to go steal it anyway?
[Divine Keys are a special case. If the Host can provide or draw a Herrscher Core, this system can manufacture a Divine Key for you.]
"Oh? A Herrscher Core, you can draw that too?"
[Yes.]
"And that... do I have to go dig it out of someone?"
[That will not be necessary.]
"So... can I actually pull one?"
[With the Host's current luck, it is advised you stay far away from Fu Hua—the Unlucky Chieftain—before attempting to pull.]
"Well, that's not bad."
The later stages of the Honkai world were a battle of gods. The meta revolved around the Herrschers who could fly, teleport, and cook with fire.
If he had twelve Herrscher Cores, who could possibly threaten him?!
Even Kevin would have to shout "Long live Schicksal!" for him.
Thus, Otto summoned the mission panel. A standard supply pull cost 280 Crystals, and a friendship supply pull cost 200 Friendship Points. He currently had neither and needed to complete missions to get crystals.
He paid no mind to the friendship supply.
Friendship supply was garbage. Not even dogs would pull on that banner.
[Daily Mission]
[Hold hands with any Valkyrie for five minutes. Reward: 100 Crystals. Status: Incomplete.]
[Main Story Missions (Must be completed within 180 days of activation, or they will be considered failed)]
[1. Capture a core member of either Anti-Entropy or World Serpent. Reward: Schicksal's 2nd Generation God-Machine Armor Design Core. Failure Penalty: Anti-Entropy's Titan technology will achieve a major breakthrough.]
[2. Kill Cocolia. Reward: A method to open a gate to the Sea of Quanta at will. Failure Penalty: Schicksal will randomly lose one Herrscher Gem.]
[3. Have a Herrscher under Schicksal's command (requires Herrscher Core awakening). Reward: A new, enhanced body. Failure Penalty: You will turn into a girl.]
Oh?
Otto's eyebrow shot up. These main story missions came with penalties for failure?
And these penalties were quite severe, all of them weakening Schicksal while strengthening other organizations.
But...
Turn into a girl? System, you have to be joking, right?