.Liam's fingers traced a single glowing point on the projection.
"'Awakener' is just a general term for people like me, those who have gone to the Warp dimension," he explained. "But in actuality, we are all called Lords."
Mize's brows furrowed slightly.
"So once you enter the Warp… you become a Lord?"
"Exactly," Liam nodded. "When you first arrive, you're randomly assigned to a specific area. Usually, this means the outer edges of our human race controlled territory"
"This also means that we would be bordering against our sweet neighbouring territories, and the same rules of their new lords applied to them too"
Mize hummed in thought.
"And then what?"
"You're given a plot of land and a territory path to build your power" Liam continued, shifting the projection to show various landscapes, forests, deserts, fortresses, and vast cities.
Mize's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Ohhh, that makes sense!" he exclaimed. "No wonder you have so many weird workers! They're your territory's troops, right?!"
Liam chuckled.
"Not quite," he corrected. "I'm a Summoner. We can't bring troops back from the Warp into the real world."
Mize blinked.
"Wait… so they're not your troops?"
"Profession-wise," Liam shrugged. "They're my summoned creatures."
"It's different than the territory path"
Mize processed that for a moment before nodding, filing that information away for later.
Liam continued.
"There are many types of Lords in the world, both within the human race and among the other races in the Warp. For example"
He counted off on his fingers.
"Dungeon Lords, sword Lords, Cultivator Lords, Farming Lords, Technological Lords, Business Lords, Summoning Lords, or what I can say is that, everything and even elements can become a path of the lord"
"Wait... wait, there's actually a Farming Lord?!"
Liam nodded.
"Yes. And every Lord has a profession tied to them. Some even take on multiple professions after the awakening, though mastering more than one is… difficult."
Mize's eyes sparkled.
"That's so cool!" He clasped his hands together, leaning forward with excitement. "Then I want to become a Dungeon Lord! And, I want a Summoning Profession too!"
Liam sighed, rubbing the top of Mize's head from across the table.
"It's not that easy," he said.
Mize pouted.
"Why not?"
Liam smirked, enjoying the slight pout before answering.
"If you want to become a Dungeon Lord, you're going to need an astronomical amount of money. It's a long-term investment, which is why so many people avoid this path."
Mize blinked once.
Then twice.
And then.
"But… I have you... As my wallet."
Liam's eye twitched.
"..."
A moment of silence stretched between them.
Then.
"…Well," Liam exhaled, face completely deadpan, "that's true."
Mize beamed victoriously.
Liam continued, his voice returning to its usual smooth cadence.
"Awakeners don't actually use a Dungeon Lord's services," he said. "Think about it, why would a Lord, someone who can grow stronger on their own, ever rely on someone else's dungeon?"
Mize tilted his head slightly, beginning to think.
Liam tapped another point on the projection, shifting the map to show populated cities inside the Warp.
"There are native humans in the Warp," he explained. "Countless times more than the number of people we have on our planet."
Mize's eyes widened slightly.
"And there are also other races."
Liam's gaze turned sharp.
"Those… are your real customers."
Mize nodded slowly, processing everything.
Then.
"Wait."
His head shot up.
"Then how do Lords actually get stronger?"
"There are multiple ways," Liam said smoothly, "but the most common one? Upgrading the heart of the territory."
Mize's brows furrowed slightly, his legs dangling off the chair as he kicked the air idly.
"You mean those tiers I read about? They refer to the heart of the territory, not the strength of the awakener?"
"Precisely," Liam nodded. "The heart of the territory and the Lord are one and the same. It's both an energy container and a core of power, possessing myriad attributes"
"As long as the Lord collects the required materials and upgrades it, their strength will rise accordingly."
Mize nodded slowly, absorbing the information.
At that moment, the door quietly swung open.
A waiter entered, moving with silent efficiency, a silver tray balanced in his hands.
Liam barely acknowledged him, continuing to speak as if the presence of another person was completely irrelevant.
Mize, on the other hand, was half-distracted, his stomach growling faintly as he eyed the elegantly plated dishes being set down before them.
Still, he tried his best to stay focused.
"So these materials," Mize asked, reaching for a fork from the side as he speared a thick piece of meat, "where do we even get them?"
Liam's eyes glinted faintly, amusement flickering across his face.
"You catch on fast," he said, giving Mize a complimentary look before answering.
"The materials required to upgrade a territory's heart?" Liam leaned back slightly, fingers tapping against the table.
"They can only be obtained from the battlefield of a myriad races. This battlefield is quite a hassle to explain now, how about next time?"
Mize paused mid-bite.
Then, he let out a long sigh, dropping his fork with an audible clink.
"Knew it. Cliché setting."
Liam chuckled, his smile turning slightly mischievous.
"You better watch your words," he mused, swirling his glass lightly. "Rumors say the Warp is… conscious."
Mize's brows twitched slightly.
"Well…"
'That's a problem for future me'
Click.
Liam picked up his utensils, one hand smoothly grabbing a spoon, the other a fork.
"That's enough information for you," he said, cutting off the topic entirely. "Let's wait until you've successfully awakened first. Then, I'll tell you more."
Mize hummed, unimpressed.
"Alright," he shrugged, lifting his fork again.
"As long as you're the one paying for everything, then I'm fine with it."
---
Shortly after, the two made their way back to the car.
Mize walked noticeably slower, his feet sore from the hours of shopping.
"It hurts," he muttered, rubbing his calves.
"But then again, today's outing was done with someone else's money."
His flat stomach received a satisfied pat.
Liam, walking beside him, narrowed his eyes, an amused glint flickering through them as he leaned in closer, lowering his voice into a hushed whisper.
"…Wanna do it in the car?"
As if!
Mize immediately chomped down on Liam's hand, again.
A sharp flinch.
A low hiss of pain.
But as always, Liam still smiled.
"Can you not be a pervert for one day?" Mize shot him a murderous glare, stomping toward the car and sliding inside.
Liam, standing by the open door, murmured just loudly enough for him to hear.
"But that's how I make a living… being perverted on you."
Mize's eye twitched violently.
The drive home was uneventful.
Mostly.
Aside from Liam's occasional attempts to be a menace, of course.
Mize, by now an expert, blocked them all professionally, dodging a wandering hand, swatting away a sudden poke, even shoving his face away when necessary.
It became an unspoken game.
One attacked.
The other defended.
And in the driver's seat, a deadpan man who looked less like a person and more like a zombie wearing human skin.
At one point, he let out a single, tired cough.
Neither of them noticed.
Eventually, the car pulled up in front of Mize's apartment complex.
Mize exhaled softly, grabbing his bags while checking himself in the rearview mirror, fixing his hair.
Liam, of course, was still smiling.
He reached out, giving Mize's cheek a light poke.
"I'll fetch you early tomorrow morning. How does that sound?"
Mize rolled his eyes, stuffing a comb into his bag.
"Well, you're already my wallet," he said dryly. "Might as well add personal chauffeur to the list."
Liam chuckled. "A fair deal."
Mize reached for the door.
But just before stepping out, without looking back.
"I had fun. Thank you."
Then, he was gone.
Dashing off into the building without waiting for a response.
Liam sat completely still, his expression frozen for a brief moment.
Then.
A soft chuckle slipped past his lips.
"I too had fun," he murmured, eyes lingering on Mize's retreating figure.
The door closed.
The car pulled away.
As soon as the building disappeared from sight, Liam's entire demeanor changed.
The warmth in his face vanished, replaced by something cold.
Detached.
His eyes darkened, stripped of their usual amusement, empty, godless.
"As for the task?" he inquired, his tone smooth, casual, as if he were discussing business over coffee.
A voice answered from the shadows, hoarse and respectful.
"The man has been disposed of."
Liam tapped his thigh lightly, waiting.
"And the awakener?"
"…Couldn't be killed," the voice admitted. "Multiple experts were guarding him. It was a hard-fought battle, we managed to eliminate half of them and injure their strongest, but… they've been completely alerted."
"Many were lost, my Lord... "
Liam closed his eyes briefly, inhaling slowly.
"Our numbers can be replenish... No matter"
A faint, rhythmic tap-tap-tap of his fingers echoed in the silence.
"Focus on their movements," he ordered. "We'll likely be seeing them tomorrow. Try not to get exposed."
"Yes, my lord," the voice answered swiftly. Then, after a hesitant pause.
"And… may I request further support from the other monarchs under the Lord?"
Liam's lips barely moved.
"Agreed."
The air stirred.
And in an instant.
The shadows shifted.
A thousand unseen figures melted away from the car, vanishing into the night.
-
On the other side.
Mize stepped into the apartment building lobby, his movements a little sluggish from the long day.
Reaching the elevator, he pressed the button, then leaned against the cool metal frame.
Bored.
With a small sigh, he slid out his phone, unlocking it with a quick tap before opening his gallery.
Rows of pictures filled the screen snapshots of today's outing.
Some were of himself, a few casual selfies, some taken in front of mirrors, others capturing random scenery from their walk.
Then, of course, Liam.
A few were accidental shots where the man had sneakily photobombed, his smug smile always present.
Mize's lips twitched slightly before he brushed a hand through his long hair, tucking a stray strand behind his ear.
Ding.
The elevator doors slid open.
Stepping inside, Mize positioned himself toward the back, phone still in hand as the doors closed with a soft hiss.
The ride up was slow.
Mize barely noticed, his attention glued to his screen as he swiped through a famous social media app.
Then.
A breaking news alert popped up.
[Breaking News]A battle has occurred in the central district of Z City involving multiple awakeners and a group of unidentified monsters. Hundreds have been wounded, with dozens confirmed dead.
Officials have yet to release the identities of those involved but have issued a public advisory, all citizens are urged to remain indoors during nighttime hours until further notice. The perpetrator is still at large.
Mize's brows lifted slightly.
"Huh."
It was today's biggest headline. Thousands, no, millions of people in the city were talking about it.
He scrolled down, eyes skimming through tweets, comments, and speculation.
Yet…
"Why won't they state who was involved?"
Mize murmured to himself.
From the way the news was being handled, it felt too vague, like it was being deliberately filtered.
If a battle this big happened in the middle of the city, someone important must've been involved.
Then, his gaze flickered to the background image in one of the reports.
His stomach dropped.
"…Wait a minute."
That place