Amon, The Legendary Overlord

After the girls regained some degree of composure, Ariel looked at Amon and asked with a mix of disbelief and respect, "Amon, have you really reached the Grandmaster Rank?"

"Yes," Amon confirmed without hesitation.

"So it's true..." Barbara and the others murmured almost in unison. Although their reactions varied, they all shared a sense of growing distance. Amon was pulling away from them, elevating himself to a level few could reach.

"Actually, I had aspirations to reach the Star Rank, but I realized that it's beyond my reach at the moment," Amon confessed.

Bianca, always straightforward, interjected: "Of course it's beyond your reach. Advancing to the Star Rank requires more than just honing the skills listed in a spellbook."

Amon raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "And what else would be needed? Currently, I'm stuck at level 3,000 of the Grandmaster Rank. If I'm not mistaken, at least a thousand levels are needed to advance to the Star Rank, right?"

"T-Three t-thousand?!?" Bianca exclaimed, visibly shocked. She had sensed Amon's power, but he had never made an effort to conceal it, especially in their presence. Still, the idea that he had reached such a level was almost unimaginable.

Mabel, still stunned, murmured: "My God, not even the Human Emperor has gone that far..."

So far, the Human Emperor's record remained unparalleled, advancing up to level 2,509. Reaching level 2,000 was already an impressive feat. But 3,000? That was beyond what any of them could have imagined.

A knocking sound echoed at the door, interrupting the flow of conversation. "Miss Bianca, someone named Hazael is asking for your presence!" announced the voice of one of Bianca's staff, coming from the corridor.

"Ask him to come in," Bianca replied, immediately recognizing the name and dispensing with any hesitation.

A few moments later, the door opened to reveal Old Hazael. Standing only 130 cm tall with white hair adorning the sides of his head, he could easily be described as frail at first glance. However, those who knew him understood that his deceptive appearance hid unparalleled strength and wisdom.

Mabel was the first to react, offering a respectful bow. "Vice-director, good afternoon."

Amon and the girls followed Mabel's gesture, but their words carried a warmth that denoted familiarity. "It's been a while since we've seen you, Old Hazael."

Old Hazael laughed, scratching the back of his head as if a little disconcerted. "Hahaha! Yes, it must have been about half a year since we last met. Ah, how time flies. I'm getting old, and my memory isn't what it used to be..."

Almost instantaneously, Old Hazael materialized in front of Amon. Looking up to meet the young man's gaze, his eyes reflected pure and simple disbelief. "An 18-year-old Grandmaster? How is this possible?" he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else in the room.

While the others tried to engage him, Hazael seemed lost in his own thoughts, as if trying to solve a complex puzzle.

"Amon! Your level... Although it can't be kept a secret for long, I think you should—"

"I don't want to hide," Amon interrupted.

"Why?" Hazael seemed genuinely perplexed. Wasn't it common for young people Amon's age to want to conceal their abilities, perhaps to surprise and surpass others later on? Why else would someone make excuses to hide such power?

"Because if I do, I'll receive fewer resources and be limited to tasks that are beneath my level," Amon explained.

"That's true, but..." Hazael began to reply, but then his eyes met Amon's firm and resolute gaze. He stopped, realizing he could no longer consider Amon as just an ordinary young man.

Hazael continued, "You're right. If this information becomes public, you could be admitted to the Special Class of the University. You would receive not just resources from the institution but also various privileges from the Human Federation."

What Hazael couldn't understand was Amon's lack of enthusiasm about the idea of hiding his true power to surprise others later on.

What Hazael didn't comprehend was that Amon was not interested in flaunting his power or surprising others to satisfy his own ego. From the beginning, his goal had always been to become an Overlord. If he could achieve that goal by following a straightforward path with fewer risks, why opt for a more convoluted and potentially dangerous trajectory?

And how could that be more dangerous? Well, it's easy to imagine. Behind every arrogant youth, there's often a network of relatives—parents, uncles, grandparents—who could become unwanted adversaries. The mere idea of getting entangled in such a web of complications was headache-inducing enough.

Amon had no interest in provoking the ire of older figures related to someone he might have offended by hiding his true strength. Besides being an awkward situation, it could be dangerous. After all, he had people in his life who were important to him and whom he wished to protect.

How could Hazael not see this? The moment his eyes met Amon's unwavering determination, and then saw the young man cast a meaningful glance at the women in the room, he understood much about Amon's intentions and character.

"This young man is incredibly mature for his age," Hazael silently reflected.

He couldn't help but feel even greater respect for Amon upon seeing him act so thoughtfully. Initially, Hazael had planned to suggest that Amon hide his true power, thinking it could bring more prestige to the university in the future. However, upon realizing that such an idea held no appeal for Amon, Hazael understood that the young man, by himself, would already bring great renown to the institution for being an 18-year-old prodigy at the Grandmaster Rank.

"Amon, since we're at this point, there's another matter that needs to be addressed," said Hazael, changing the subject. "The Human Federation has contacted the university. They want to speak with you. You've spent months on a planet that was disconnected from the Tower, and that requires an investigation. They want your testimony. But don't worry, I'll be by your side." With a confident gesture, he patted his own chest.

"I'm at ease," Amon replied, and indeed, he was.

Hazael feigned a cough to disguise his slight discomfort with Amon's calmness. "Very well, you do seem at ease. Let's go, then."

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Do you want to know the appearance of each of the girls that have been introduced? I have created some images with their appearance, and you can access these images by joining my Discord: discord.gg/rK69edsWyt