Chris awoke to the gentle rustling of leaves and the scent of blooming flowers. He blinked, groggy and disoriented, before realizing he was sitting in a lush garden. In front of him, a kid lounged lazily in a hammock, playing on a Game Boy. The boy had white hair and mismatched eyes.
The kid looked up from his game, smirking slightly. "Well, you're finally awake, huh?"
Chris rubbed the back of his head, still trying to process everything. "I guess… but where am I?"
"You're in my garden," the boy replied casually, swinging one leg off the hammock. "You died recently, and I brought you back because I need something from you."
Chris froze. "Whoa, what do you mean I died?"
"You died—plain and simple," the kid said with a shrug, as if discussing the weather. "The way you went was pretty amusing too. You were play-fighting imaginary enemies with a replica of Vader's lightsaber, slipped on a water bottle, fell out of your second-story window, and broke your neck on impact. So hey, at least you went painlessly."
Chris stared at him, disbelief written all over his face. "I… don't remember any of that."
"Of course you don't," the boy said, waving his hand dismissively. "If I left the memory of your death in that noggin of yours, you'd be freaking out a lot more right now."
Chris let out a slow breath, trying to steady himself. "Fair enough. So, what's gonna happen next?"
The kid set his Game Boy aside and stood up, his mismatched eyes glinting with amusement. "Well, first—introductions. My name's Tet, and I'm the God of Games. You're the fifth and final person I intend to make one of my apostles."
"One of your apostles, huh?" Chris tilted his head, suspicious but intrigued. "Why me?"
Tet smiled faintly, an almost playful spark in his eyes. "No special reason. You're just a bit more unhinged than my other apostles. You're not necessarily evil, but you're also not a good guy either. You're selfish—and I can use that for the darker missions I need done."
Chris frowned. "Like what?"
"Like taking out powerful beings," Tet said smoothly, his grin widening. "For example—Ainz Ooal Gown."
Chris's eyes widened, a nervous laugh escaping him. "How would I even do that?"
"Oh, not right away," Tet said, chuckling softly. "I'll let you power up first."
"Yeah, I figured," Chris muttered. "I mean, I'm obviously gonna say yes—'cause the alternative is the afterlife—but still… how am I supposed to grow strong enough to beat someone like Ainz?"
Tet folded his arms, speaking with casual confidence. "Well, first off, Ainz isn't the final boss. You'll be facing other things later—but we'll get to that. You see, I've been toying with an idea: Overlord versus Overlord. Can my Overlord surpass all others? To that end, I'm gonna give you two things."
He reached into thin air and handed Chris a sleek, silver smartwatch.
Chris turned it over in his hand, brows furrowing. "A smartwatch?"
"It's similar to the ones I gave my other apostles," Tet explained, pacing leisurely across the garden path. "But unlike them, you don't get any characters. You get a job tab, quest tab, world travel tab, map tab, inventory tab, overlord tab, shop tab, and spell tab. The unique feature of yours is the Overlord Tab, which keeps track of your level as an Overlord. The higher that level gets, the more stuff you obtain—all tied to the Overlord video game series."
He gestured animatedly as he spoke. "Your job level will go up with kills and quest completion. You'll start with basic jobs, but more unique ones will unlock over time. As an Overlord, you'll have subordinates—minions, personal relationships, and allies. You can even let these people use the job system. They'll get downgraded versions of your watch—it just won't have everything yours does."
Tet smiled knowingly. "Also, your Overlord levels give a stat boost starting at level one. You won't be a total weakling at the start, but you'll still basically be cannon fodder depending on the world you choose. So, choose your starting place wisely."
Chris whistled low. "Okay… wow. What's the second thing I'm getting?"
Tet's smirk turned devious. "Mars."
Chris blinked, confused. "Excuse me?"
"A while back, I replaced Mars with another planet I won from a couple of idiots," Tet said nonchalantly. "It's just been collecting dust ever since, so I might as well use it to give one of my apostles an awesome base."
"But Mars is a desert planet with no life," Chris pointed out.
"That's the cool part," Tet said, grinning ear to ear. "Every time you go to a new world, you'll declare an area you plan to conquer. Your watch will set up a series of quests that guide you to do so. Once you're done, I'll rip that area up by the roots, replace it with an uninhabited patch of land, and plant your new turf on your planet. Cool, right?"
Chris's mouth hung open in stunned disbelief before he slowly nodded. "That's… actually insane. But even though Mars is smaller than Earth, it's still half the size. That's a lot of space to occupy."
"Only if you go all land and no ocean," Tet said with a wink. "But you should probably have at least one ocean—it'll make things easier. If you ever declare an island or a large landmass surrounded by water, I'll take some of the sea for you as well. Don't worry about making the planet habitable—I've got that covered. You just have fun."
Chris sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I guess… when do I start?"
Tet's smile turned knowing, almost mischievous. "Right now."
Tet stretched his arms over his head and said casually, "Alright, let me just restore your physical form—and while I do that, you decide where you wanna start out. I recommend a zombie world."
Chris tilted his head, thinking for a moment before replying, "Like Highschool of the Dead?"
Tet groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Can't anybody be original? I already sent one of my other apostles there because he asked me to—and even then, I was upset about it. But no, this time I refuse. Pick another one."
Chris scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm sorry, I can't think of another one."
Tet waved him off. "Give me a sec. You focus on your body coming back, and I'll do some digging."
As Tet spoke, Chris finally noticed something strange—he was a human-shaped beam of light. Before panic could set in, he felt his body start to reform, wrapping itself around what he assumed was his soul. The sensation was warm and oddly grounding. When it was over, he glanced at a reflective surface nearby.
Looking back at him was a tall young man with messy black hair, glowing yellow eyes, and pale skin. His outfit was pitch black from head to toe—shirt, jacket, pants, and shoes.
"I look like an edgelord," Chris muttered, his voice filled with disbelief.
"Duh," Tet replied, smirking. "You're an Overlord."
Tet then snapped his fingers. "Here we go—found it."
Chris's watch suddenly beeped, and a robotic voice announced: New world selected: Mash-up Slice of Life Zombie Apocalypse.
Chris frowned deeply. "The hell does that mean?"
Tet grinned, leaning back in his hammock. "It means you need turf, resources, an easy grinding spot, and subordinates. This place has all of that."
"But what kind of subordinates can I get from slice-of-life characters?" Chris asked, incredulous.
"Subordinates are more than fighters, you know," Tet explained with a teasing smile. "You'll also need people who can do other things. Plus, the job system will let them grow and gain strength of their own. Oh—and before I forget, while the watch isn't a system, it does have a simple AI designed to answer any questions you might have."
He gave a satisfied nod. "Anyway, that's about all I had to say. So, get out there and have fun."
Before Chris could respond, his entire body was engulfed in light and vanished in an instant.
Tet chuckled to himself, hands behind his head. "He's gonna do great."