.

.

.

.

Elias stumbled upon a nearby bar. Not really.

He followed the smell of alcohol. His senses acted like the most basic Google Maps, a blessing in disguise. It doesn't matter which universe: Elias can always sniff out whatever he needs.

The rain didn't do much to hinder his sharp sense of smell, and soon, he came before a line of people in casual wear. They brought their umbrellas to protect themselves from the rain.

Elias didn't need one. Complex magic weaved between the fabric of his clothing, similar to his mask, blocked much more than a drizzle of rain. He remained warm and cozy.

The bedtime for children had passed, and all the adults were now alive in the dimly lit streets of New York. The bar was brimming with people, rowdy and merry. Elias did not feel the same.

After passing the entrance and entering through a backdoor, he reached the forefront of a bar's most important personnel: The bartenders.

They were busy—as expected of a crowded bar, and Elias was like a small fish in the ocean of people. But Elias had that unspoken charm that allowed him to skip the line. One of the bartenders, intrigued by his odd attire, served him first.

"Evening, Jabbawockeez. What can I get you?"

(A/N: Search Jabbawockeez up if you don't know them. They're a dance group that wears masks on their faces. Very cool stuff.)

"Dang, they exist in this world too? Two of your strongest drink, please. Whatever that is," he said.

The bartender's forehead wrinkled with the raising of their brows. "You sure you can handle that?"

Once questioned, Elias flicked a golden coin over the counter.

After eyeing it, the bartender gave him an odd look. Shrugging afterwards, the bartender spoke while performing the sign of the cross. "Two Aunt Robertas incoming. Do take your time, Mr. Jabbawockeez."

"...a religious man working in a place like this?" Curiously, Elias asked.

"Is that so odd? It's one of the best ways to find God."

"...uh, sure."

'If you want to get into a car accident and die, that is. He isn't wrong since dying is a quick way to meet God. Wait. If you get into a head-on collision with a truck, you might be able to meet God while you're still alive.'

Elias half-praised and half-mocked the weird bartender. He leaned on the bar counter, watching the hustle and bustle of alcoholic concoctions.

---------------

[Ding!]

[Barkeeper|Rank: D| Skill Successfully Obtained]

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[Notice]

Barkeeper Skill |Rank: D --> A|

---------------

"They aren't half bad..." he whispered to himself. His new bartending skill allowed him to appreciate the polished skills of the staff. "Pretty good for a normal human."

Before he knew it, the bartender had returned. In his hands, the so-called "Aunt Robertas" emanated a rich scent of ethanol and fermented fruit.

"Sir, your drinks?"

"Right. Thanks, buddy."

Elias stared at the bloody cocktail before him. He smiled from the way it smelled and the way it swirled with apparent viscosity.

"Strongest drink indeed."

Raising his glass towards the bartender, the lights overhead suddenly turned off. The bar was all too suddenly dim, clouded by murky darkness. It filled the drunken patrons with panic.

Meanwhile, the culprit took off his mask and gulped down his drink in one go.

"Whoooo! This is it!" his lungs burned with every breath, making Elias wonder if he had drank a glassful of magma instead.

Too bad his resistances were too high. Intoxication was an impossibility in his current state.

"Eh, it's fine. This is fine. No, it's not fine. I can't even forget about my sorrows for a night. But what can I do? I'm too op. And being too OP is fine."

Elias chilled out inside the dark bar, loudly talking to himself. The screaming of the other customers masked his rambling.

He couldn't hear them, an effect of weakening his senses to enjoy a much-needed silence.

...

"Ok, about time I turn on the lights again."

After drinking the other cocktail and feeling no different, Elias decided to leave the premises.

Instantly, the magic blocking the flow of electricity dissipated. The lightbulbs flickered into light. Elias heard a few sighs of relief.

"Ehem. Are the two Aunt Robertas all, sir?"

When the bartender and his colleagues calmed down the frightened guests, he returned to Elias's side. When he nodded, the bartender went to prepare the bill.

While the bartender was preoccupied, Elias looked through his inventory.

"Right, I bought those knives, the bazooka, the car, a lot of other stuff..."

No money remained. Fortunately, Elias had a Plan B.

"Hey, System. I'll accept the reward now."

A notification popped up in front of him.

-------------------------

[Leisure Quest: First of Two (Completed)]

Killing Strangers |Rank: FFFFF|

[Quest Completion Rank]: S

---------------

Objective:

[Head Hunter]

- Complete a contract worth $5,000,000 or more while holding your breath. [$10,000,000/$5,000,000]

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Rewards:

- Money

- Cool memories

- A bazooka if you're lucky.

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Penalties:

- A random skill is deleted.

----------------------------------------

$10 million, and a brand new bazooka appeared in his inventory. He took some of the money just in time for the returning bartender.

"That'll be $280."

"...pretty expensive."

Elias shoved his hand in his pocket and "pulled out" more notes.

"Pleasure doing business with you. Do come back when you have another breakup."

The bartender must have noticed his somber mood through his disguise. He guessed, incorrectly, that it must be because of a woman that Elias came to this bar to drink his sorrows away.

"Yeah, I'm rich and miserable, I know."

"I'll pray that you find the right one."

"Thanks, but that's gonna take a lot of praying."

Elias was about to take his leave when the phones of multiple people in the bar audibly rang. Even Elias's old Nokia phone for assassins rang, so he checked it out.

---------------

OPEN CONTRACT

MR. VALIS

$10 MILLION USD

---------------

'Well damn. So I'm a celebrity. But no one should know what I look like. My fellow assassins can't find me with my name alone...' Elias thought, walking to the backdoor, the same way he previously entered from.

He passed multiple people with narrowed eyes checking their phones.

"Do you know who this 'Mr. Valis' is?"

"Never heard of him. But it's a pretty high bounty. Killing in Continental grounds—and a High Table member as well! The balls on this guy are as big as they can get."

"He should be nearby. Wanna find him?"

"They sent an image too. Check it out."

Elias ignored the conversations between numerous assassins. With relative ease, he squeezed his way out of the crowded bar.

Raindrops immediately fell on his shoulders. Shrugging them off, he created an invisible barrier around his body to keep himself dry.

Elias took a deep breath, taking in the cold midnight air. It brought about that burning sensation in his lungs, but different from alcohol, it roused him awake.

Multiple people left the bar after him while holding firearms, but by then, Elias had disappeared into a dark alleyway.

He had a quest to finish.

.

.

-------------------------

[Leisure Quest: Last of Two]

Profitable Business |Rank: FFFFF|

Assassination is a dangerous yet lucrative business to pursue. The life of one person for the benefit of another requires an equal price. They say that life is priceless, but life can be equally worthless. What matters is whether or not who you kill is the target, and who wants them dead.

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Objective:

[Favoured Favourer]

- Gain 10,000 Gold Coins through the completion of favors. [75/10,000]

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Rewards:

- The Favor of the client/s

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Penalties:

- A random skill is deleted.

----------------------------------------

.

.

Elias read through the details of the quest as he walked through the dark alley. After a few seconds of silence, he had one thing to say about it.

"This is gonna take a while..."

He ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. However, he soon smiled, and he gained a pep in his step.

"That's exactly what I needed..."

---------------

[Universal Travel Cooldown]: 20 days, 14 hours, 03 minutes, 15 seconds.

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...

..

.

..

...

Elias hopped over some scattered trash on the ground while thinking about how to complete the quest. He didn't forget to pinch his nose as he walked. At least the rain helped in quelling the stench.

Elias thought about how to complete the quest.

'Kill 200, maybe 300 people? I need to get a new identity first and foremost. My identity as Mr. Valis was excommunicated after all...'

'What if I "kill" Mr. Valis? I'll get a ton of gold then, but first, I'll need to fatten Mr. Valis by killing more important people as him... hmm?'

A strange feeling overtook Elias as he assembled a mental kill list of influential people. He had just listed down the Pope as a potential target when he stopped in his tracks.

Elias felt the hair behind his neck stand up. Immediately, his eyes gained a sharp light. He relied on his senses to detect any hidden presence in the alleyway.

He found no one, and he narrowed his eyes.

'There can never be no one.'

While examining his surroundings, he felt something move in the air, and it was quick.

A silent projectile collided with his unguarded head. Instead of piercing through his flesh, however, the projectile crumpled like paper. Elias caught it before it fell to the ground. He scrutinized the object between his fingers.

He recognized the elongated, brass bullet. It was similar to the ones displayed by Charon back in the armory of the hotel.

"Standard 7.62×51mm NATO round. Effective for long range."

Elias repeated Charon's words. He remembered how the concierge held up a scoped rifle as he did.

"Sniper," he concluded with upturned eyes.

Charon made the recommendation when Elias spoke of his tendency to rush into the line of fire. Through a sniper rifle, completing contracts would be done from a distance with less difficulty. Of course, taking the setting into account was important. In the end, Elias rejected the suggestion.

Another bullet came his way, but a simple head tilt made it miss.

Elias took note of the bullet's trajectory and looked to the rooftops of a faraway building approximately 800 meters away. There, he found a man peering through the scope of his rifle.

He heard the sniper murmur, "How do I keep missing him... huh?"

Elias's action of facing the rooftop sniper made the latter flinch. However, he reasoned that it must be a coincidence.

He was about to fire again when he saw Elias reveal a throwing knife from out of nowhere. It gleamed in the dark alleyway, something the sniper found rather eerie.

'I've alerted him, but he must've mistaken me for someone nearby...'

'You're not even trying to look for cover. What an idiot.'

The sniper wiped off the raindrops on his scope. With little delay, he pulled the trigger.

A muffled, loud noise escaped the rifle, accompanied by a mighty jerk. The sniper lost sight of Elias due to the recoil. When he looked at the spot where the target was again to confirm the kill...

A hurtling knife carved through the sniper rifle and rooted itself into his skull.

"W-w-w-w."

Words conveying his surprise attempted to escape his mouth. Instead, garbled noises were all that came out.

Horrifyingly, the man couldn't move his body as he wanted it to. Then the man wondered why he was horrified or what horrified meant, and it made him inexplicably angry.

It didn't last long. The sniper's organs subsequently failed, and he breathed his last.

"I'm the best."

Elias grinned while stretching his hand out. The knife lodged deep inside the dead sniper's forehead started to shake. His mana compelled the throwing knife to retrace its course, deftly landing on the hand that threw it.

"Yeah, I'm the best...?" For some reason, the hair behind his neck didn't let down. His instincts continued to warn him that danger was near.

Before Elias could understand, he suddenly had the urge to sneeze.

His instincts continued to flare with warnings, but holding the sneeze in proved to be an impossible task.

"Eh... ahh... Ha... HA-A-A-A-ACHOO!"

His head violently jerked forward. The rest of his body followed to the point where he made a 90° angle from the waist up.

The force of his sneeze resulted in a blast of wind. It was powerful enough to deflect any falling raindrops away from him.

Right then, he felt an object brush past his bent back.

It missed him just barely, going straight through the building behind him with a resounding—

*BAM!*

It disappeared within a cloud of dust and falling debris. Elias heard it demolish the ground, going further away.

"...isn't that neat." Elias used his senses once again to determine the culprit of this attack. To his surprise, the object that nearly struck him was the culprit.

He could detect the internal functions of a living creature, so the object wasn't an object as he thought.

They had a beating heart, flowing blood, faint breaths, minute movements, etc. But people don't just fall from the sky.

"Probably an alien. People don't just fall from the sky," he said.

After straightening his body, Elias slowly moved to the crash site.

He followed the trail of destruction. From the alleyway, the living comet passed through multiple buildings, a road, electrical posts, and a parked car on the curb.

A good amount of debris was scattered all over the place. Elias hopped over some while kicking away the others.

The buildings were still in the middle of crumbling. Occasional explosions from a mixture of live wires and gas leaks kept the surrounding area clamorous. Any fires that popped up, however, were weakened by the rain. Elias didn't see any corpses, which was incredibly lucky for any normal humans nearby.

Soon enough, Elias reached the final building without two holes—one for entry and the other for departure. It marked the end of the trail.

"Let's see... is it ET? Megamind? Predator? Avatar? The Muppets? Vegeta?"

A cloud of dust blanketed the room, adding to the mystery of what hid within.

Elias waved his hand. The air pressure was enough to disturb nearby heavy debris, much less clear the clouded air. With a clear view, he finally saw it. He couldn't help but take a step back. It was something he had never seen before. No, he had seen it. In comics, movies, in many kinds of media.

A baby slept inside an arctic shell resembling a blue diamond. And judging from how it fell from the sky, likely from outer space, a thought cemented into his mind.

"...Kryptonian baby."

At the very least, this baby wasn't all blue with a massive head. What was Metro Man's species? Elias didn't know the answer, but the fictional character was incredibly similar to Superman. He was probably a direct copy.

"...cute baby."

Elias stared at the baby in awe, thinking about what she would look like when she grew up. No image came to mind, but he suspected that even his waifus could not contend. Not like appearance was all that mattered to him; Elias was a man of culture who took a woman's personality into account.

Before his eyes, the arctic shell began to thaw. It wouldn't take long until the baby emerged from its full-body carapace.

While watching it happen, Elias paused for a second and muttered, "Uhh... wat da hell do I do?"

A cute baby just fell out of the sky, almost crashed into him, and caused millions of dollars worth of damages, and here he was in the middle of it all. To say that this was unexpected would definitely be correct.

'When did the John Wick Universe get this weird plot?' he thought in stupefaction.

'Well, John Wick is dead here for some reason, and some dead people were still alive. This can't be canon.'

After a brief wait, the arctic shell vanished into non-existence, leaving a sleeping baby on the rugged floor. Elias contemplated whether or not he should pick her up and skedaddle. In his musing, the baby opened her crimson eyes.

Elias felt the movement and immediately stared right into them.

He felt a pang in his chest. Unknowingly, he stopped breathing, almost as though he never knew how to in the first place.

But the air already in his lungs was enough. He managed to voice out his most honest thoughts.

"Cute..."

The baby heard his voice, and it tilted its head in visible confusion. Elias felt another pang in his chest after seeing such an adorable action.

"This baby is way too cute!" he wholeheartedly exclaimed.

Elias extended his arms toward the baby. He planned on carrying her away to somewhere more appropriate, unlike the toppling building they were in. It wouldn't be good if other people came across this strange scene.

When his fingers were a small distance away, the baby slapped them aside.

"Ow! Wait, ow?"

'This baby managed to hurt me?' Surprised, he stared at his hand while shaking his wrist. There was a definite sting and a visible redness where he got hit.

'Jackpot! She is a legit Superbaby!'

Elias mentally celebrated his findings.

*Babble!*

Elias heard the baby babble. When he looked at her, he was once again surprised by the sudden appearance of arcane symbols hanging over her chubby head.

It read out a simple phrase in the letters of the English alphabet.

"This presence... why did I bump into you now? Don't tell me the ally was you?"

The baby's head remained tilted as if she couldn't believe what was happening. A disgruntled expression was clearly on her face, but it didn't take away from her pinchable looks.

But Elias had never seen this weird, strong baby before.

"Do I know you?" He removed his mask, showing the "baby" a harmless, hospitable smile.

Betraying his expression, however, his hand inched towards the sword by his side.

The hair behind his neck kept standing.

'This baby is pretty dangerous,' Elias thought.

"Nope, but I know you, Elias Williams. I don't want to talk to you while looking like this. The situation is pretty serious. Let's see..."

Out of his expectations, the baby didn't even comment on his dashing appearance and instead began her transformation.

"..."

Elias allowed her. He had never come across such a strange situation. But it entertained him. That was all that mattered.

...

The same arcane shell surrounded her again. This time, Elias couldn't see through it, only glimpsing the faint outline of her body.

----------

Inspection |Rank: XVIII|

----------

The baby remained out of sight. His ability failed to penetrate the thin shell.

'I guess she needs her privacy.'

Elias decided to wait until she was ready. The shell that was baby-sized grew with the figure inside it.

The baby emerged from her arctic cocoon after growing to the size of an adult.

"Seriously? The Creator took my hoodies too?"

Her previous babbles were no more. A sweet, sweet voice left her lips, caressing Elias's soul.

"!"

He had to look twice and another once-over.

The baby became an enchanting young woman. Wavy, white hair cascaded past her shoulders like a gentle snowfall, going well past her waist. She wore a long, exquisite robe—ashen as the visible parts of her pearly-white skin.

While wearing her regal hanfu, she appeared to float gracefully in a dreamlike manner. The layers of silky fabric hid her appearance. But it only added to the alluring air of mystery she already possessed.

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[Foreign Scan Detected!]

[Blocking... Failed]

-----

[Notice!]

[The host's Status Screen was revealed.]

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Elias received a system notification. He instantly drew his sword and swung it to the woman's throat.

*Clang*

An invisible barrier blocked the fatal strike. Elias was surprised by its durability.

The woman didn't even react.

Frowning, Elias spoke as he flourished his Pikachu sword. "I don't like it when people peep at my status. It's pretty rude, y'know?"

"Sorry, I was curious. I haven't seen you in a while."

While executing the many sword techniques of his Sever Swordsmanship, Elias kept the conversation going. "Lady, I really don't think we've met before."

"We didn't, but I knew you anyway," she said. "Do you know of The Creator?"

"Of course I do!" An honest smile crept up his face before his eyes gained a hint of seriousness. "Are you like me, then? Or are you an enemy of his because, you know, I kinda owe him."

Before the woman could respond, blaring sirens reached their ears. Red and blue flashes of lights gathered outside the building, along with the bewildered voices of people.

"Let's talk somewhere more appropriate." The woman waved her hand. Elias felt the air around him twist, dragging him along with it. He could have resisted but refrained from doing so.

<Reign>

Both of them reappeared in a much quieter place. It was dark and filled with craters, but more noticeably, Elias found that he couldn't breathe.

"...are we on the Moon?" he said. The lack of oxygen didn't bother him. He never needed it in the first place.

The quest condition he abided by, where he needed to hold his breath for the entire quest, might as well not have existed. It was called a "Leisure Quest" for a reason.

"Yep. Now, to answer your question..." Eira snapped her fingers.

Thousands of gold coins suddenly appeared from thin air. Elias almost thought it was a surprise attack, but he managed to stop himself from hacking all of them to shreds.

Elias caught one of the coins, noting their authenticity as the underworld's most well-known currency.

"...do I really need to answer your question?" she spoke, a hint of smugness in her voice.

After hearing her words, Elias shook his head.

"Heh, I guess not. So, what kind of favor can I do for the lovely Miss...?"

"Eira."

Eira answered, feeling that her new name felt refreshing to the ears.

'It certainly has less cringeyness than saying "Snow White." My other-omniversal-mother had a good naming sense.' she thought.

As a formality, Eira offered her delicate hand for a handshake.

"Will you help me complete my quest, Elias?" she asked.

To that, Elias coolly grabbed her hand before kneeling on one knee. He was about to give her hand a good old smooch, but she retracted it too early.

"Dude, what the hell was that?!" she exclaimed.

"...what?"

"..."

"..."

Elias stared up at her with puppy-like eyes. With his Charisma Stat being as high as it was, Eira should have already proclaimed her undying love.

However, seeing a man doing something like that instead sent shivers down her spine. His Charisma did not affect her at all.

*Stare*

"...stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

*Staaareee*

"Like that! Damn it, stop! Disgusting! Ew!"

Perhaps it would've had an effect if Eira was simply an overpowered woman.

Too bad for him, a grown-ass man was manning the controls.

"I'm into women, not dudes!" she declared.

"Hey, same. We really get along."

"...what?"

Too bad for her, Eira was the only one that could resist his Omniversal-level charms. No one else but her managed to do so in all the worlds he's been in; even his waifus were subjected to a phenomenon Elias coined as "True Mind Break" when they saw his face.

Eira was something special. No.

'She is one-in-an-Omniverse.'

He thanked the religious bartender from the bar.

'You've done it, you weirdo! Your prayers fucking worked!!! Thank the Creator!'

Elias could finally have a proper face-to-face conversation with a woman.

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