I Was Mistaken for the Reincarnated Evil Overlord

The ground trembled as a deeper, more ominous growl echoed from the shadows of the Reaper Forest.

Darin, still recovering from the absurd realization that his company was filled with battle-hardened maniacs, barely had time to react when the forest itself seemed to shift.

The tentacles weren't just attacking at random anymore.

They withdrew, slithering back into the darkness as if regrouping.

Then—

THOOM.

A massive shape emerged from the shadows.

It was colossal, a writhing, monstrous abomination of tentacles, claws, and eyes. Its center mass was a bulging, pulsating form, and its dozens of eyes swiveled in different directions, glowing with a sickly yellow light.

The thing hunched forward, its mouth, a grotesque, vertical slit lined with jagged teeth, unhinged, letting out a guttural hiss.

The entire company stared up at it.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then—

"HA!" one of the cultists yelled, pointing enthusiastically. "THE LORD HAS BROUGHT US A TRIAL!!"

Another cultist clapped their hands together. "BEHOLD! A HOLY TEST FROM THE OVERLORD! REJOICE!"

Darin's eye twitched. "I DID NOT SUMMON THAT THING!!"

Vincent, grinning ear to ear, leaned over. "You sure? It's got your flair for dramatic entrances."

Darin groaned. "Shut up."

Alvin, standing beside them, unsheathed his sword with a sharp metallic scrape. "Tch. You talk too much. Let's just kill it."

The Sorceress exhaled through her nose, crossing her arms. "At least we know this journey won't be boring."

Darin dragged a hand down his face. "Of course, you're all enjoying this."

Meanwhile, the massive abomination let out another horrifying shriek—

And charged.

"HOLD THE LINE!"

Darin had barely shouted the command when his forces had already reacted.

The veterans, mercenaries, and ex-soldiers in the company took formation, seamlessly working together without needing orders.

"I don't even have to tell them what to do—?!" Darin muttered in disbelief.

Vincent laughed. "Nope! These guys are pros, buddy. Just sit back and enjoy the show."

And what a show it was.

The first wave of attacks was already underway.

A squad of archers let loose a storm of arrows, their projectiles glowing with enchanted energy as they struck the monster's pulsating flesh.

A witch at the rear lifted her staff, murmuring an incantation—

BOOM!

A column of blue fire erupted beneath the creature's body, engulfing it in flames.

The tentacle monster shrieked, its slimy hide sizzling from the impact.

Then—

It retaliated.

A massive tentacle lashed out, but before it could land—

SHING!

The old man with the fedora vanished, reappearing mid-air as he sliced through the incoming limb with a single clean strike.

"Too slow," he muttered, landing effortlessly on the ground.

Darin's jaw dropped.

Vincent whistled. "Man, I really should've recruited this guy back in the capital."

Alvin clicked his tongue. "Focus, idiot. We still have to kill the damn thing."

The Sorceress stepped forward, her gaze locked onto the monster.

"I suppose I should contribute."

She raised a single hand—

And dark chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around the monster's limbs and yanking it backward with crushing force.

The creature howled, its body slamming into the trees behind it, leaving a massive crater in the earth.

Vincent grinned, rolling his shoulders. "Alright, alright, that's enough foreplay."

He leapt forward, his sword glowing with a fusion of magic and aura.

Alvin followed immediately, his weapon shifting from sword to spear, his movements sharp and precise.

They clashed against the beast in perfect tandem, slicing through its tentacles, dodging its wild attacks with a level of skill and speed that made Darin want to cry.

"I AM SO UNDERLEVELED FOR THIS PARTY," Darin muttered.

Darin stood at the back, watching his army obliterate the monster with terrifying efficiency.

It wasn't even fair.

The tentacle abomination had started off as a terrifying threat, but it was now getting absolutely slaughtered.

Vincent and Alvin were weaving through its attacks like it was a sparring match.

The Sorceress had locked it in place with her spells.

The rest of the army was cutting it apart, piece by piece, without breaking a sweat.

Darin rubbed his temples.

"Why do I even exist?"

The Overlord's voice echoed in his head, laughing in delight.

"Ahhh, this is how it should be! A true Overlord does not fight, he simply watches as his devoted subjects carve through his enemies!"

Darin groaned. "I don't have 'devoted subjects'—I have a group of lunatics who would probably start a war for fun!!"

"Same thing!"

Darin sighed.

But before he could continue questioning his life choices.

The monster let out a final, agonized shriek.

And then—

BOOM.

With a final explosion of energy, it collapsed, its massive body falling lifelessly to the ground.

The entire company cheered.

Vincent flicked blood off his sword, smirking. "Another day, another victory."

Alvin huffed, resting his blade against his shoulder. "Too easy."

Darin?

He just sat on a rock and stared into the distance, dead inside.

*****

With the beast slain, the company quickly moved to secure the area.

The Sorceress turned to Darin. "We should keep moving. That was only the first challenge of the Reaper Forest."

Darin groaned. "There's more?!"

Vincent grinned. "Of course! You didn't think ONE giant tentacle monster was enough, did you?"

Darin buried his face in his hands. "I just want to reach the North without something trying to eat me every five hours."

The Sorceress smirked. "Then perhaps you should have chosen the long route."

Darin muttered something under his breath that was definitely not appropriate for polite conversation.

As they regrouped and prepared to move, a cultist approached Darin, bowing deeply.

"OVERLORD! WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH THE REMAINS OF YOUR HOLY TRIAL?"

Darin just blinked. "...You mean the dead monster?"

"YES!"

"...I don't know. Burn it?"

The cultist gasped, as if Darin had just uttered divine wisdom.

"OF COURSE! THE FLAMES OF PURIFICATION!! BRILLIANT, MY LORD!!"

Darin was so exhausted that he just waved him off. "Yeah, sure. Go do that."

As the cultist ran off, Vincent clapped Darin on the back.

"C'mon, let's keep going! There's probably more monsters up ahead!"

Darin just sighed.