The moment steel met steel, a shockwave blasted through the clearing. Goblins stumbled back from the force, their eyes wide. Gorrak grinned with sharp teeth, pressing down with his massive axe, muscles bulging.
"Not bad, outsider!" he roared, pushing forward.
Nyxaris slid back effortlessly, feet barely touching the ground. His blade pulsed with arcane light.
"You haven't seen anything yet."
Gorrak came again, fast for his size, swinging the axe in brutal arcs. Nyxaris ducked under one strike, pivoted, and landed a clean blow against Gorrak's ribs—but the Warlord barely flinched.
"He's not just strong," Nyxaris muttered.
Zeraldris' voice echoed in his head, smooth and amused.
"He's evolved far beyond what goblins should be. You're not the only anomaly anymore."
Nyxaris spun away from a crushing overhead swing, then raised his free hand. "Arcane Bind."
Rings of glowing symbols shot out, wrapping around Gorrak—but the Warlord roared, muscles bulging as he shattered them.
Nyxaris grinned. "Heh. Good."
Their blades clashed again, sending sparks flying. The goblins were in awe now—watching their chieftain battle what looked like a god in human form.
Gorrak suddenly feinted low and caught Nyxaris with the back of his axe, knocking him off his feet and into a nearby tree. Bark exploded.
The goblins gasped.
Nyxaris stood slowly, brushing dirt off his shoulder.
"Not bad," he said. "But I wasn't using my full power."
He raised his hand again.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: VOID SUPREMACY]
The world around him flickered—the trees bent slightly toward him, as if pulled by gravity. Even the light around him darkened.
Gorrak's expression turned cautious.
Nyxaris moved. One step—and he vanished.
A moment later, he reappeared behind Gorrak, sword crackling with energy. He swung.
Gorrak barely turned in time to block, but the force sent him skidding back, gouging trenches into the ground with his heels.
"I see…" Gorrak said, breathing hard. "You're more than just power. You've got… control."
Nyxaris pointed his sword down.
"This fight is over."
Gorrak looked around—his warriors watching silently, wide-eyed. Then, he looked up at the sky… and laughed.
"Hahaha! HAAAAH! Fine! You win, Sovereign."
He dropped his axe with a loud thud and knelt.
"You've proven yourself. Goblins follow strength. We follow you, now."
[SYSTEM QUEST COMPLETE]
> Goblin Tribe Subjugated.
> Gorrak has become your Commander.
> Population +80.
> Reputation +30.
> Leadership Stat +15.
> Gold +100,000.
The goblins began cheering, stomping, raising weapons in celebration.
Gorrak looked up, grinning. "So what now, Sovereign? What do we do next?"
Nyxaris smiled.
"We build."
Zeraldris chuckled inside his mind.
"So it begins. The rise of your empire."
[SYSTEM QUEST: "Unity of Races" UNLOCKED]
Objective: Integrate the goblins into the village, assign roles, and begin constructing the foundation of your kingdom.
Bonus Objective: Begin drafting your kingdom's laws.
Nyxaris turned toward the trees, already envisioning roads, farms, walls—light and fire, unity and strength.
A kingdom, born in the heart of the forest.
The morning sun filtered through the blinds of Leo's apartment as he removed the VR headset, sweat lining his brow despite the cool room temperature. He blinked a few times, letting his mind adjust from the surreal vividness of Evolvera back to the calm, quiet hum of his real-world home.
He sat back in his chair, exhaled slowly.
"…That's enough for today."
His fingers hovered over the logout prompt for a moment earlier—but now that he was back in the real world, he felt the weight of everything he'd done in-game settle in. A village saved. A goblin warlord defeated. The first real steps of a kingdom born under his will.
A slight grin tugged at his lips.
He stood up, stretched, and walked toward the kitchen where the scent of dinner lingered. His mom was humming softly, plating food, and his little sister, was tapping away on her tablet.
"Leo!" she chirped. "You've been in there forever!"
"I know, I know," he chuckled, grabbing a glass of water. "But I've got something huge going on in the game. Like… really huge."
Their mom turned, giving him a warm smile. "Is that so? Bigger than beating that giant monster last week?"
"Way bigger," he said, sitting down. "I'm literally building a kingdom now. People are following me. Not just NPCs… they feel real. They talk like us. React like us."
Maria raised a brow. "That's Evolvera, right? My class was talking about it today. Even my teacher mentioned it!"
Leo blinked. "Your teacher?"
"Yeah! It's on the news too."
Meanwhile—across the globe, chaos buzzed through Evolvera Studios HQ.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S BUILDING A KINGDOM?!" one of the lead developers shouted, his headset nearly flying off as he spun around.
"We didn't program that function!" another shouted from the other end of the room, tapping furiously at a keyboard. "The AI adapted! It's responding to his behavior like he's the true core of the system!"
"He's reshaping the world logic…" murmured a woman standing near a large monitor, eyes wide. "The system's reacting to him now. Not the other way around."
Screens showed footage of Nyxaris—guiding villagers, defeating enemies, commanding goblins. In every frame, his figure radiated authority and power, his actions no longer following any traditional quest format.
"This is no longer a game. This is… this is something else."
One of the younger programmers looked up from his screen, visibly pale.
"He logged out."
"What?!"
"He just left. Mid-kingdom building. Just like that."
Silence fell over the room.
"…Who is he?" someone asked.
"No idea," another whispered. "He's hiding behind the name Nyxaris. But whoever he is… he's way past anything we've ever imagined."
Back at Leo's apartment, he sat with his family at the dinner table. For the first time in a long time, they laughed together freely. A new apartment, real money in the bank, and a future no longer overshadowed by worry.
As they talked, Mia glanced at her brother and whispered, "Leo… are you gonna be king in that world?"
He smiled softly.
"I already am."
And somewhere, deep within the servers of Evolvera, Nyxaris's throne stood quietly at the heart of the forest—waiting for its king to return.
Light flooded Leo's eyes as the VR headset synced, and the world of Evolvera welcomed him once again. He opened his eyes not in front of a menu screen, but standing in the heart of his rising kingdom—green plains freshly leveled, sturdy buildings being raised, smoke from chimneys rising into the early morning sky.
[Welcome back, Nyxaris.]
[Syncing reality with your will...]
[All systems aligned.]
"You're finally awake," a deep voice echoed warmly in his mind.
Nyxaris smiled.
"Zeraldris," he muttered. "You're still here, huh?"
"Where else would I be?" Zeraldris replied with a chuckle. "Besides, you've built the beginning of something... curious. I want to see how far it will go."
Before he could respond, a familiar voice called from nearby.
"Lord Nyxaris!"
It was Erik, the village leader, striding toward him with a mix of respect and enthusiasm. Right behind him trailed a couple of goblins wearing makeshift armor, their faces surprisingly disciplined.
"Welcome back. The villagers have already begun work based on the blueprints you left. The goblins have been a tremendous help with construction and patrols."
One of the goblins stepped forward and thumped his chest.
"Gobu respect strong lord! We follow now!"
Nyxaris chuckled.
"Good. Because we've got more to do."
He raised a hand, and the system glitched slightly, particles shimmering as glowing blueprints and menus floated into view in front of him. He swiped and flicked through interfaces, designing areas for various purposes.
"Alright, Erik. I'll need your help assigning people to roles. We're moving from just surviving to governing."
Erik nodded sharply. "Understood."
Nyxaris turned to the goblin leader. "You and your kind will form the core of our scout units. You're fast, small, and clever. Use that."
The goblin grinned. "We sneak good. Spy good. You got it, boss!"
A few minutes passed as Nyxaris went around the village personally, assigning roles:
— Cooks to the large communal kitchen.
— Builders to the west side where expansion was happening.
— Farmers to the cleared field.
— Fighters to basic drills and patrol.
— Goblins split between scouts and defenders.
He finally stood in the village square and nodded. Things were beginning to feel real. Stable.
But then—
[SYSTEM QUEST: Ogres of the Northern Edge]
Objective: A nearby ogre village is under attack by unknown creatures. Aid them in their defense.
Secondary Objective: Win their trust and offer them sanctuary in your village.
Reward: +250,000 Gold | +50 Reputation | Unlock "Ogre Warrior Unit"
Failure Condition: If the ogres fall, their blood will stain your path.
Time Remaining: 5 Hours
Nyxaris stared at the floating screen for a moment, then dismissed it.
"Zeraldris."
"Hmm?"
"You sensed it too, right?"
"Indeed. That quest wasn't generated randomly. The system is watching you, reacting to your growth."
Nyxaris turned toward Erik.
"I need you to hold things down here. Keep the schedule moving, and make sure the new roles are followed through."
Erik raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
"A village of ogres is in trouble to the north. I'm going to help them... and bring them into the fold."
The goblin leader perked up. "More muscle?"
Nyxaris nodded. "More than that. They'll be allies. Citizens."
He summoned his cloak, its shimmering silver threads gliding into place, and began walking toward the northern path, the trees already rustling as if preparing for what was coming.
Zeraldris hummed. "This kingdom of yours... is already starting to feel like a legend."
Nyxaris smirked.
"Let's make sure it becomes one."